Fielding School professor receives scientific society honor

Three UCLA scholars have been selected as fellows by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world's largest general scientific society and the publisher of the journal Science. Members are chosen for their distinguished efforts to advance science applications. The selection of fellows has been an AAAS tradition since 1874.

UCLA's new fellows are among 388 scholars selected this year. The new fellows will be honored Feb. 15, 2014, at the annual AAAS meeting in Chicago and will be announced in the "AAAS News and Notes" section of the journal Science this Nov. 29. UCLA's new fellows are:

Oliver Hankinson

Hankinson, a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine and founding director of the doctoral program in molecular toxicology at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine and Fielding School of Public Health, was honored for his contributions to toxicology. His research focuses on how chemicals found in pollutants such as smog, cigarette smoke and overcooked food can cause cancer and other diseases. Hankinson received the Society of Toxicology's 2011 Distinguished Toxicology Scholar Award, the organizaton's highest honor for scientific accomplishment. UCLA's molecular toxicology program trains specialists to research and address the health effects of environmental pollutants, industrial chemicals, insecticides and other toxins.

John Agnew

Agnew, distinguished professor of geography, was honored for his research on the "analysis and understanding of political, economic, and resource geography and the development of the field of geopolitics." His research interests include sovereignty and globalization, the geopolitics of the world economy and the political geography of water. One of Agnew's current research projects involves analyzing how climate change will increase the accessibility of transport in the Arctic and how this will affect competition over oil and gas resources.

Gordon Fain

Fain, distinguished professor of integrative biology and physiology, ophthalmology, and neuroscience, was honored for "distinguished contributions to vertebrate photoreceptor physiology, particularly for research into mechanisms of retinal degeneration, and light and dark adaptation." A member of UCLA's faculty since 1975, Fain is a leading physiologist studying rod and cone phototransduction and is at the forefront of research combining molecular genetics and cutting-edge physiology to study retinal function and disease.

The AAAS, founded in 1848, is a nonprofit that includes 261 affiliated societies and science academies and serves 10 million people. The association's mission is to "advance science and serve society" through initiatives in science policy, international programs and science education, including its website devoted to science news, EurekAlert!