The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has named nine researchers at UC Riverside as 2007 AAAS Fellows, bringing the total number of UCR faculty who have been recognized with this distinction to 159.

Election as a fellow is an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers. This year AAAS awarded this honor to 471 of its members “because of their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications.”

The nine 2007 AAAS Fellows at UCR are:

Alexander A. Balandin, professor of electrical engineering: For distinguished contributions to understanding phonon and exciton confinement in nanostructures and investigation of the thermal and electronic noise phenomena in wide bandgap semiconductors and devices.

J. Ole Becker, cooperative extension specialist and nematologist: For innovation in developing environmentally conservative approaches and alternatives to pesticides and for advancing understanding of ecosystems with naturally occurring biocontrol of plant-parasite nematodes.

Anil B. Deolalikar, professor of economics: For distinguished contributions to research and policy discourse in the field of development economics, particularly in the areas of household behavior and human capital accumulation.

Larissa F. Dobrzhinetskaya, adjunct professor of earth sciences: For distinguished contributions and leadership in the field of ultra-high-pressure metamorphism, particularly to the understanding of the origin and mechanism(s) of metamorphic diamond formation.

Mary Gauvain, professor of psychology: For distinguished contributions to the field of cognitive development, especially children's planning and decision making and the role of social influences on cognitive development.

David D. Lo, distinguished professor of biomedical sciences: For distinguished contributions to the field of immunology, particularly in T-lymphocyte development and regulation, and application to studies of autoimmune diseases and mucosal immunity.

John Y.-J. Shyy, professor of biomedical sciences: For experimental verification of vascular endothelial cells responding to the imposed hemodynamic forces, which process helps to understand the focal distribution of atherosclerosis.

Richard Stouthamer, professor of entomology: For outstanding contributions to our understanding of how endosymbiotic bacteria, especially species of Wolbachia, affect sex determination in invertebrates, particularly in endoparasitic wasps.

Ellen A. Wartella, professor of psychology: For distinguished contributions to the study of the influence of media, especially digital media, on young children.

New fellows will be presented with an official certificate and a gold and blue (representing science and engineering, respectively) rosette pin on Feb. 16 during the annual meeting of the AAAS next year in Boston.

All the 2007 AAAS Fellows will be announced in the Oct. 26 issue of Science, a weekly magazine published by the AAAS.

The tradition of AAAS Fellows began in 1874. Currently, members can be considered for the rank of fellow if nominated by the steering group of their respective sections, by three fellows; or by the association’s chief executive officer.

The AAAS is the world’s largest general scientific society, and publisher of the journal, Science. Founded in 1848, the association includes some 262 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals.