AAAS Sections

Atmospheric and Hydrospheric Sciences (W)

Election as a Fellow of AAAS is an honor bestowed upon members by their peers. Fellows are recognized for meritorious efforts to advance science or its applications.

---

General Information About the Fellows Nomination, Review and Appeal Process:

A member whose efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its applications are scientifically or socially distinguished and who has been a continuous member for the four year period leading up to the year of nomination, may, by virtue of such meritorious contribution be elected a Fellow by the Council. Examples of areas in which nominees may have made significant contributions are research; teaching; technology; services to professional societies; administration in academe, industry, and government; and communicating and interpreting science to the public. Fellows are elected annually by the AAAS Council from the list of approved nominations from the Section Steering Committees.

Fellow nominations may be made by: 1) the Steering Groups of the Association's 24 sections, or 2) any three previously elected Fellows who are current AAAS members, so long as two of the three sponsors are not affiliated with the nominee's institution, or 3) the Chief Executive Officer.

At the February 2012 Council meeting, the AAAS Council approved the following changes to the existing policy for nominations for AAAS Fellows:

1. Eligibility for nomination requires an individual to have been a continuous member of AAAS for four years by the end of the calendar year in which they would be elected. For the 2013 cycle, this requires an individual to have been a continuous member of AAAS since December 31, 2009 or earlier. Members who joined after the December 31, 2009 cutoff date are not eligible for the 2013 cycle.
2. No Fellow may serve as a sponsor, whether primary, secondary or tertiary, on more than two 3-Fellow nominations in one year.

Responsibility for reviewing the Fellow nominations is assigned to the Steering Groups of the 24 Sections. Nominations undergo review by the Steering Group members (the Chair, Chair-Elect, Retiring Chair, Secretary, and four Members-at-Large of each section). Each Steering Group reviews only those nominations designated for its section. Names of Fellow nominees who are approved by the Steering Groups are presented to the AAAS Council for election.

Each nominee must receive the approval of a majority of the Steering Group members, with no more than two opposed, in order to be included in the slate of Fellow nominees that is presented to the Council for a final vote.

Sponsors of a rejected nomination have the option of appealing to the Committee on Council Affairs for possible reversal of the Steering Group's decision. Nominations can also be challenged by any member of the AAAS Council during the voting process. A challenged nomination, if not withdrawn by its sponsors, will be reviewed by the Committee on Council Affairs. 

Final decisions are generally announced in late fall. New Fellows are honored at an event at the AAAS Annual Meeting the following February where they receive a certificate and rosette. The names of the newly elected Fellows are also published in the journal Science.

Queries may be directed to the Executive Office by phone, 202-326-6468 or kobrien@aaas.org.

Information for the 2013 AAAS Fellows Cycle

The Executive Office invites groups of three previously elected AAAS Fellows to nominate AAAS members for election as Fellows. The 2013 Fellows nomination cycle is now open. The deadline is April 17, 2013. Please review the new rules and instructions (below) that take effect in 2013.

A member whose efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its applications are scientifically or socially distinguished and who has been a continuous member for the four year period leading up to the year of nomination, may, by virtue of such meritorious contribution be elected a Fellow by the Council. Examples of areas in which nominees may have made significant contributions are research; teaching; technology; services to professional societies; administration in academe, industry, and government; and communicating and interpreting science to the public. Fellows are elected annually by the AAAS Council from the list of approved nominations from the Section Steering Committees.

Special Note for the 2013 Fellow Cycle: At the February 2012 Council meeting, the AAAS Council approved the following changes to the existing policy for nominations for AAAS Fellows:

 
3. Eligibility for nomination requires an individual to have been a continuous member of AAAS for four years by the end of the calendar year in which they would be elected. For the 2013 cycle, this requires an individual to have been a continuous member of AAAS since December 31, 2009 or earlier. Members who joined after the December 31, 2009 cutoff date are not eligible for the 2013 cycle.
4. No Fellow may serve as a sponsor, whether primary, secondary or tertiary, on more than two 3-Fellow nominations in one year.

Deadline:

• The deadline for receipt of all nomination materials is April 17, 2013, 11:59 p.m. Eastern time.
• Nomination packets must be complete and all nomination materials must be received by the deadline.
• Nominations received after the deadline or nomination packets with missing material at the time of the deadline will not be considered. No exceptions will be made.

Requirements for Sponsors:

• Only previously elected AAAS Fellows who are current in their membership may serve as sponsors.
• No Fellow may serve as a sponsor on more than two (2) three-fellow nominations in any given year.
• Only one of the three sponsors may be affiliated with the same institution as that of the nominee.
• All three sponsors must be current AAAS members.

Requirement for Nominees:

• Eligibility for nomination requires an individual to have been a continuous member of AAAS since December 31, 2009 or earlier. Members who joined after the December 31, 2009 cutoff date are not eligible for the 2013 cycle.

Requirements for submission:

• A nomination form must be completed and signed by the primary sponsor.
• All three sponsors must submit a signed, supporting letter on letterhead. It is important that all three letters in support of a nominee be informational, with a clear indication of the areas in which a nominee has contributed and sufficient explanation of why election as a Fellow is justified.
• The full CV of the nominee must be attached, including a complete list of publications.
• A separate list of the top ten most influential publications of the nominee must be attached.
• The primary sponsor is responsible for ensuring that all material is submitted by the deadline, including all three sponsor letters.
• Only completed nomination packets received by the deadline will be considered.

Tips:

You are strongly encouraged to submit the nomination packet well ahead of the deadline. If you submit a complete packet by April 1, 2013, our office will be able to check for completion and let you know whether there are any missing components. This will allow you time to correct any mistakes before the deadline. If you submit a nomination packet close to the deadline, it is very likely that it will not be checked for completion until the deadline has passed, which means there will be no time to correct any errors that could cause the nomination to be disqualified.

How to send the material:

Materials may be sent via email or as a paper copy to Kelly O'Brien (kobrien@aaas.org). Electronic submission of nomination materials is encouraged, but not required. A hard copy of the nomination materials can be mailed to Kelly O'Brien, AAAS Executive Office, 1200 New York Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20005. Mailed material must be postmarked by the April 17, 2013 deadline to be considered. Emailed material must be received by April 17, 2013 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time.

---

New AAAS Fellows Elected

The 701 association members elected by the AAAS Council will be recognized for their contributions to science and technology in February at the 2013 Annual Meeting in Boston.

See the list of new fellows elected in 2012.

Search for Fellows

The AAAS Fellows database has moved. To access the newly revised database and to find previously elected AAAS Fellows, click here.