Nov. 24, 2014 – Three University of Utah faculty members were honored today for distinguished efforts to promote the uses of science by being elevated to the rank of fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest general-science society and publisher of the journal Science.

The three are among 401 AAAS members elevated to the rank of fellow for 2014:

— Polly Wiessner, professor of anthropology, was honored “for distinguished contributions to the field of anthropology, particularly for the integration of ethnographic, ethnohistoric and archeological approaches in the study of human societies.”

— Jon Seger, professor of biology, was honored “for distinguished contributions to the understanding of the genetic dynamics of social and life-history trait evolution in various contexts.”

— Sung Wan Kim, distinguished professor of pharmaceutics and pharmaceutical chemistry, was recognized “for distinguished contributions to our knowledge about biomaterials and polymeric drug delivery systems and the translation of discoveries into products.”

In 2013, the AAAS elevated two other U faculty members to the rank of fellow: Dana Carroll, a professor of biochemistry, and Richard M. Clark, an associate professor of biology.