6 professors elected to prestigious scientific society
Six professors at the University of South Carolina have been named fellows in the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), a prestigious honor in the realm of science and tehcnology.
The six are Dr. Brian Benicewicz, chemistry and biochemistry; Dr. Frank Berger, biological sciences; Dr. Charles Mactutus, psychology; Dr. Daniel Reger, chemistry and biochemistry; Dr. John Richards, psychology; and Dr. James Sodetz, chemistry and biochemistry. They will be recognized for their contributions to science and technology at the Fellows Forum Feb. 19 during the 2011 AAAS annual meeting in Washington, D.C.
Members are elected by their peers in recognition of their efforts to advance science or its applications that are deemed scientifically or socially distinguished. AAAS fellows have been elected since 1874. The association, which is the world’s largest general scientific society, was founded in 1848 and publishes the journal, Science.
“Carolina’s faculty are committed to scholarship, research and teaching,” said USC President Harris Pastides. “The election of another six Carolina faculty members as prestigious AAAS fellows proves the quality of our faculty is being recognized throughout South Carolina and beyond.”
Stephen Kresovich, USC’s vice president for research and graduate education, hailed the AAAS recognition as an important step toward building the reputation of the university’s research and scholarly community.
“The national recognition these six faculty members have achieved for their scholarly contributions is an indicator of the excellence of research at this university,” Kresovich said. “These professors are national leaders, and Carolina is proud and fortunate to have them among its faculty.”