Four professors from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences have been named fellows to the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2012.
Neal Cohen, professor of psychology, So Hirata, professor of chemistry, Lisa Lucero, professor of anthropology, and Chi-Hing Christina Cheng, professor of animal biology, were four of the six U of I faculty members who will be recognized by the AAAS this February in Boston.
“This year’s class of AAAS fellows reflects the diversity of fields in which Illinois shines,” says Phyllis M. Wise, chancellor of the Urbana-Champaign campus. “From anthropology, psychology, and animal biology to engineering, chemistry, and physics, our faculty members are clearly recognized as leaders in their disciplines, as researchers and as educators.”
Psychology professor Cohen, who is the director of the Neuroscience Program and of the Center for Nutrition, Learning and Memory, and a researcher at the Beckman Institute, was recognized for his “pioneering research on memory and amnesia, distinguishing brain systems and psychological characteristics that distinguish declarative and procedural memory.”
Chemistry professor Hirata was chosen for “distinguished contributions to the development and implementation of electronic and vibrational many-body theories with periodic boundary conditions to predict the properties of matter in condensed state.”
Anthropology professor Lucero was selected for “distinguished service in the field of archaeology, with emphasis on the role of water management in Maya society and its contemporary implications.”
Animal biology professor Cheng was selected for her “distinguished contributions to the field of molecular evolution, focusing on molecular mechanisms that lead to the creation of novel genes and adaptive protein functions under environmental extremes.”
Also selected as fellows were Philip Phillips, professor of physics, and electrical and computer engineering professor Kent Choquette.
The AAAS organization, known as the world’s largest general scientific society, was founded in 1848, though the awarding of fellowships by the AAAS began in 1874.
