The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) recently elected Steven R. Goodman, PhD, vice chancellor for Research at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), as a 2016 AAAS Fellow. Dr. Goodman’s election makes him the first active UTHSC affiliated AAAS Fellow since 1972, and the first active member of the association from Memphis since 2009.
“As an academic health science center that prides itself on training the next generation of leaders for the health sciences, we also recognize the importance of maintaining top-tier faculty, staff and administrators,” said UT Health Science Center Chancellor Steve J. Schwab, MD. “Dr. Goodman’s election as a 2016 AAAS Fellow demonstrates his commitment to continued professional and academic growth in the fields of science, innovation and education. I am pleased to have him serving as UTHSC’s vice chancellor for Research.”
Each year the Council of the American Association for the Advancement of Science elects members whose “efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its applications are scientifically or socially distinguished.” As part of the Section on Biological Sciences, Dr. Goodman is being honored “for distinguished contributions to the fields of cell biology, neurobiology and hematology for identifying the function of the spectrin membrane skeleton in normal and pathophysiology.”
“We choose to perform research because of the thrill of discovery,” Dr. Goodman said. “But being honored by this elite group of researchers for my contributions to science is most definitely gratifying.”
This year’s AAAS Fellows will be formally announced in the AAAS News & Notes section of the journal Science on November 25.
AAAS members have had this prestigious honor bestowed upon them by their peers since 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 (as 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.
New Fellows will be presented with an official certificate and a gold and blue (representing science and engineering) rosette pin on Saturday, February 18, 2017, at the AAAS Fellows Forum during the AAAS Annual Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts.