SDSU Biology Professor Named Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
San Diego State University biology professor J. David Archibald has been named a 2007 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
"It’s great to see Dr. Archibald acknowledged for his ongoing research," said College of Sciences Dean Stanley Maloy. "It also implies significant recognition from the larger scientific community of the high-level research being conducted by SDSU faculty members."
Archibald was selected by his peers for his contributions to our understanding of mammalian evolution during the Mesozoic Era and of the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary extinction event, when the dinosaurs went extinct and mammals became more widespread. Archibald specializes in evolutionary biology and is curator of mammals for the SDSU Vertebrate Collections. He teaches courses in genetics and evolution, mammalogy and biogeography. In addition to numerous scientific articles, he has authored one book on the extinction of the dinosaurs, edited another on the rise of placental mammals and is currently working on a new book relating the two topics.
"Receiving this award was quite unexpected, but of course it's an honor for me to be recognized for my life’s work by my colleagues," Archibald said.
In total, SDSU has had four faculty members named as AAAS Fellows, including Archibald. Past fellows include: Forest Rohwer, biology professor; Stuart Hurlbert, biology professor; and Robert Metzger, biochemistry professor.
This year, 471 AAAS members were named fellows based on their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. Fellows were announced in the Oct. 26 issue of Science.
The tradition of AAAS Fellows began in 1874. Currently, members are considered for fellowships if nominated by the steering groups of the AAAS' 24 sections, or by any three fellows who are current AAAS members (two of the three sponsors can not be affiliated with the nominee's institution), or by the AAAS CEO. After review of the nominations by the appropriate steering group, a final list is forwarded to the AAAS Council, which votes on the aggregate list.
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the world’s largest general scientific society, and publisher of the journal, Science (www.sciencemag.org). AAAS was founded in 1848, and includes some 262 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. The non-profit AAAS (www.aaas.org) 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.
