Ellen Ketterson a 2009 AAAS fellow
Indiana University Bloomington biologist Ellen Ketterson is IU's newest fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the organization announced last month. Ketterson is invited to attend a special ceremony at the AAAS annual meeting in San Diego on Feb. 20, 2010.
Honorees are selected for "their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications," according to the AAAS press release. Ketterson was chosen for her "contributions to novel research in animal behavior and evolutionary biology, especially for experimental field research involving 'phenotypic engineering.'"
Phenotypic engineering refers to the experimental modification of species behavior and life history traits using hormones in order to test whether the modified animal performs better in nature than the unmodified animal. In this way researchers can ask whether or not natural selection has shaped organisms that are the best performers in particular environments, and if not, begin to ask why.
"On behalf of the Biology Department, I congratulate Ellen on this richly deserved honor," said Chair Roger Innes. "Ellen has long been a pioneer in the field of animal behavior. Her studies on the interplay between hormones, life history traits, and natural selection in birds have been highly influential. Ellen is also a terrific role model and mentor for her students. Her leadership within our animal behavior group has helped make it one of the top programs in the country."
Ketterson is a distinguished professor of biology, as well as a founding member and former co-director of the IU Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior. Her election brings the university's total number of AAAS fellows to 38.
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is the world's largest general scientific society, and publisher of the journal, Science. AAAS was founded in 1848, and includes some 262 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals.
