Good Fellows

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) — the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of numerous prestigious journals, including Science — has named six UC Santa Barbara professors among its new fellows for 2017.

This year, 396 members have been so recognized for their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. New fellows will be presented with an official certificate and a gold and blue (representing science and engineering, respectively) rosette pin Feb. 17, 2018, at the AAAS Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas.

The newly elected fellows from UC Santa Barbara are:

Keith Clarke, a professor of geography, for distinguished contributions to the field of spatial analysis in geography, including the development and application of cellular-automaton models of urban growth.

Noah Friedkin, a professor of sociology, for distinguished contributions to mathematical sociology, with special attention to network theory and its diverse sociological and social psychological implications.

Kenneth S. Kosik, Harriman Professor of Neuroscience and co-director of the Neuroscience Research Institute, for distinguished contributions to molecular and cellular neuroscience, particularly discoveries related to tau pathobiology and the roles of microRNAs in neuronal plasticity and differentiation.

Diane Mackie, a professor of psychology, for distinguished contributions to the study of intergroup relations, especially the effects of moods and emotions and influences of other people and social groups.

Brenda Major, a professor of psychology, for distinguished contributions to research on the effects of discrimination and stigma, the potential for psychological resilience and for her leadership within social psychology.

Denise Montell, Duggan Professor of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, for pioneering contributions to understanding molecular mechanisms of collective cell migration and cell survival in normal development and cancer.

“Today, I have the honor and joy of congratulating six of my very special colleagues on their election as prestigious fellows of the AAAS,” said Chancellor Henry T. Yang. “Such recognition by their own peers is the ultimate acknowledgment of their exceptional accomplishments toward the advancement of science and in the interest of society and humanity. This distinction represents the excellence of our honorees at the forefront of their fields and illustrates the depth and strength of the quality research of our faculty and their students.”

AAAS was founded in 1848 and includes nearly 250 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. Science has the largest paid circulation of any peer-reviewed general science journal in the world.