UMD Professor and Two Alumni Named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
University of Maryland Professor Zhanqing Li and alumni Tamar Barkay and Leonard Fine have been elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Fellows are selected by their peers in recognition of meritorious efforts to advance science or its applications. Li’s election brings the number of faculty members in UMD’s College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences who have received this honor to 81.
Li, a professor in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science and the Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, was cited for “seminal contributions to atmospheric physics and observation, environmental and climate changes through creative research and international cooperation.” A fellow of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) and recipient of a 2015 Humboldt Research Award and the 2014 AGU’s Yoram J. Kaufman Award, Li has studied Earth’s radiation budget, clouds and precipitation and fire monitoring and mapping. His current research focuses on atmospheric pollutants, particularly aerosols, and their affect on regional and global climate change. A former president of the Chinese-American Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, Li leads an international cooperative study with American and Chinese scientists titled “East Asian Tropospheric Aerosols: an International Regional Experiment (EAST-AIRE)”. Li earned a bachelor’s and master’s from the Nanjing Institute of Meteorology in China and his Ph.D. from the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at Canada’s McGill University in 1991.
Barkay (Ph.D. ’80, microbiology), a professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology at Rutgers University, was elected fellow for “distinguished contributions to the field of environmental science, particularly for advancing our understanding of how microorganisms effect the fate of mercury in the environment.”
Fine (Ph.D. ’62, chemistry), scientific officer and fellow at Science Foundation Arizona, was cited for “distinguished contributions to chemical thought and scientific literacy, leaving a lasting impression on the intellectual development of students and colleagues and the profession.”
Founded in 1848, AAAS is the world’s largest general scientific society and includes 254 affiliated societies and academies of science, fulfilling its mission to “advance science and serve society” through initiatives in science policy, international programs, science education, and more. Induction of the 347 newly elected fellows will take place on Feb. 13, 2016, at the AAAS Fellows Forum during the 2016 AAAS Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.
Media Relations Contact: Abby Robinson, 301-405-5845, abbyr@umd.edu
Writer: Mary Kearney
University of Maryland
College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences
2300 Symons Hall
College Park, MD 20742
www.cmns.umd.edu
@UMDscience
About the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences
The College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences at the University of Maryland educates more than 7,000 future scientific leaders in its undergraduate and graduate programs each year. The college's 10 departments and more than a dozen interdisciplinary research centers foster scientific discovery with annual sponsored research funding exceeding $150 million.