Five UCLA faculty members are among the newest fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. They are among 401 members awarded this honor by AAAS 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 rosette pin, representing science and engineering, on Feb. 14, 2015, at the AAAS Fellows Forum in San Jose, and formally announced in the “AAAS News and Notes” section of the journal Science on Nov.28. Photos of each new fellow are below.
UCLA's newest AAAS fellows are:
Linda Baum
Baum, a professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, has been recognized for distinguished contributions to the field of glycobiology, in particular for showing the role of glycans in immune response and disease. Baum’s current research focuses on the biochemistry of cell-cell interactions, especially those mediated by protein-saccharide interactions, in immune system, cancer and muscular dystrophy models.
Ann M. Hirsch
Hirsch, a professor in the Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, has been selected for excellent contributions to the field of plant-microbe interactions, particularly as they apply to sustainable agriculture, and for experiential teaching in plant sciences. Her research focuses on bacteria within the root microbiome and how they interact to produce effective nitrogen-fixing symbioses with plants, especially in poor soils. Additionally, her lab developed DNA-based methods to validate the authenticity of botanicals and to detect whether contaminants or adulterants are present.
Michael Stephen Levine
Levine, a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, associate director for education at the Brain Research Institute and associate director of the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, has been chosen for distinguished contributions to understanding how neurons of basal ganglia nuclei communicate and how such communication is altered in models of basal ganglia neurodegenerative diseases. Levine’s research is directed toward understanding the mechanisms underlying neuronal dysfunction in the basal ganglia and cortex in neurodegenerative disorders.
Dwight W. Read
Read, a distinguished professor emeritus in the Department of Anthropology and the Department of Statistics, has been selected for distinguished contributions to the field of anthropology and statistics, particularly for the application of mathematics and statistics to anthropological modeling, theory, and practice. He has published extensively on the use of mathematical models in biological anthropology, archaeology and social/cultural anthropology. Read is currently writing a book presenting the new paradigm he has developed that naturally leads to an algebraic representation of the structural logic underlying the kinship terminology systems fundamental to human societies.
Pamela Munro
Munro, distinguished research professor in the Department of Linguistics, has been honored for major contributions to linguistic theory, the construction of dictionaries and the support of language programs with Native American communities. Her research involves the study of all aspects of the grammar of a number of different American Indian and indigenous languages and language families, through fieldwork with native speakers and comparative research and analysis of existing descriptions.
The AAAS, founded in 1848, is a nonprofit that includes 261 affiliated societies and science academies and serves 10 million people. The association's mission is to "advance science and serve society" through initiatives in science policy, international programs and science education, including its website devoted to science news, EurekAlert!.
