Three UGA Plant Center faculty named AAAS Fellows

Two Franklin College faculty members are among three UGA professors named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science:

[The] three faculty members are among 396 new AAAS Fellows who will be presented with an official certificate and a gold and blue-representing science and engineering, respectively-rosette pin on Feb. 17 at the AAAS Fellows Forum during the 2018 AAAS Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas.

"Selection as an AAAS Fellow is a major milestone in a scientist's career, and thus the University of Georgia is enormously pleased that three of our faculty have been selected for this honor," said David Lee, UGA vice president for research. "This peer recognition is important to our faculty, and it also brings added distinction to the university."

The 2017 AAAS Fellows, all members of UGA's Plant Center, are:

James H. Leebens-Mack, professor of plant biology in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, is noted for distinguished contributions to plant evolution and genomics.

Wayne Allen Parrott, professor of crop and soil sciences in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, is honored for distinguished contributions to the development and implementation of plant transformation technologies and to the discussions of the science and regulatory processes associated with genetically modified organisms.

Chung-Jui "C.J." Tsai, Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar and Winfred N. "Hank" Haynes Professor, is honored for pioneering research contributions in forestry biotechnology and genomics. Tsai holds a joint appointment in the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources and the department of genetics in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences.

More fantastic news for the Plant Center and our departments. The AAAS fellowship is an important designation for the university as well as a prestigious career accomplishment for these individuals, acknowledging their scholarship and contributions to the field. As they continue to build a great university, we are humbled by the extraordinary work of UGA faculty and appreciative of their efforts.

Image: Jim Leebens-Mack