Three Rutgers scholars are among 486 scientists the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has elevated to the rank of fellow. The pre-eminent national scientific organization selects fellows based on their efforts in advancing science or fostering applications considered scientifically or socially distinguished.
     
Joining the 37 previous Rutgers fellows, the new inductees were presented with an official certificate and a gold rosette pin Saturday, Feb. 14, at the AAAS Fellows Forum during the 2009 AAAS Annual Meeting in Chicago.
Group shot

    
Joanna Burger is a professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Division of Life Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, and is also affiliated with the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences and the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute. Burger’s primary interests are in the adaptive significance of social behavior in vertebrates, the effects of incubation temperature on behavioral development, the effects of heavy metals on neurobehavioral development and ecological risk. Burger was cited for “distinguished contributions to the field of metals in environmental risk assessment and for her role as a model for women scientists.”

“I am honored to join the select ranks of  AAAS fellows, and gratified for this recognition of my continuing interdisciplinary research involving toxicologic exposure of and risks to humans and wildlife,” Burger said

James E. Katz is chair of the Department of Communication in the School of Communication, Information and Library Studies where he also directs the Center for Mobile Communication Studies. His focus is on how personal communication technologies, such as mobile phones and the Internet, affect social relationships and how cultural values influence usage patterns of these technologies. Katz was cited for “distinguished scholarly contributions regarding the social dimensions of technology, including communications technology, and for contributions to public understanding of those dimensions.”

“This honor from one of America's most important scientific bodies is deeply gratifying to me not only because it recognizes the significance of my contributions, but also because it reflects so well on Rutgers’ exciting research environment,” Katz said.
     
Alan Robock is a professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, the associate director of the Center for Environmental Prediction, and a participant in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The panel was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. His research, which involves many aspects of climate changes, encompasses both observational analyses and climate model simulations. Robock was cited for “innovative research on climate with links to volcanoes, smoke, soil moisture and ice, and for models of nuclear winter that helped make nuclear war unthinkable.”
     
“I was a AAAS Congressional Science Fellow 20 years ago, which was a transformational experience,” said Robock. “To now be honored as a AAAS Fellow represents a continuation of my lifelong relationship with this great organization. Their recognition of my work on nuclear winter in particular is most gratifying.”
     
Founded in 1848, the tradition of selecting AAAS fellows began in 1874. AAAS is the world’s largest general scientific society and works to advance science for human well-being through its projects, programs and publications. AAAS includes some 262 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals.
     
The association conducts many programs in the areas of science policy, science education and international scientific cooperation. Its prestigious peer-reviewed journal Science has the largest paid circulation of any peer-reviewed general science journal in the world, with an estimated total readership of 1 million.

Media Contact: Joseph Blumberg
732-932-7084 ext. 652
E-mail: blumberg@ur.rutgers.edu