AUSTIN, Texas — The world’s largest general scientific society has elected two University of Texas at Austin scholars as fellows.
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has elected Sheryl Luzzadder-Beach and Dee Unglaub Silverthorn – members of UT Austin’s College of Liberal Arts and Dell Medical School – for their significant influence in the fields of geology and geography, and STEM education.
Luzzadder-Beach, the Raymond Dickson Centennial Professor of Geography and the Environment, has been recognized for distinguished contributions to the field of geoarchaeology. As the founding director of the Water Quality and Environmental Hydrology Lab, she focuses on the hydrology and geomorphology of the ancient Maya world. She and her research team have started to uncover the Maya’s lasting impact on globally important tropical forests and contribution to the Early Anthropocene.
Silverthorn, a Distinguished Teaching Professor emerita of physiology at Dell Med and affiliate in the Center for Women’s and Gender Studies, has been recognized for her distinguished contributions to the field of STEM education and for the promotion of active learning techniques. She has helped graduate students prepare for teaching careers in the life sciences, and her teaching prowess has garnered multiple awards, including the UT System Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award.
Since 1875, fellows of the AAAS have been elected by peers in their areas of science in recognition of their scientifically or socially distinguished work to advance science or its applications. This year, 489 members were selected for this honor by AAAS, an organization known for its publication of Science and other journals that reach nearly 10 million scientists worldwide.
All fellows were formally announced in the journal Science on Nov. 27 and will be inducted during a virtual ceremony Feb. 13, 2021.
