The Rutgers University community takes pride in this prestigious national recognition of four of our faculty, affirming the excellence of their scholarly and educational accomplishments, said University President Richard L. McCormick. Their honors and achievements bring distinction to Rutgers, and their work exemplifies our commitment to the threefold mission of research, education and service.
These four new AAAS fellows join 33 previous Rutgers fellows:
Philip Furmanski is Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs at Rutgers. He oversees a number of areas including undergraduate and graduate education, research, budget, financial aid and student affairs. Furmanski was cited for his fundamental research in cancer cell biology, especially tumor virology, hematopoiesis, and lactoferrin function, as well as distinguished academic leadership at New York University and Rutgers University.
Furmanski said, I am truly honored to have been elected a fellow of the AAAS. It is principally a tribute to the many brilliant and dedicated people I have been privileged to have had in my laboratory over the years, and the many talented and loyal individuals who have worked with me in academic administration at Rutgers and other universities.
Jay Tischfield is the Duncan and Nancy MacMillan Professor and chair of the Department of Genetics, and scientific director of the Rutgers University Cell and DNA Repository. He also serves as professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. A well-known authority in the field of medical genetics, Tischfield was cited for research and leadership in human genetics, especially with respect to understanding the genetic correlates of addictions.
Tischfield said, I am delighted to be recognized by AAAS along with such a distinguished group of Rutgers colleagues. My work on the genetics of addictions is the result of collaboration with many talented individuals.
Barbara Zilinskas is a professor in SEBS Department of Plant Biology and Pathology and serves as the Biotechnology Undergraduate Curriculum Coordinator. Zilinskas conducts research in two areas the molecular and physiological responses of plants to environmental stress, and turfgrass improvement through genetic modification. She was cited for basic research in photosynthesis and for outstanding teaching and program development in biotechnology.
I am both humbled and honored to be elected a fellow of the AAAS, Zilinskas said. It is a privilege to be a biologist during this exciting time for the life sciences, and it is an even greater privilege to be a teacher of science. I am fortunate to have been blessed with many inspiring mentors and wonderful students.
Mark Baker is a professor in the Department of Linguistics and a member of Rutgers Center for Cognitive Science. He is a recognized authority on Native American and African languages. Baker has written about the fundamental properties of language that contributed to the success of the Navajo Code Talkers during World War II as well as implications of linguistics for the study of the human mind. Baker has worked on the Mohawk language for several years, also serving as a consultant on language revitalization for the Mohawk. Working within generative grammar, Baker has written several important books about the formal analysis of languages with particularly intricate word structures.
Baker was cited for innovative approaches to theories of language variation and for the study of a wide range of little-known languages and their morphological properties.
I was very pleased and, I admit, a little surprised to be elected as a fellow to the AAAS. Baker said. People do not always think of linguistics as a scientific discipline, even though many of us operate in that way. I appreciate the recognition not only personally, but also for the field that I represent.
Founded in 1848, the tradition of selecting AAAS fellows began in 1874. AAAS is the worlds largest general scientific society and works to advance science for human well-being through its projects, programs and publications. AAAS includes some 262 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. The association conducts many programs in the areas of science policy, science education and international scientific cooperation. Its prestigious peer reviewed journal Science has the largest paid circulation of any peer-reviewed general science journal in the world, with an estimated total readership of 1 million.
Contact:
Joseph Blumberg
732-932-7084 ext. 652