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The world's largest general scientific society, and publisher of the journal Science, announced its election of two UA professors.

By University Communications
December 19, 2008

University of Arizona professors Charles P. Gerba and William Y. Vélez have been elected as fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Election as a fellow is an honor bestowed upon association members by their peers.

This year 486 members have been awarded the honor by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, known as AAAS, because of their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications.

New fellows will be presented with an official certificate and a gold and blue (representing science and engineering, respectively) rosette pin on Feb. 14 from at the AAAS Fellows Forum during the 2009 AAAS Annual Meeting in Chicago.

This year's AAAS Fellows also were announced in the AAAS News & Notes section in Dec. 19 issue of the journal Science.

Gerba, professor of soil, water and environmental science and microbiology and immunology, was elected for his distinguished contributions to the field of health-related water microbiology and environmental microbiology.

Gerba has brought the field of microbiology to center stage, fulfilling requests to discuss his research on "Dateline," "48 Hours," "Today," "20/20" and "Good Morning America."

Widely known as Dr. Germ, Gerba has become the nation's expert on domestic and public hygiene.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, infectious disease – once expected to be eliminated as a public health problem – remains the leading cause of death and disability worldwide and is among one of the leading causes of death in the United States.

The CDC states that dramatic changes in society, technology and the environment, together with the diminished effectiveness of certain approaches to disease control, usher in an era wherein the spectrum of infectious diseases is expanding, and many infectious diseases once thought to be controlled are increasing.

Gerba has extensively researched the detection, concentration and movement of critical bacterial and viral pathogens in water and has contributed greatly to the training of environmental microbiologists. He has also been a leader in developing the field of quantitative microbial risk assessment to better understand the risk of pathogens in environments.

His work in this area was adopted by the Food and Agriculture Association and was used by the Environmental Protection Agency to set standards for surface water treatment in the United States.

Gerba shares scientific evidence with the public in a user-friendly manner, providing simple tips that people can implement to minimize bacteria in homes, workplaces and other public areas.

William Y. Vélez, a distinguished professor of mathematics, was elected as an AAAS fellow for distinguished contributions in mentoring mathematics students and for leadership as president of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science.

Vélez's passion for mathematics goes beyond posing and addressing theorems. It also includes a vision for a vital system to keep the mathematical field flush with new majors as well as making a social impact on the field.

Vélez was concerned by the decrease in students choosing mathematics as a major or minor and the relatively few number of minority students entering the field.

"My goal was a modest one: to help minority students survive their first semester calculus course," he said. He took it upon himself to begin contacting minority students enrolled in any level calculus class.

The idea led to the implementation of the Calculus Advising Program for Minority Students.

The program not only helped students succeed but Vélez found that it turned out to be a remarkable way to actively recruit students into becoming math majors or minors. The program's success gave Vélez the tools to work with all students and to help them understand the importance of this first calculus course.

Vélez also is a founding member of the Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science. The national organization was created to encourage Chicano/Latino and Native American students to pursue graduate education and obtain the advanced degrees necessary for science research, leadership and teaching careers at all levels.

The program's national conference provides precollege teacher training workshops, postdoctoral and leadership initiatives and online internship and job placement resources. The program helps a diverse community of undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, professors, administrators and precollege educators achieve expertise within their disciplines.

Vélez has also worked to obtain grants totaling more than $5 million, some of which were used to recruit and help undergraduate and graduate students pay for tuition and books. "We know that many first-generation students have a need for financial aid and we also know that getting a job off campus may not be the most beneficial in helping them to graduate," Vélez said.  

In honor of his work and dedication, the UA College of Science has created the William Y. Vélez Scholarship. The award provides $1,000 to entering freshmen who show financial need and plan on majoring in a College of Science area of study.

The tradition of AAAS fellows began in 1874. 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 (so long as two of the three sponsors are not affiliated with the nominee's institution), or by the AAAS chief executive officer.

Each steering group then 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.

The Council is the policymaking 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.

AAAS is the world's largest general scientific society, and publisher of the journal Science.

AAAS was founded in 1848 and includes some 262 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. Science has the largest paid circulation of any peer-reviewed general science journal in the world, with an estimated total readership of 1 million.