The Materials Research Society (MRS) congratulates  MRS Bulletin Editor Gopal R Rao, recently named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Rao is one of 443 members honored this year for their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. Election as an AAAS Fellow is an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers.

As part of the Section on Engineering, Rao was elected as an AAAS Fellow for his “distinguished contributions to the fields of materials science & engineering, particularly for the worldwide dissemination of subjects that help society to understand innovation and impactful technology.”

This year’s AAAS Fellows were formally announced via a news release distributed today, and will also be announced in the AAAS News & Notes section of the November 28, 2019 issue of the journal Science. New Fellows will be presented with an official certificate and a gold and blue (representing science and engineering, respectively) rosette pin on February 15, 2020 at the AAAS Fellows Forum, held during the 2020 AAAS Annual Meeting in Seattle, Washington.

“On behalf of the Materials Research Society’s members, volunteers and staff, I congratulate Gopal!” states Todd M. Osman, MRS Executive Director. “This is a well-deserved recognition of Gopal’s exceptional abilities and his dedication to MRS’s mission to promote communication for the advancement of interdisciplinary materials research and technology to improve the quality of life.”

The tradition of AAAS Fellows began in 1874. Currently, members can be considered for the rank of Fellow if nominated by the steering groups of the association’s 24 sections, or by any three Fellows who are current AAAS members (so long as two of the three sponsors are not affiliated with the nominee’s institution), or by the AAAS chief executive officer. Fellows must have been continuous members of AAAS for four years by the end of the calendar year in which they are elected. The AAAS Fellow honor comes with an expectation that recipients maintain the highest standards of professional ethics and scientific integrity.

Each steering group reviews the nominations of individuals within its respective section and a final list is forwarded to the AAAS Council, which votes on the aggregate list. The Council is the policymaking body of the Association, chaired by the AAAS president, and consisting of the members of the board of directors, the retiring section chairs, delegates from each electorate and each regional division, and two delegates from the National Association of Academies of Science.

AAAS encourages its sections and Council to consider diversity among those nominated and selected as Fellows, in keeping with the association’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.

For more information on MRS Bulletin, visit mrs.org/bulletin.