SIX UC DAVIS FACULTY MEMBERS ELECTED FELLOWS OF AAAS

SIX UC DAVIS FACULTY MEMBERS ELECTED FELLOWS OF AAAS
University of California, Davis
December 19, 2008

Six faculty members from University of California, Davis, are among the 486 newly elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). This prestigious rank is conferred on AAAS members for their efforts toward advancing science applications that are deemed scientifically or socially distinguished. The new fellows will be formally honored in a ceremony on Feb. 14, 2009, at the society's annual meeting in Chicago.

Shirley Chiang

A professor of physics, Shirley Chiang served as chair of the department from 2003 through June 2008. The society cited Chiang for "innovative and incisive use of scanning probe techniques for the study of metal surfaces." In recent years her research has focused on the study of nucleation and growth of thin metal films on single crystal metal and semiconductor surfaces, and on observing the chemical reactions of small molecules on metal surfaces. Her pioneering work with the experimental technique known as scanning tunneling microscopy has produced such discoveries as showing that surface alloying of metals such as copper, gold and silver occurs under a surprisingly large variety of conditions. She has also demonstrated that a scanning tunneling microscope can be used to distinguish between isomers of various molecules on the basis of their shapes. Chiang's work has important implications for a variety of applications, including the development of new materials and the fabrication of electronic devices.

Paul Luciw

Paul Luciw is a professor and molecular virologist at the Center for Comparative Medicine and the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. The primary focus of his research is on viruses that establish persistent infection, including retroviruses that cause immunodeficiency and herpesviruses associated with cancer. He also is working to develop new methods for analyzing blood serum samples to diagnose infectious diseases of mice and nonhuman primates, and is studying cell-signaling pathways in cell-culture models for cancer.
Luciw applies these techniques to develop better methods for detecting immune responses to other infectious agents, including the bacterium that causes tuberculosis. He was chosen as a fellow in the AAAS because of his distinguished contributions to the understanding of the molecular origin and development of AIDS and to the study of potential vaccines for AIDS and the human immunodeficiency virus, HIV.

George Roussas

A distinguished professor in the Department of Statistics, George Roussas studies probability models, which attempt to describe what is happening in the world around us. These models and the statistical inference associated with them help scientists make sense of various phenomena and extract information from massive sets of data in a multitude of fields including astronomy, physics, social sciences, medicine and ecology.

In electing him a fellow, the society cited Roussas' fundamental contributions to the field of statistical inference in stochastic processes and also his significant contributions to his university and profession. During the 14 years from 1985 to 1999 that Roussas served as associate dean of statistics and chair of the Graduate Group in Statistics, curriculum and faculty in the department increased dramatically, and the university's standing in statistics soared to 11th place among academic and research institutions worldwide.

David Glenn Smith

Anthropology professor David Glenn Smith was elected for distinguished contributions to primate population genetics, and for the use of mitochondrial DNA to understand the peopling of the Americas. Smith's interests and research include the biogeography of the macaque monkey genus, genetic evidence related to the peopling of the New World, and the use of both modern and ancient DNA to assess ancestor-descendant relationships. Smith is principal investigator of the Molecular Anthropology Laboratory at UC Davis, which explores Native American biological origins and population history through the study of ancient and modern DNA. The lab also conducts population genetics research in captive primate populations.

Judith Stern

Judith Stern, professor of nutrition and internal medicine and a member of the Institute of Medicine, is one of the nation's foremost experts on weight management. She has published extensively on nutrition, obesity and the effect of exercise on appetite and metabolism. Her efforts to move research findings beyond the laboratory have led to new health policy, particularly in the area of obesity and public awareness of nutrition's importance. She was elected as a fellow of the AAAS in recognition of her distinguished contributions to the field of nutrition, research on obesity and diabetes, and efforts to communicate and interpret science to the public. The election also honors her work in co-founding the American Obesity Association and the North American Association for the Study of Obesity (now the Obesity Society).

Venkatesan Sundaresan

Plant biologist Venkatesan Sundaresan is a professor in the colleges of Biological Sciences and Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

The society recognized him for his distinguished contributions to the field of plant genomics and plant developmental biology, particularly for his work in floral development and reproduction. Using a technique of inserting short gene sequences called transposons into the DNA of rice and Arabidopsis plants, Sundaresan and his lab explore the function and expression of genes in plant genomes, and have developed a strategy that is advancing large-scale analysis of gene function in cereal crops. This research was used by his lab to identify critical genes that control flowering and egg cell formation in plants, knowledge that will be helpful in controlling plant reproduction in agricultural applications.

About UC Davis

For 100 years, UC Davis has engaged in teaching, research and public service that matter to California and transform the world. Located close to the state capital, UC Davis has 31,000 students, an annual research budget that exceeds $500 million, a comprehensive health system and 13 specialized research centers. The university offers interdisciplinary graduate study and more than 100 undergraduate majors in four colleges -- Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Biological Sciences, Engineering, and Letters and Science -- and advanced degrees from five professional schools: Education, Law, Management, Medicine, and Veterinary Medicine. The UC Davis School of Medicine and UC Davis Medical Center are located on the Sacramento campus near downtown.

Media contact(s):
* Liese Greensfelder, UC Davis News Service, (530) 752-6101, lgreensfelder@ucdavis.edu