Professor Catherine Gautier has just been elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Election as a Fellow of AAAS is an honor bestowed upon members by their peers in recognition of their significant efforts to advance science or its applications. Eight UCSB scholars received the award this year; UCSB now has 55 AAAS Fellows, 8 of whom are/were in Geography: Oliver Chadwick, Rick Church, Frank Davis (Affiliated Faculty), Jeff Dozier (Affiliated Faculty), Reginald Golledge (deceased), John Melack (Affiliated Faculty), David Siegel, and, now, Catherine Gautier.
The AAAS Section of Geography and Geology awarded Professor Gautier the distinction of Fellow “for distinguished contributions to the fields of atmospheric radiation physics, climate science, and climate science education.” “We are tremendously excited and proud to have a record eight faculty members from UC Santa Barbara elected as AAAS Fellows this year,” said Chancellor Henry T. Yang. “This prestigious honor is a testament to their pioneering achievements in their fields, their dedication to teaching and inspiring others, and their commitment to making a positive contribution to our society. I join with our campus and community in congratulating our distinguished colleagues.” “I am very proud of the distinction being bestowed on our faculty,” said Pierre Wiltzius, Susan & Bruce Worster Dean of Science, Division of Mathematical, Life, and Physical Sciences of the College of Letters and Science. “I am particularly pleased by the breadth of research areas covered by these researchers, covering the sciences, social sciences, and engineering.”
This year, 503 members have been awarded this honor by AAAS because of their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. New Fellows will be presented with an official certificate and a gold and blue (representing science and engineering, respectively) rosette pin on February 19 at the AAAS Fellows Forum, during the 2011 AAAS Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. 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 1 million. The nonprofit 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 (UCSB Press Release).
