Ofria named AAAS Fellow in record year for Spartan inductees
The American Association for the Advancement of Science, or AAAS, has unveiled the names of its 2021 fellows. This year’s cohort includes nine Spartans, the largest number in 10 years. In fact, Michigan State University’s nine fellows in 2011 set a record that’s now been tied by the 2021 class.
Among them is EEB core faculty Charles Ofria, professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. He is honored in biological sciences for revolutionary work in understanding how evolution functions and the application of that knowledge to digital organisms and for leadership roles in the computational evolution community.
AAAS — pronounced “triple Ä ess” — is the world’s largest general scientific society and being elected as a AAAS Fellow is among science’s top distinctions. Having nine fellows selected in one year, joining the dozens of fellows elected in previous years, is a reflection of MSU’s research excellence. These 2021 fellows also work in seven different research areas, representing the breadth of Spartan impact in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM.
“This year’s fellows are leaders in their respective disciplines and representative of the research excellence we have at MSU. Their acceptance into this esteemed association not only recognizes their scholarly achievements and outstanding careers, but also enhances the university’s reputation,” said Doug Gage, vice president for research and innovation. “I look forward to tracking the societal impacts of their work for many years to come.”
MSU’s fellows represent the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and the College of Natural Science.
All 564 of the new fellows from around the world will receive an official certificate and a gold and blue rosette pin to commemorate their election (representing science and engineering, respectively). They will be celebrated later this year during an in-person gathering when it is feasible from a public health and safety perspective, AAAS said.
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