Thursday, October 28, 2004

Writer: Susan Myers, 706/542-8083, sue@myers.net_
Contact: Michael Duncan, 706/542-1998, maduncan@uga.edu
Patricia Gowaty, 706/542-3379, gowaty@uga.edu

University of Georgia professors elected Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science

Athens, Ga. — Michael A. Duncan, Distinguished Research Professor of Chemistry at the University of Georgia, and Patricia Adair Gowaty, UGA Distinguished Research Professor of Ecology, have been elected as Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the largest general scientific association in the world. The selection process for fellows is rigorous and is based upon an individual’s efforts to advance scientific knowledge.

Duncan was selected “for pioneering work on the spectroscopy, structure and photochemistry of metal atom clusters,” according to his award letter from the AAAS council. Duncan heads a research group of undergraduate and graduate students interested in this area of chemistry.

“I didn’t know I was being considered for the award, so it was a nice surprise,” said Duncan. “I have been a member for about 10 or 12 years now, and my primary involvement has been publishing research articles in the association’s journal, /Science/.”

Duncan has been on the faculty of the chemistry department since 1983 and is also a senior editor for the /Journal of Physical Chemistry/.

“This is indeed a worthy honor for Professor Duncan,” said Garnett Stokes, dean of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. “He is an outstanding scientist and a highly valuable member of the Franklin College faculty.”

Gowaty’s award letter stated that she was “being honored for fundamental studies on the evolution of behavior.” Her research over the past 20 years has focused on populations of eastern bluebirds, specifically on such issues as social interaction, mate selection and sex allocation of progeny.

“My election to Fellow of the AAAS came as a surprise, and I am very pleased by it,” said Gowaty. “The AAAS is one of the most important scientific societies in the world and is a leading advocate for science, science policy and science education. It is really nice to have one’s work recognized as valuable by one’s peers.”

Gowaty is a faculty member of the Institute of Ecology and of the conservation ecology master’s degree program. She has been published in a wide variety of journals and books, including /American Zoologist/, /Nature/ and the /Journal of Avian Biology/, and is a member of several ornithological and animal behavior societies.

“Patty Gowaty is richly deserving of this important recognition,” said Alan Covich, director of the Institute of Ecology at UGA. “Patty has played a key role in developing our program in evolutionary ecology and attracts exceptional graduate students to work with her on a wide range of behavioral research. She connects her research across our campus with others in genetics, evolution and molecular biology. She is also known by our undergraduate students as an outstanding teacher.”

In February a certificate and rosette pin will be presented to the professors during the AAAS Fellows Forum, as part of the association’s annual meeting held in Washington, D.C. The association elected 308 new fellows this year.

AAAS was founded in 1848 and began electing fellows in 1874. Members can be considered for the rank of Fellow if nominated by the steering group of their respective sections, by three Fellows, or by the association’s chief executive officer. Each steering group then reviews the nominations of individuals within its respective section and a final list is forwarded to the AAAS Council. The AAAS Council votes on the final aggregate list.

The AAAS publishes the journal /Science/ http://www.sciencemag.org/ and serves 10 million scholars, students and teachers. The organization is open to everyone and strives to advance scientific knowledge and serve society.

For more information about AAAS fellows, visit /www.aaas.org/aboutaaas/fellows/.