Four Ohio State faculty among the 2016 class of AAAS Fellows

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Four Ohio State University faculty have been elected this year as Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

Election as a Fellow is an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers. New Fellows will be welcomed in a ceremony at the AAAS annual meeting in Boston in February.

The newest Fellows are:

James W. Cogdell, professor of mathematics, for distinguished contributions to number theory and representation theory, specifically to the Langlands program and the solution of Hilbert's 11th problem.

Barbara Sue Ryden, professor of astronomy, for distinguished contributions to the theory of galaxy formation and to astronomy education, especially through her superb astrophysics and cosmology textbooks for advanced students.

Shari R. Speer, professor of linguistics, for distinguished contributions to our understanding of speech processing and language prosody, and for introducing the public at large to language science in museum settings.

Guo-Liang Wang, professor of plant pathology, for distinguished contributions to the field of plant pathology, particularly dissecting the molecular basis of plant resistance to pathogens.

“These four faculty members exemplify our missions of research, scholarship and teaching,” said President Michael V. Drake. “Their recognition is significant because it highlights the breadth of Ohio State’s contributions to society, in disciplines as diverse as theoretical mathematics, astronomy, language and plant pathology.”

In all, 391 members have received the honor this year in recognition of their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. Founded in 1848, AAAS is the world’s largest general scientific society. The tradition of electing AAAS Fellows began in 1874.

This honor represents the Fellows’ tangible impact on the university community and beyond, said Caroline Whitacre, senior vice president for research, who was elected to the 2004 class of AAAS Fellows.

“Because Fellows are elected by their peers, the honor is especially indicative of their scholarship as well as service to their disciplines and to society,” Whitacre said.

With the addition of these new honorees, Ohio State boasts more than 100 AAAS Fellows.