PROVIDENCE – A pair of Brown University professors have been named to the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences, which traces its roots back to the American Revolution.
The two are Donald Forsyth, the James L. Manning Professor of Geological Sciences, and Johanna Schmitt, the Stephen T. Olney Professor of Natural History.
Beyond Cash Donations: How New Forms of Giving Are Transforming Not-for-Profit Accounting
Evolving Funding Landscape for Not-for-Profits Not-for-profit organizations are being asked to do more with less,…
Learn More
Forsyth specializes in seismology and marine geophysics. His most recent paper provides strong evidence that the geological processes that lead to the formation of the oceanic crust are less passive than commonly believed. Forsyth also gives evidence of concentrated – rather than uniform – upwelling centers in this formation process. The paper was published in the November issue of the journal Nature.
“It is a great honor to be elected a member of an organization with such a distinguished history,” said Forsyth. “I have been very fortunate in coming along at an exciting time in the development of the scientific investigation of plate tectonics and in the resources provided for my part in that investigation.”
Schmitt is a professor of biology and environmental studies at Brown, and is also the director of the university’s Environmental Change Initiative. Her research focuses on how plants change over time in response to their environment, including day length and temperature. Schmitt was also elected to the National Academy of Sciences two years ago.
“I’m thrilled to join the Academy,” said Schmitt. “I’ve had the privilege of working with so many good scientists at Brown – students, post-docs, lab managers, fellow faculty members – that I feel that this honor is shared.”
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences was founded in 1780 to recognize individuals who have made pre-eminent contributions to their fields and to society. Members of the Academy are selected through a highly competitive process. This year, nearly 230 new fellows and foreign honorary members are to be inducted.
The 2010 class of AAAS fellows also includes actors Denzel Washington and John Lithgow; the Pulitzer-winning historian Daniel Howe; the pioneering breast cancer researcher Olufunmilayo I. Olopade; and Dartmouth College President Jim Yong Kim, a 1982 Brown graduate.
Brown President Ruth J. Simmons is already a fellow of the Academy.
Additional information is available at amacad.org.
