With 18 new AAAS Fellows, Ohio State remains near the top of the national class

Eighteen Ohio State University faculty have been elected among the newest class of Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

Ohio State ranks second this year in the number of scholars chosen for the award, which is based on evaluations by peer scientists. The university has ranked first or second among new Fellows each year for more than a decade.

"Ingenuity and innovation are the hallmarks of Ohio State and represent the future of the 21st century university," said President E. Gordon Gee. "Our university is home to the most extraordinary scholars in the world, including these 18 new Fellows recognized as the top experts in their fields. Their collective work enriches Ohio State's remarkable tradition of academic excellence and discovery in myriad disciplines."

The University of Michigan ranks first this year with 19 new Fellows, and the University of California, Davis and Vanderbilt University each has 17 new Fellows.

In all, 702 members have received the honor this year because of their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. New Fellows will be welcomed in a ceremony at the AAAS annual meeting in Boston in February. Founded in 1848, AAAS is the world's largest general scientific society.

"This year's election of 18 distinguished scholars is a testament to our faculty's dedication, leadership and impact in their respective fields. Affirmation by their peers confirms the quality and diversity of their work across a broad spectrum of disciplines," said Caroline Whitacre, vice president for research. "On a daily basis, Ohio State researchers are serving our communities and advancing the frontiers of discovery as they solve the world's greatest challenges related to energy and the environment, health and wellness, and food production and security."

Including this year's class, Ohio State has more than 200 AAAS Fellows on the faculty. Ohio State's newest AAAS Fellows are:

Heather Allen, professor of chemistry and of pathology; for outstanding contributions to the development of vibrational spectroscopic probes of interfaces, and their creative application to problems in environmental chemistry, geochemistry and physiology.

Donald Dean, professor emeritus of biochemistry; for distinguished contributions to biochemistry, particularly for studies on the mechanism of action and protein engineering of insecticidal crystal proteins of Bacillus thuringiensis.

Biao Ding, professor of molecular genetics; for distinguished contributions to the field of intercellular trafficking of RNA and proteins and to the field of viroid-host interactions.

Prabir Dutta, Distinguished University Professor of chemistry; for notable contributions in understanding zeolite formation and applications of zeolites in photocatalysis and sensing.

Mark Failla, professor and interim chair of human sciences; for distinguished contributions to the field of nutritional biochemistry for developing valuable models elucidating bioavailability, metabolism and efficacy of health promoting dietary constituents.

John Finer, professor of horticulture and crop science and in the Center for Applied Plant Sciences; for distinguished contributions in the development of new and insightful approaches for increasing the efficiencies of gene transfer and expression analyses in crop plants.

H. Lisle Gibbs, professor of evolution, ecology and organismal biology; for distinguished contributions to the field of evolutionary biology, particularly for the application of molecular ecology and genetics to problems in conservation biology.

Maura Gillison, professor of medical oncology, of epidemiology and of otolaryngology; for distinguished contributions to the fields of tumor virology, cancer biology and epidemiology, particularly in defining human papillomavirus as the etiologic agent for head and neck cancers.

Randy Hodson, professor of sociology; for distinguished contributions to the study of organizational effectiveness and dignity at work through the study of power and its abuses.

Michael Ibba, professor of microbiology and of molecular and cellular biochemistry; for distinguished contributions to the fields of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase biology, translational quality control and microbial physiology.

William Marras, professor of integrated systems engineering, of physical medicine and rehabilitation, and of orthopaedics; for distinguished contributions to understanding biomechanical causal pathways for low back disorders and developing methods to prevent occupational back injuries and quantify back disorders.

Haikady Nagaraja, professor and chair of biostatistics, of internal medicine and of statistics; for distinguished contributions to the field of statistics, particularly for methodologic work in the areas of order statistics and stochastic modeling.

Susan Olesik, professor and chair of chemistry and biochemistry; for distinguished contributions to the field of analytical chemistry as well as excellence in communicating science to the public.

Richard Pogge, professor and vice chair of astronomy; for distinguished contributions in astronomical instrumentation and toward understanding the nature and environment of active galactic nuclei.

Phillip Popovich, professor of neuroscience, of molecular virology, immunology and medical genetics, and of neurological surgery; for distinguished contributions to the field of neuroimmunology and spinal cord injury, particularly for defining the functional contributions of the immune system in CNS repair.

Zhenchao Qian, chair of sociology; for distinguished contributions to the field of population studies and sociology, particularly for the studies of marriage, cohabitation, interracial marriage and assortative mating patterns.

David Williams, dean of the College of Engineering; for distinguished contributions to metal and material sciences, particularly on electron microscopy, and to higher education, providing academic leadership at three major research universities.

Rama Yedavalli, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering; for distinguished research and education contributions to the fields of robust and distributed control of mechanical and aerospace systems, and for service to multiple professional societies.

Provided by The Ohio State University