UC educators elected to distinguished national science organization

Two professors from UC’s College of Arts and Sciences have been awarded fellowships in the esteemed American Association for the Advancement of Sciences (AAAS). Professor of geology Carlton Brett and biology professor George Uetz were tapped for the honor last month.

An international nonprofit organization, the AAAS was established in 1848 to promote the advancement of scientific achievement, to foster equity and inclusion for scientific excellence, and to inform public policy that serves society.

The annual Fellows Forum will be hosted this September along with a gala celebrating the 150^th anniversary of the AAAS Fellowship.

“I practice multi-tasking in many ways,” he says. “I very much value working with students; they inspire me and keep me going in new directions. Every class and especially every field trip is an opportunity for research.”

Brett’s research involves paleontology, sedimentary geology, and relating regional and global changes in sea level, climate and the carbon cycle. Cincinnati, he says, was a particular draw for his interests.

“As a kid I read about the spectacular fossils of Cincinnati area and was excited to get to see these fantastic rocks,” he says. “I had aspirations to research and teach in one of the two meccas for paleontology: upstate New York or Cincinnati.”

He came from the University of Rochester to UC in 1998, and has been able to explore and research both regions.

“I was thrilled when a position came open and my colleagues invited me to apply,” he says.  “The department had a long-standing reputation in paleontology. I would join to help achieve a critical mass and center of excellence, working on issues of deep time paleontology and stratigraphy especially of the local very famous Ordovician strata and fossils.

“Subsequently, we were ranked number eight in the country, then six, then five for paleo studies. Still are. It was a great choice to join this group.”