Four Penn State Faculty Members Honored as AAAS Fellows
October 30, 2003
University Park, Pa. -- Four Penn State faculty members have been elected to the rank of Fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
The honorees are: Dr. Eric J. Barron, distinguished professor of geosciences and dean of the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences; Dr. Eva J. Pell, the Steimer professor of agricultural sciences, vice president for research and dean of the graduate school; Dr. A. Catharine Ross, who holds the Dorothy Foehr Huck chair in nutrition in the College of Health and Human Development; and Dr. David Sylvia, professor of soil microbiology and head of the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences in the College of Agricultural Sciences.
Each year, the AAAS Council elects members whose "efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its applications are scientifically or socially distinguished." The honor of being elected a Fellow of AAAS is acknowledged with a certificate and a rosette, which will be awarded this year at the association's annual meeting, Feb. 14, in Seattle, Wash.
Barron's certificate reads "for contributions to the understanding of climate change, particularly through the application of numerical climate models to the study of past and future climate." He joined the Penn State faculty in 1986 as associate professor of geosciences and founding director of the Earth System Science Center. He was named dean last year. His expertise has led to extensive service for the federal government and international community. He currently serves as chairman of the National Research Council Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate.
Pell is being honored for "research integrating cellular to ecosystem research in plant responses to abiotic stress and for leadership in research administration at one of the nation's most active research-intensive universities. " She studies the effects of air pollution on crops and other vegetation including specific effects at the whole plant, biochemical, molecular and physiological levels. She joined the Penn State faculty as assistant professor of plant pathology in 1973 and was named Steimer professor in 1995. She became vice president and dean in 2000. She also is president of the Association of Graduate Schools and chair-elect of the Council on Research Policy and Graduate Education of the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges.
Ross is being honored for "distinguished research on the characterization of enzymes and molecular mechanisms responsible for vitamin A homeostasis and the influence of diet and pharmacologically-important retinoids on vitamin A metabolism." She has made major contributions to understanding the functions and metabolism of vitamin A by linking basic biochemical and immunological research with dietary studies. Vitamin A is essential to health and its deficiency is one of the most prevalent and serious nutrition problems worldwide. Earlier this year, she was elected to membership in the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest honors accorded to U.S. scientists or engineers by their peers.
Sylvia is being honored for "internationally recognized contributions to the biology and function of mycorrhizal fungi in sustainable agriculture and for excellence in teaching in the field of soil microbiology." Symbiotic mycorrhizal fungi inhabit the healthy roots of many higher plants. Sylvia studies these plant-fungus interactions and is interested in the potential use of these fungi in agriculture and forestry, for example, the reclamation of disturbed lands. Sylvia joined the Penn State faculty last year. Previously, he was professor of soil microbiology at the University of Florida where he was on the faculty since 1984.
**bah**