Awards and Honors
Two UCSC scientists elected AAAS Fellows
By Tim Stephens
Two UCSC scientists--Anthony Fink, professor of chemistry and
biochemistry, and Russell Flegal, professor of environmental
toxicology--are among the 2004 Fellows of the American Association
for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) announced by the association
this week.
Election as a fellow is an honor bestowed upon members of AAAS
by their peers.
The association is recognizing 308 members as fellows this
year for their efforts to advance science or its applications
that are deemed scientifically or socially distinguished. New
fellows will be presented with an official certificate and a
gold and blue rosette pin on Saturday, February 19, at the Fellows
Forum during the 2005 AAAS Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.
Fink was elected as part of the Section on Chemistry for his
distinguished contributions to the understanding of the molecular
basis of enzyme mechanisms, protein-folding, molecular chaperones,
and diseases involving protein aggregation and deposition. Fink's
research has implications for understanding and treating diseases
such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.
One of his major research projects, for example, is an investigation
of the protein alpha-synuclein, which aggregates and forms deposits
called Lewy bodies in Parkinson's disease. He is studying the
mechanism of aggregation and the role of various factors, both
in the body and in the environment, that influence aggregation
of this protein. He is also working to develop drugs that can
be used to combat Parkinson's disease.
Fink earned his B.Sc. and Ph.D. in chemistry from Queen's University
in Ontario, Canada. He joined the UCSC faculty in 1969.
As part of the Section on Atmospheric and Hydrospheric Sciences,
Flegal was elected for his distinguished contributions to the
fields of environmental biogeochemistry, environmental toxicology,
and human health using stable lead isotopic composition analyses,
and for interpreting and communicating that research to the
public to address human health concerns with lead toxicity.
Flegal studies how human activities affect the cycling of trace
elements in the environment, investigating a broad range of
topics involving metal contaminants such as lead, mercury, and
chromium in aquatic and human environments. His work often has
significant public health implications and relates directly
to state and federal policy issues.
Flegal served as the founding chair of UCSC's Department of
Environmental Toxicology, which was established in 2000. He
received the 1999-2000 Outstanding Faculty Award from the Division
of Physical and Biological Sciences. Flegal earned his Ph.D.
in oceanography from Oregon State University. He came to UCSC
in 1985 as a research geochemist and joined the faculty as a
professor of Earth sciences in 1992.
This year's AAAS Fellows were announced in the journal Science
on October 29. The tradition of AAAS Fellows began in 1874.
The AAAS, which publishes the journal Science, is the
world's largest general scientific society. It was founded in
1848 and serves some 262 affiliated societies and academies
of science. Science has the largest paid circulation
of any peer-reviewed general science journal in the world, with
an estimated total readership of one 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.
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