AAAS names four UC Berkeley faculty as fellows. They are (shown l-r) Cathryn Carson, William Collins, John Harte and Paul Kalas.

BERKELEY — Four UC Berkeley faculty members have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the association announced today (Monday, Nov. 24).

The honor recognizes distinguished efforts in the scientific and social applications of science, for which the new fellows were nominated and elected by their AAAS peers. This year a total of 401 AAAS members were awarded the distinction.

The new UC Berkeley fellows are:

• Cathryn Carson – For contributions as an editor, administrator, scholar and teacher that have advanced the study of modern physical sciences.
• William Collins – For distinguished contributions to the field of climate science through fundamental research on interactions among sunlight, heat, the coupled climate system and global environmental change.
• John Harte – For distinguished contributions to environmental sciences utilizing mathematical modeling and theory development, and to policy studies to connect science to its societal implications.
• Paul Kalas – For distinguished contributions to observational astrophysics, particularly for the discovery and characterization of planetary systems around nearby stars.

With the election of these four fellows, UC Berkeley now counts 224 AAAS fellows among its ranks. The new fellows will be presented with certificates and pins on Saturday, Feb. 14, at the AAAS Fellows Forum during the 2015 AAAS annual meeting in San Jose.

AAAS, founded in 1848, is the world's largest general scientific society, and publisher of the journal Science. The association includes 254 affiliated societies and academies of science.