CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Six faculty members of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have been awarded the distinction of AAAS Fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science: David F. Clayton, Evan H. DeLucia, Dana D. Dlott, Ravishankar K. Iyer, Deborah E. Leckband and Lawrence B. Schook.
Election as a fellow is an honor bestowed upon members by their peers. This year 376 members were elevated to this rank because of their efforts to advance science or its applications that are deemed scientifically or socially distinguished.
Clayton, a professor of cell and developmental biology and a researcher at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, was chosen for pioneering the study of the molecular basis of birdsong communication.
DeLucia, a professor and head of plant biology, was selected for fundamental contributions toward understanding impacts of global climate change on photosynthesis, carbon allocation, and ecological relationships of forest and agricultural ecosystems.
Dlott, a professor of chemistry, was recognized for fundamental studies of vibrational energy in molecular solids and liquids using novel methods of laser spectroscopy having ultrahigh temporal and spatial resolution.
Iyer, George and Ann Fisher Distinguished Professor of electrical and computer engineering and director of the Coordinated Science Laboratory, was selected for contributions to the measurement, analysis and design of dependable computing systems and for the transfer of this technology to industry.
Leckband, a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and a researcher at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, was honored for pioneering use of molecular force measurements to quantify relationships between biomaterial and biomolecular structures and the molecular forces that determine how they function.
Schook, a professor of animal science and a theme leader at the Institute for Genomic Biology, was honored for distinguished contributions to the field of animal structural, functional and comparative genomics and for providing leadership to the International Swine Genome Sequencing Consortium.
The election of AAAS Fellows began in 1874. This year’s fellows will be formally recognized during the AAAS annual meeting in St. Louis, in February. AAAS, which publishes the journal Science, was founded in 1848; it is the world’s largest general scientific society.
