UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Five Penn State faculty members in areas ranging from the geosciences and atmospheric science to plant ecology and genome editing have been elected to the 2022 cohort of fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest general scientific society. This year, AAAS recognized a total of 506 scientists, engineers and innovators with this lifetime honor, bestowed by their peers, for their scientifically and socially distinguished achievements.

Fellows will receive an official certificate and a gold and blue rosette pin via mail to commemorate their election and will be invited to an in-person gathering in Washington, D.C., in spring 2023 to celebrate the honor. The new class will also be featured in the AAAS News & Notes section of Science magazine in February. Fellows from Penn State are:

Laura A. Guertin, distinguished professor of Earth sciences at Penn State Brandywine, for outstanding contributions in teaching Earth science as an inquiry-based means to scientific literacy regardless of eventual major or career, especially using digital media effectively.

David M. Eissenstat, professor emeritus of woody plant physiology, for distinguished contributions to the field of plant physiological ecology, with particular reference to understanding the dynamics of fine roots in temperate forests and horticultural crops.

Yinong Yang, professor of plant pathology and environmental microbiology, for seminal contributions to the fields of molecular plant-biotic and abiotic interactions, or how plants respond to living and nonliving environmental stimuli, and genome editing.

Jose D. Fuentes, professor of atmospheric science, for uncovering the significance and workings of key interactions among the biosphere and the atmosphere, and their role in regional and global environmental change.

Peter Wilf, professor of geosciences, for distinguished research in paleobotany, specifically the evolution, paleoecology and conservation paleobiology of rainforests and plant-herbivore interactions in relation to environmental change, and for service to the profession and outreach.

With over $1 billion in annual research expenditures, Penn State ranks among the top 25 U.S. research universities and is one of only two institutions in the nation accorded land-grant, sea-grant, sun-grant and space-grant status. This year’s fellows represent Penn State Brandywine, the College of Agricultural Sciences and the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences.