Skip to Content, Navigation, or Footer.
Support the IDS in College Media Madness! Donate here March 24 - April 8.
Friday, March 29
The Indiana Daily Student

Three faculty members recognized for contributions to science

false

Three IU faculty members have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of 
Science.

The achievement recognizes outstanding contributions to the progress of science and research, according to an IU press release.

The three IU faculty members, among the 347 new fellows, are William Carroll Jr., adjunct professor in the Department of Chemistry; Armin Moczek, professor in the Department of Biology; and Richard Wilk, distinguished professor and provost’s professor of anthropology in the Department of Anthropology.

“These three outstanding scholars share a strong commitment to helping our students and the academic community at large better understand the workings of the world around us,” IU President Michael McRobbie said in the release. “Together they are contributing to our knowledge of some of the most important issues affecting the development and preservation of our planet, including our evolution, our economic behaviors and the sustainability of our natural resources.”

Carroll’s work focuses on encouraging business and innovation in the chemistry industry through engagement in professional societies, trade organizations and government entities, according to the release.

He is a retired vice president at Occidental Chemical Corp. and past president, past board chair and current board member of the American Chemical Society, according to the release.

Moczek’s work focuses on mechanisms that facilitate the evolutionary origin of complex traits, according to the release.

He uses insects as model systems, such as the extravagant horns found in beetles or the bioluminescent organs found in fireflies.

He co-directs the Jim Holland Summer Science Research Program and the Jim Holland Summer Enrichment Program and develops K-12 curriculum with the School of Education and the WonderLab Museum, according to the release.

Wilk focuses on sustainability, food, globalization and the rights of native people, according to the 
release.

He has served as a member of the American Anthropological Association’s Global Climate Change Task Force and as a consultant to numerous native-rights organizations and USAID programs, according to the release.

Eight IU alumni have also been named fellows of AAAS, according to the 
release.

These alumni include Barry Aprison of the University of Chicago, Gen-Seng Feng of the University of California at San Diego and Watson Laetsch of the University of California at Berkeley.

Additionally, this includes Dennis Lichtenberger of the University of Arizona, Reinhard Laubenbacher of the University of Connecticut, Ellen Pikitch of Stony Brook University, J. Donald Rimstidt of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and G. Philip Robertson of Michigan State University.

Members might be nominated for the distinction by the steering groups of the AAAS’ 24 sections, by any three fellows who are current AAAS members or by the AAAS chief executive officer, according to the release.

New fellows will receive an official certificate and a gold-and-blue rosette pin on Feb. 13 at the AAAS Fellows Forum during the 2016 AAAS Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C, according to the release.

The AAAS is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing science for the benefit of all people, according to the organization’s website. One of the organization’s goals, among others, is to enhance communication among scientists, engineers and the public.

Get stories like this in your inbox
Subscribe