This year, four Michigan State University researchers were named AAAS Fellows by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
This national recognition is awarded to researchers for their efforts to advance science or its applications. During the last four years, 24 MSU faculty members have been named as AAAS Fellows.
"These individuals are leaders in their disciplines and represent the great breadth and depth of research here at MSU,” said Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies Stephen Hsu. “We are very proud of them."
MSU’s AAAS Fellows are:
- Jerry Dodgson, professor in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
- Kay Holekamp, professor in the Department of Zoology
- G. Mark Voit, professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy
- Jonathan Walton, director of the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center
Dodgson was recognized for his distinguished contributions to the elucidation of the structure and function of chicken genes and avian genomes and for service as USDA-NAGRP Poultry Genome Co-Coordinator. He and his team are currently completing a high quality clone-based physical and comparative map of the turkey genome.
Holekamp received the honor for her distinguished contributions to animal behavior, particularly in behavioral endocrinology and the evolution of sexual dimorphism, with a focus on spotted hyenas in the wild. She and her students are currently investigating how different variables interact during an individual’s early development to influence its behavior and reproductive success as an adult.
Voit was recognized for his efforts to further understand both cosmological and astrophysical aspects of galaxy clusters and for distinguished contributions to public outreach and university-level education in astronomy. Before joining the MSU faculty in 2003, Voit spent eight years at the Space Telescope Science Institute working on the Hubble Space Telescope project.
Walton was named an AAAS Fellow for his distinguished contributions to understanding the molecular basis of plant-fungal interactions, particularly toxin synthesis by fungi and their role in causing disease in plants. Walton also was recently appointed as the associate director of the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center at MSU.
Nearly 702 AAAS members were selected as AAAS Fellows for 2013. The winners will be formally recognized Feb. 16 during the annual AAAS meeting in Boston.