Indiana University

Skip to:

  1. Search
  2. Breadcrumb Navigation
  3. Content
  4. Browse by Topic
  5. Services & Resources
  6. Additional Resources
  7. Multimedia News

Last modified: Wednesday, December 7, 2011

IU record of 10 faculty receive Fellow distinction from AAAS, world's largest scientific society

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dec. 7, 2011

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The American Association for the Advancement of Science has awarded the distinction of Fellow to a record 10 Indiana University faculty members this year. Founded in 1848, AAAS is the world's largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal Science.

The new Fellows, all from the Bloomington campus, include seven from the College of Arts and Sciences and one each from the School of Education, the School of Library and Information Science, and the School of Medicine. The 10 new Fellows represent the largest group selected from IU since 2001, when five Fellows were named, and brings the total number of AAAS Fellows at IU to 66.

"This is a superb achievement by our outstanding faculty, and this recognition far exceeds any that IU faculty have received in the past from this prestigious association," said Indiana University President Michael A. McRobbie. "Indiana University is delighted that this group of distinguished scholars, representing a full spectrum of disciplines, is being acknowledged by their peers for the quality and diversity of their work and for their sustained record of achievement. Recognition by the AAAS confirms their leadership and impact in their fields, and it reinforces the excellence of Indiana University's faculty."

Election as an AAAS Fellow is an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers. This year, 539 members have been awarded this honor by AAAS because of their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. New Fellows will be presented with an official certificate and a gold and blue (representing science and engineering, respectively) rosette pin on Feb. 18 at the AAAS Fellows Forum during the 2012 AAAS Annual Meeting in Vancouver, B.C., Canada.

The Fellows from Indiana University, along with the AAAS citation of merit, are:

Carl Bauer

Professor and chair, Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Department, "For distinguished contributions in the field of microbial physiology especially for defining an understanding of the origin, evolution and regulation of photosynthesis genes."

Katy Börner

Victor H. Yngve Professor of Information Science, School of Library and Information Science, "For pioneering work on network science infrastructure development, the scientific analysis, modeling, and visualization of science itself, and curatorship of the international 'Places & Spaces: Mapping Science' exhibit."

David Clemmer

Robert and Marjorie Mann Chair Professor, Department of Chemistry, "For distinguished contributions to the field of analytical chemistry, particularly the development of ion mobility/mass spectrometry instrumentation and techniques for the analysis of complex biological mixtures."

David L. Dilcher

David L. Dilcher

David L. Dilcher

Professor emeritus, Department of Biology, "For distinguished service to the study of angiosperm paleobotany, particularly the 'abominable mystery' of angiosperm evolutionary origins, and for fostering international cooperation in paleobotany."

Patricia Foster

Patricia Foster

Print-Quality Photo

Patricia Foster

Professor, Department of Biology, "For distinguished contributions to molecular genetics and microbiology, particularly for determining mechanisms of stress-induced mutagenesis and elucidating the calculation of spontaneous mutation rates."

Peter Ortoleva

Peter Ortoleva

Print-Quality Photo

Peter Ortoleva

Distinguished professor, Department of Chemistry, "For distinguished contributions to the theory of the self-organization of matter across scales from nanometers to kilometers as understood through the basic laws of physics."



Jonathan Plucker

Jonathan A. Plucker

Print-Quality Photo

Jonathan A. Plucker

Professor, School of Education, "For distinguished contributions to the science of creativity and the creation of research-supported education policy."




Rod Suthers

Roderick A. Suthers

Print-Quality Photo

Roderick A. Suthers

Professor, School of Medicine, "For distinguished contributions to the understanding of the fundamental mechanisms underlying sound production in birds."



Roger Temam

College Professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Mathematics, "For distinguished contributions to applied mathematics and fluid mechanics and extraordinary mentoring of young mathematicians throughout the world."


Virginia Vitzthum

Photo by Kevin Atkins

Virginia J. Vitzthum

Print-Quality Photo

Virginia J. Vitzthum

Professor, Department of Anthropology and Kinsey Institute, "For distinguished contributions to anthropology, particularly for evolutionary models of women's reproductive function and for international work bridging science and policy."

The tradition of AAAS Fellows began in 1874, and members can be considered for the rank of Fellow if nominated by the steering group of their respective sections, by three Fellows, or by the association's CEO. Each steering group then reviews the nominations of individuals within its respective section and forwards a final list to the AAAS Council.

The AAAS Council votes on the final aggregate list. The council is the policymaking body of the association, chaired by the president and consisting of the members of the board of directors, the retiring section chairs, delegates from each electorate and each regional division, and two delegates from the National Association of Academies of Science.

AAAS includes 262 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. Science magazine has the largest paid circulation of any peer-reviewed general science journal in the world, with an estimated total readership of 1 million. The nonprofit AAAS (www.aaas.org) is open to all and fulfills its mission to "advance science and serve society" through initiatives in science policy, international programs, science education and more.

For more information, please contact Steve Chaplin, University Communications, at 812-856-1896 or stjchap@iu.edu. Tweeting IU science news at @IndianaScience.