Michael Bell, David Conover, Michael Frohman, and Ellen Pikitch among those internationally recognized for their work advancing science
December 3, 2015 – Four Stony Brook Professors – Michael Bell, David Conover, Michael Frohman, and Ellen Pikitch – have been elected Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for their work toward the advancement of science and/or its applications. The journal Science will formally announce the new AAAS Fellows on November 27, 2015. The fellows will be honored on February 13, 2016, at the AAAS Annual Meeting in Washington, DC.
“This year’s election of four internationally-known Stony Brook University scholars is a clear illustration of the impact their work has in both their respective fields and in global scientific research,” said Stony Brook University President Samuel L. Stanley Jr., MD. “Professors Bell, Conover, Frohman, and Pikitch join the growing ranks of Stony Brook’s AAAS Fellows, and I congratulate them on this well-deserved distinction.”
Michael Bell, PhD, a Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolution, was elected as an AAAS Fellow for his extensive contributions to the field of evolutionary biology. Dr. Bell uses a common species of fish known as the Threespine Sickleback as an evolutionary “supermodel,” allowing him to discover several evolutionary phenomena, propose hypotheses concerning their developmental genetics and functional significance and trace their changes through time in modern and fossil populations. For more about Dr. Bell’s research, see this webpage.
David Conover, PhD, is the Vice President for Research at Stony Brook University, and a Professor in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS). Dr. Conover was elected as an AAAS Fellow for his distinguished contributions to the field of evolutionary ecology, particularly regarding adaptive variation in life histories of marine fishes and for leadership of ocean sciences. For more about Dr. Conover’s research, see this webpage.
Michael Frohman, MD, PhD, Chair of the Department of Pharmacological Sciences at Stony Brook University School of Medicine, was elected as an AAAS Fellow for his development of a powerful molecular biological technique called “5’ RACE,” and for the cloning of a family of human signal transduction enzymes that generate lipid second messenger signals. The lipid second messengers are important in thrombotic disease, fertility, immune responses, and cancer. Dr. Frohman is also the director of Stony Brook University’s NIH-funded MD-PhD Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP), which is devoted to developing the next generation of physician-scientists.
Ellen Pikitch, PhD, is a SoMAS Professor and Executive Director of the Institute for Ocean Conservation Science. She was elected as an AAAS Fellow for her distinguished contributions to the fields of fisheries and conservation science, particularly for the development and application of quantitative methods to sustainably manage overexploited marine fishes. Dr. Pikitch’s efforts have also led to the listing of beluga sturgeon under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and passage of the U.S. Shark Finning Prohibition Act to protect sharks from being overhunted in American waters and several other fish protection policies and laws. For more about Dr. Pikitch’s work, see this webpage.
“The election of these four distinguished Stony Brook University professors to the AAAS is indicative of the University’s strength in Pharmacology, Ecology and Evolution, and Marine and Atmospheric Sciences,” said Dennis N. Assanis, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Stony Brook University. “These professors also represent the excellence of the Stony Brook faculty who, year upon year, bring home stellar awards, society memberships, and other notable recognitions to the University.”
The tradition of AAAS Fellows began in 1874. Currently, members can be considered for the rank of Fellow if nominated by the steering groups of the Association’s 24 sections, or by any three Fellows who are current AAAS members (so long as two of the three sponsors are not affiliated with the nominee’s institution), or by the AAAS chief executive officer. Fellows must have been continuous members of AAAS for four years by the end of the calendar year in which they are elected.
Each steering group reviews the nominations of individuals within its respective section and a final list is forwarded to the AAAS Council, which votes on the aggregate list.
The Council is the policymaking body of the Association, chaired by the AAAS president, and consisting of the members of the board of directors, the retiring section chairs, delegates from each electorate and each regional division, and two delegates from the National Association of Academies of Science.
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