Athens, Ga. - Five University of Georgia researchers have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Election as a fellow is an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers.

The five UGA faculty members include: Stephen A. Kowalewski, professor of anthropology; Russell L. Malmberg, professor of plant biology and associate dean; and Michelle Momany, professor and department head, plant biology, all in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences; and Andrew H. Paterson, Distinguished Research Professor, crop and soil science/plant biology; and Michael R. Strand, research professor, entomology, both in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

"Selection as an AAAS fellow is a major milestone in the careers of our most talented scientists and important recognition of their ground-breaking contributions," said David Lee, UGA vice president for research. "Their accomplishments bring distinction and pride to the University of Georgia."

This year 486 AAAS members were awarded this honor as a result of scientifically distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications, according to the association. New fellows will be presented with a certificate and a gold and blue rosette pin (the colors represent science and engineering respectively) at a ceremony on Saturday, Feb. 14, during the AAAS Annual Meeting in Chicago.

Kowalewski was recognized for "distinguished contributions to Mesoamerican archaeology, especially for his development and promotion of methods of regional-scale archaeological surveys;" Malmberg for "distinguished contributions to the field of plant biology, and for studies of biochemical genetics, evolution and bioinformatics-and for administration as plant biology department head." (Malmberg stepped down as department head in fall 2007 when he was promoted to associate dean in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences).

The AAAS honored Momany for "outstanding fundamental research into filamentous fungal growth and cell wall biosynthesis and for service to the fungal genetics community;" Paterson for "distinguished contributions to the agricultural sciences, particularly for revealing the evolution and organization of plant genomes and genetic determinants of productivity and quality;" and Strand for "distinguished contributions to our understanding of insect parasite/host relationships and for elucidating the development of polyembryonic insects."

AAAS is the world's largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal Science. AAAS was founded in 1848 and includes some 262 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, with an estimated total readership of one million. The non-profit AAAS is open to all and fulfills its mission to "advance science and serve society" through initiatives in science policy; international programs; science education and more.

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