AAAS Honors Fiftenn Ohio State Faculty With Rank Of Fellow

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(Last updated 10/30/03)

AAAS HONORS FIFTEEN OHIO STATE FACULTY WITH RANK OF FELLOW

COLUMBUS, Ohio – More Ohio State University faculty members have earned the rank of Fellow from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) than any other single institution this year.

With 15 faculty members ranking among the new 2003-04 AAAS Fellows, Ohio State now boasts 76 Fellows.

“We are very proud of the scholarship of our faculty who have earned this prestigious honor,” said President Karen Holbrook. “Research is a key component of our Academic Plan and Ohio State’s impressive number of new Fellows shows that the quality of our faculty’s work is receiving national recognition.”

“This is a strong validation of the current level of faculty excellence in biomedical and physical science research at OSU that is continuing to develop at a rapid rate due to the expanding research culture at the University,” said Thomas J. Rosol, interim vice president for research at Ohio State and a professor of veterinary biosciences.

The new Fellows include:

Sally Boysen, professor of psychology and head of the University’s Comparative Cognition Project, for “pioneering studies demonstrating counting, numerical competence, and other advanced information processing capacities in chimpanzees that have redefined the boundaries of our humanity and our primate heritage.” Her program has received international recognition for its discoveries that chimpanzees and other primates possess behavioral traits usually regarded as primarily human. Her studies have shown that chimps will behave altruistically, warning colleagues of specific dangers; that they can count and do basic arithmetic tasks, and that they have the ability to learn to “read” on a very elementary level. These discoveries about our closest primate relatives are providing valuable insight into specifically how humans learn at an early age.
Bruce E. Bursten, Distinguished University Professor and former chair of the Department of Chemistry, for “significant contributions to the understanding of bonding in inorganic compounds and for leadership in the discipline.” Bursten is an expert in using theoretical quantum chemistry to explain the bonding and reactivity of compounds known as transition metal elements (such as chromium and iron) and actinide elements (such as uranium and plutonium). He is co-author of one of the most popular general chemistry textbooks, and recently served as Chair of the Division of Inorganic Chemistry of the American Chemical Society.
Michael A. Caligiuri, professor of internal medicine, molecular virology, immunology and medical genetics, and veterinary biosciences, for “distinguished contributions to the fields of natural killer cell biology and molecular biology of acute leukemia, including a significant component of translational research.” Caligiuri studies the effects of cytokines on natural killer cells, and the molecular mechanisms underlying acute myeloid leukemia and lymphoid cancers caused by Epstein Barr Virus, as well as new treatments for these malignancies. He became director of The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center in June.
Charis Eng, professor of internal medicine, molecular virology, immunology and medical genetics, molecular genetics, and pharmacology, the Dorothy E. Klotz Chair of Cancer Research, the Director of the Clinical Cancer Genetics Program and the director of the Division of Human Genetics in the department of internal medicine, for “distinguished contributions to the field of clinical cancer genetics by applying data from fundamental human cancer genetics studies to the clinical arena for accurate molecular diagnosis and pre-symptomatic predictive testing.” Eng's work on tumor suppressor genes and oncogenesis in inherited cancers has helped to improve the understanding of the cancer process in sporadic carcinogenesis.
Ronald Glaser, professor of molecular virology, immunology and medical genetics and head of Ohio State’s Institute of Behavioral Medicine Research, for “a seminal role in development of the field of human psychoneuroimmunology with pioneering research on relationships between psychological and immunological factors.” Along with his research partner and wife, Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, a professor of psychology and psychiatry, they are leaders in the field of psychoneuroimmunology -- the study of how stress can affect immune status. His work on medical students, newlyweds, the elderly, caregivers and the grief stricken showed that psychological stress weakens normal immune status and may affect the success of immunization and wound healing.
Michael R. Grever, chair of the Department of Internal Medicine, the Associate Dean for Medical Services, the Charles A. Doan Chair of Medicine and a co-program leader of the Experimental Therapeutics Program in the Comprehensive Cancer Center, for “distinguished contributions to the field of experimental therapeutics, particularly for achievements in the development of new chemotherapeutic agents to treat patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.” Grever is internationally known for his research in hematologic malignancies, such as leukemias, lymphomas and myeloma. His work has led to discoveries on how to silence certain proteins that interfere with chemotherapy.
Samson T. Jacob, William C. and Joan E. Professor in Cancer Research, professor of molecular and cellular biochemistry in Ohio State's College of Medicine, and co-director of the Experimental Therapeutics Program in the Comprehensive Cancer Center, for “distinguished contributions to the field of RNA metabolism, gene expression, and the application of DNA-modifying agents for chemotherapy of cancers.” Jacob's work has revealed the basic mechanisms by which the gene for the protein metallothionein protects cells from cell damage induced by a variety of factors, including exposure to heavy metals and to ultraviolet radiation, and the elucidation of molecular mechanisms for the suppression of genes by DNA methylation. He has served on many national committees, more recently as a member of the Expert Panel at the National Institutes of Health to determine future research directions in nutrition and cancer.
Stanley Lemeshow, Dean of the School of Public Health, Director of the Center for Biostatistics, and professor of statistics and biostatistics, for “distinguished contributions to biostatistics and applied statistics, including co-authorship of textbooks on logistic regression, survival analysis, and survey sampling that have become classics for applied researchers.” Lemeshow developed two of the three statistical models currently used for assessing the severity of illness of patients in intensive care units, and also helped to create the European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation. He has been active in the analysis of medical data resulting from complex sample surveys for institutions such as the National Center for Health Statistics and the World Health Organization.
Berry Lyons, professor of geological sciences and Director of the Byrd Polar Research Center, for “distinguished contributions to the field of environmental geochemistry, particularly studies of arid and polar regions.” He is a highly regarded polar researcher, and worked on the Long-Term Ecological Research programs at Lake Hoare, one of only four rare ice-covered lakes in Antarctica’s Dry Valleys. Lyons’ work on the chemistry and biology of these rare and highly challenged ecosystems has provided new insights into how biological systems are affected by climate change and human incursion. Lyons is also recognized widely for work he has done on heavy metals contamination of water systems in the Southeast and in the West.
Ellen S. Mosley-Thompson, professor of geography and research scientist with the university’s Byrd Polar Research Center, for “documenting climate change through ice-core measurements, for leadership in the glacial research community, and for transmission of climate-change science to the world community.” With her research partner and husband Lonnie Thompson, a professor of geological sciences, she heads the Paleoclimatological Research Group at the Byrd Center, a team that has retrieved ice cores from remote sites on five continents. Locked within those cores are ancient climate records, some of which date back more than 600,000 years. Her work has already led to the prediction that some tropical ice caps in South America and in Africa may be lost to global warming within the next two decades.
Wolfgang Sadée, professor of pharmacology, medicine and pharmacy, Chair of the Department of Pharmacology, Director of Ohio State's Pharmacogenomics program, and Director of the School of Biomedical Sciences, for “distinguished contributions to molecular pharmacology of G-protein coupled receptors, in the development of novel opioid antagonists, and to the field of pharmacogenomics." Sadée's research has led to discovering a compound that affect's a person's dependence on narcotics – this same work has led to a new approach for the treatment of drug addiction. Moreover, his research in pharmacogenomics has revealed genetic variations relevant to disease and therapy.
David E. Schuller, professor and chair of the Department of Otolaryngology and Director of the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, for “distinguished contributions to the field of cancers, for directing translational research of head and neck cancers at the national level, and for leadership of a comprehensive cancer center hospital and research institute.” Schuller's research has led to new therapeutic strategies and surgical approaches for treating head and neck cancer, and to new and more effective methods of surgical reconstruction. He has been director of the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute as well as director and deputy director of the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center since 1988.
Gary D. Stoner, professor and holder of the Lucius Wing Endowed Chair of the Division of Environmental Health Sciences, and professor of pathology and human nutrition, for “distinguished contributions to the fields of chemical carcinogenesis and chemoprevention of lung and esophageal cancers both in animals and in humans.” Stoner has shown how antioxidants in fruits and vegetables may help prevent certain types of cancer. In a series of studies, black raspberries prevented the development of colon cancer and esophageal cancer in rats. Stoner has received numerous awards, including the NIH Young Investigator Award and the NIH MERIT Award, in recognition of his research.
M. Guillaume Wientjes, professor of pharmacy, for “pioneering the use of computational modeling in cancer chemotherapy, particularly in translating preclinical data to identify effective patient treatments.” Wientjes helped develop a three-dimensional system that allows researchers to look at tumors in order to evaluate the effects of anti-tumor agents as a function of drug concentration and treatment duration. He has also helped to develop regional therapy for the treatment of bladder and prostate cancers.
Allan J. Yates, Associate Dean of the College of Medicine and Public Health, and professor of pathology, for "distinguished contributions to the field of neuropathology and neuro-oncology and for the establishment of two integrated educational programs for graduate and MD-PhD students." Yates was recognized for his research on the biochemical mechanisms responsible for the aggressive growth of brain tumors, and for improving methods to diagnose and predict the clinical behavior of such tumors. He also helped establish a pioneering college-wide graduate program with the theme "The Biology of Human Disease" to train researchers to investigate abnormalities responsible for human diseases.

AAAS represents the world's largest federation of scientists and works to advance science for human well being through its projects, programs and publications. It conducts programs in the areas of science policy, science education and international scientific cooperation. AAAS members are elevated to the rank of Fellow for their efforts in advancing science or fostering applications that are deemed scientifically or socially distinguished.

The association will publish the names of all 348 new Fellows in the October 30 issue of the journal Science. The Fellows will be honored in Seattle in February 2004, during the AAAS Annual Meeting.

Contact: Thomas J. Rosol, (614) 292-1582; Rosol.1@osu.edu

Written by Pam Frost Gorder, (614) 292-9475; Gorder.1@osu.edu