Prestigious honor puts former animal science faculty members in an elite group
Two professors emeritus from the Department of Animal & Avian Sciences named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Image Credit: Edwin Remsberg
Two professors emeritus from the Department of Animal and Avian Sciences (ANSC) at the University of Maryland have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Election as an AAAS Fellow is a prestigious honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers.
As part of the Agriculture, Food and Renewable Resources Section, Ian Mather, Ph.D., was elected as an AAAS Fellow for distinguished and original contributions in mammary gland biology, especially the characterization of milk proteins and elucidation of basic mechanisms of milk secretion. Mather joined the University of Maryland in 1975, became an Associate Professor in 1980 and Professor in 1985. He retired and became an Emeritus Professor in Sept. 2011.
Mary Ann Ottinger, Ph.D., was named an AAAS Fellow in the Biological Sciences Section for distinguished contributions to the field of neuroendocrinology, with particular emphasis on regulation and endocrine disruption of reproduction in avian systems. Ottinger joined the University of Maryland as an Assistant Professor in 1978, became an Associate Professor in 1983 and a Professor in 1989. She left Maryland in 2013 to become the Associate Vice Chancellor for Research at the University of Houston. Ottinger received a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and Ph.D. in zoology from the University of Maryland.
“This is not only a tremendous honor for Dr. Mather and Dr. Ottinger, but also for the Department of Animal and Avian Sciences and the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources,” said Tom Porter, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Animal and Avian Sciences. “Both Ian and Mary Ann played substantial roles in the growth and success of our department, and I couldn't be happier for them.”
This year 401 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 Saturday, 14 February from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. at the AAAS Fellows Forum during the 2015 AAAS Annual Meeting in San Jose, Calif.
This year’s AAAS Fellows were formally announced in the AAAS News & Notes section of the journal Science on 28 November 2014.
The tradition of AAAS Fellows began in 1874. Currently, members can be considered for the rank of Fellow if nominated by the steering groups of the Association’s 24 sections, or by any three Fellows who are current AAAS members (so long as two of the three sponsors are not affiliated with the nominee’s institution), or by the AAAS chief executive officer. Fellows must have been continuous members of AAAS for four years by the end of the calendar year in which they are elected.
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the world’s largest general scientific society, and publisher of the journal, Science as well as Science Translational Medicine and Science Signaling. AAAS was founded in 1848, and includes 254 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 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. For the latest research news, log onto EurekAlert!, the premier science-news Web site, a service of AAAS.
