During the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s (AAAS) Annual Meeting in mid-February, UTHSC’s Vice Chancellor for Research Steven R. Goodman, PhD, was officially inducted as a 2016 AAAS Fellow for his contributions to advancing science to serve society. Dr. Goodman was presented with an official certificate and a gold and blue rosette pin (representing science and engineering respectively) at a formal initiation ceremony held in Boston, Mass. He is the first active UTHSC affiliated AAAS Fellow since 1972, and the first active member of the association from Memphis since 2009.
“As an academic health science center that prides itself on training the next generation of leaders for the health sciences, we also recognize the importance of maintaining top-tier faculty, staff and administrators,” said UTHSC Chancellor Steve J. Schwab, MD. “Dr. Goodman’s election as a 2016 AAAS Fellow demonstrates his commitment to continued professional and academic growth in the fields of science, innovation and education. I am pleased to have him serving as UTHSC’s Vice Chancellor for Research.”
Each year the AAAS Council elects members whose “efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its applications are scientifically or socially distinguished.” As part of the Section on Biological Sciences, Dr. Goodman was honored “for distinguished contributions to the fields of cell biology, neurobiology, and hematology for identifying the function of the spectrin membrane skeleton in normal and pathophysiology.”
“We choose to perform research because of the thrill of discovery,” Dr. Goodman said. “But being honored by this elite group of researchers for my contributions to science is most definitely gratifying.”
Since 1874, AAAS members have had this prestigious honor bestowed upon them by their peers. 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 (as 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.
Each steering group reviews the nominations of individuals within its respective section, and a final list is forwarded to the AAAS Council, which votes on the aggregate list. This past year, the AAAS Council elected 391 members as Fellows in recognition of their contributions to innovation, education, and scientific leadership.
The council is the policy making body of the association, chaired by the AAAS president, and consisting of the members of the board of directors, the retiring section chairs, delegates from each electorate and each regional division, and two delegates from the National Association of Academies of Science.
We congratulate Dr. Goodman on this prestigious recognition and thank him for his many contributions he has made thus far to the UTHSC community and beyond.