Six Dartmouth faculty members have been selected as 2012 fellows by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest general scientific society and the publisher of the journal Science. Professors Christopher Amos, Michael Dietrich, Carolyn Gordon, Todd Heatherton, Mark Israel, and Ronald Taylor are among the 702 new fellows recognized by AAAS this year for their distinguished efforts to advance science.

“Dartmouth professors conduct outstanding research in the sciences, and it is wonderful to see their accomplishments honored by their selection as AAAS fellows,” says President Carol L. Folt, who was named an AAAS fellow in 2010.  “Our faculty’s discoveries are helping to define their fields and Dartmouth’s growing impact is evidenced by the increase in AAAS fellows for the fourth consecutive year.”

“Dartmouth is honored to have six professors chosen as fellows by the AAAS, one of the most renowned and influential science organizations,” says Interim Provost Martin Wybourne.

Dartmouth now has a total of 34 professors who are current AAAS fellows (see a complete list below). This year, three of the new fellows are from the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth.

“The AAAS recognition of these outstanding faculty members and their important scientific achievements is indicative of the significant research activity taking place at the medical school,” says Wiley “Chip” Souba, dean of the Geisel School of Medicine. “They embody the Dartmouth ideals of improving lives through leadership, intellectual curiosity, and collaboration.“

“We take great pride in the accomplishments of our faculty, and election as an AAAS Fellow is a truly exceptional honor,” says Dean of the Faculty Michael Mastanduno.

Here are the 2012 Dartmouth AAAS fellows:

Christopher Amos is associate director for population sciences at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Norris Cotton Cancer Center and professor of community and family medicine at the Geisel School of Medicine.

Since joining Dartmouth in September 2012, Amos has been leading the development of a center for genomic medicine. He also leads an international grant that is identifying new loci influencing lung cancer susceptibility, studying the new loci using animal and cellular models and then characterizing the impact that these variants have in population-based studies.

Michael Dietrich is a professor of biological sciences who studies the history and philosophy of science. Dietrich, who came to Dartmouth in 1998, is the editor of several books, including The Educated Eye, Rebels, Mavericks, and Heretics in Biology, and the forthcoming Biology Outside the Box. Dietrich, who did his doctorate work in philosophy, has studied controversies in 20th-century biology. Dietrich is known for his interdisciplinary approach and for making life sciences accessible to general audiences.

Carolyn Gordon, the Benjamin Cheney Professor in Mathematics, studies Riemannian geometry with an emphasis on inverse spectral problems as well as the geometry of Lie groups—collections of symmetries that are continuous, as in the case of a circle. Gordon was recently named a fellow of the American Mathematical Society for 2013. Gordon has served as the president of the Association for Women in Mathematics.

Todd Heatherton, the Lincoln Filene Professor in Human Relations in the department of psychological and brain sciences, uses functional brain imaging to study social cognition and behavior. Much of his recent research examines the mechanisms that allow people to control their behavior and the circumstances under which self-control fails, focusing on the link between subcortical brain activity (i.e., reward and affect structures) and prefrontal executive control. Heatherton, who has taught at Dartmouth since 1994, was elected president of the Society of Personality and Social Psychology in 2011.

Mark A. Israel is a professor of pediatrics and of genetics at the Geisel School of Medicine and the director of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Norris Cotton Cancer Center. As a cancer physician and translational scientist, he specializes in the molecular and cellular biology of brain tumors, and has made discoveries about nervous-system tumors to benefit children and young adults with cancer. He has identified genetic cues that go awry, causing cells to undergo malignant transformation and produce tumors.

Ronald K. Taylor is a professor of microbiology and immunology at the Geisel School of Medicine. Since joining Dartmouth in 1993, he helped establish the Microbiology and Molecular Pathogenesis Program, which he directs. The research in Taylor’s lab focuses on the molecular pathogenesis mechanisms of the intestinal pathogen Vibrio cholerae, which is the agent of the potentially fatal diarrheal disease cholera. This work has led to the development of prototype cholera vaccines. Taylor directs the NIH-funded New Hampshire Network of Biomedical Research Excellence, which promotes a culture of student-driven biomedical research at colleges throughout the state.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science, founded in 1848, is a nonprofit organization that includes 262 affiliated societies and science academies and serves 10 million people. Its stated mission is to advance science and serve society through initiatives in science policy, international programs, and science education, including a website devoted to science news, EurekAlert!.

Additional Dartmouth faculty (active and emeriti) who are AAAS fellows:

• Charles K. Barlowe, chair and professor of biochemistry, Geisel School of Medicine
• Ta Yuan Chang, professor of biochemistry, Geisel School of Medicine
• Ambrose Cheung, professor of microbiology and immunology, Geisel School of Medicine
• Robert Christy, the Appleton Professor of Natural Philosophy and professor of physics emeritus
• Duane Compton, senior associate dean for research and professor of biochemistry, Geisel School of Medicine
• Jay Dunlap, chair and professor of genetics and professor of biochemistry, Geisel School of Medicine
• Carol L. Folt, President of Dartmouth and The Dartmouth Professor of Biological Sciences
• John Gilbert, professor of biological sciences emeritus
• Richard Granger, professor of psychological and brain sciences
• Mary Lou Guerinot, the Ronald and Deborah Harris Professor in the Sciences (biological sciences)
• Russell Hughes, the Frank R. Mori Professor of Chemistry
• Jennifer Loros, professor of biochemistry and of genetics, Geisel School of Medicine
• Martin Lubin, emeritus professor of microbiology and immunology, Geisel School of Medicine
• Lee Lynd, Thayer ’83 and ’87, Paul E. and Joan H. Queneau Distinguished Professor in Environmental Engineering Design at Thayer School of Engineering
• C. Robertson McClung, the Patricia F. and William B. Hale 1944 Professor in the Arts and Sciences (biological sciences)
• M. Douglas McIlroy, adjunct professor of computer science
• Mark McPeek, the David T. McLaughlin Distinguished Professor of Biological Sciences
• Jason Moore, Third Century Professor and professor of genetics and community and family medicine, Geisel School of Medicine
• George O’Toole, professor of microbiology and immunology, Geisel School of Medicine
• Elmer Pfefferkorn, emeritus professor of microbiology and immunology, Geisel School of Medicine
• Carl Pomerance, John G. Kemeny Parents Professor of Mathematics
• Roger P. Smith, emeritus professor of pharmacology and toxicology, Geisel School of Medicine
• Hilda Weyl Sokol, emeritus professor of physiology and neurobiology, Geisel School of Medicine
• Melvin Spiegel, emeritus professor of biology
• Michael Sporn, professor of pharmacology and toxicology and of medicine, Geisel School of Medicine
• Harold Sox, emeritus professor of medicine and of The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice, Geisel School of Medicine
• William T. Wickner, the James C. Chilcott 1920 Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry, Geisel School of Medicine
• Scott Williams, professor of genetics and director of the Center for Integrative Biomedical Sciences