UofA profs named Advancement of Science Fellows

Four University of Arizona professors in the departments of entomology, chemistry and biochemistry, and ecology and evolutionary biology have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, or AAAS. Election as a AAAS Fellow is an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers.

AAAS awarded the distinction of Fellow to 702 of its members this year. These individuals have been elevated to this rank because of their efforts toward advancing science applications that are deemed scientifically or socially distinguished.

The AAAS is the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal Science. Founded in 1848, the association includes 261 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals.

Those from the UA who were named AAAS Fellows are:

Alexander Badyaev, a professor in the department of ecology and evolutionary biology, for distinguished contributions to evolutionary ecology by integrating tools and theory from quantitative genetics and the evolution of development.

The central goal and pioneering contribution of Badyaev’s research is in deciphering the interplay among randomness, contingency and adaptation in the evolution of organismal form and function. Badyaev’s key studies aim to reconcile innovation and adaptation in the evolution of animal coloration, variability and heritability in skeletal structures, and adaptability and adaptation in the evolution of complex physiological systems.

Michael Brown, a professor in the department of chemistry and biochemistry, for advancing the theoretical and experimental understanding of the structure, dynamics and function of cellular membranes and membrane proteins.

Brown’s research group studies the structure and function of proteins and related molecules embedded in the membrane of cells, where they serve as receptors for light, hormones and neurotransmitters. Certain such molecules are important targets for drugs, and understanding how they function opens up new avenues for therapies and other applications.

Misfolding of membrane proteins occurs in neurodegeneration, including Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, with profound medical relevance. Others, such as ion channels and pumps, sustain life on Earth and are of great importance in the energy budget of the planet through energy conversion and photosynthesis.

Yves Carrière, a professor in the department of entomology, for advances in understanding and managing evolution of insect resistance to insecticides and transgenic plants.

Carrière’s lab primarily focuses on the study of interactions between insects and transgenic crops, the environmental impacts of transgenic crops and landscape-based integrated pest management. Recently, he led a team of entomologists in devising and implementing a new test to help farmers in their war against insect pests. The research provided the first direct evidence confirming the effectiveness of the so-called refuge strategy for delaying pest resistance to insecticides and transgenic crops.

He also was a member of a National Research Council Committee that recently evaluated impacts of biotechnology on farm-level economics and sustainability.

Brian Enquist, a professor in the department of ecology and evolutionary biology, for his contributions in the fields of ecology, plant biology, theoretical biology, global ecology and for pioneering contributions in the origin of biological scaling laws.

Enquist’s lab group investigates how functional and physical constraints at the level of the individual (anatomical and physiological) influence larger scale ecological and evolutionary patterns, for example how characteristics of organisms change with their size, or how the scaling of biological processes varies from the smallest entities such as cells to the largest (ecosystems).

The new AAAS Fellows will be presented with an official certificate and a gold and blue (representing science and engineering, respectively) rosette pin on Feb. 16 at the AAAS Fellows Forum during the 2013 AAAS Annual Meeting in Boston.

This year’s AAAS Fellows will be formally announced in the AAAS News & Notes section of the journal Science on Nov. 30.

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