L.S. "Skip" Fletcher of Texas A&M University Receives
2002 AAAS Award for International Scientific Cooperation

For his exemplary efforts to promote science and engineering advances across national boundaries, through international collaborations involving nearly every continent on Earth, Dr. L.S. "Skip" Fletcher of Texas A&M University has been named to receive the coveted AAAS Award for International Scientific Cooperation.

Fletcher serves as the Regents Professor and Thomas A. Dietz Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University, College Station. Among his current activities, he is responsible for developing a School of Engineering at the American University of Sharjah, for the Emirate of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. His effort represents the first coeducational Muslim academic institution in the region. Since 1981, he has also served as a coordinator for an engineering exchange program between the Ruhr University of Germany and Texas A&M. Further, he has organized student exchanges with the Technical University of Budapest, Hungary.

For approximately 45 years now, Fletcher has been highly active in the international arena, promoting engineering education and helping to bring more students into the talent pipeline. For example, through several World Bank study projects, Fletcher has assisted in improving the professional level of educational programs in countries such as China, Indonesia and Russia.

He has served as chair or co-chair on numerous scientific and organizing committees for conferences, workshops, and symposium—from the Pan American Association of Engineering Societies (UPADI), to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) group and the International Heat Transfer Conference. His many contributions have been repeatedly recognized by his international colleagues. He has been appointed an Honorary Professor of the Ruhr University, for instance, was named a Visiting Professor at Tokyo Institute of Technology in Japan, and holds numerous other honorary titles.

Fletcher earned his B.S. from Texas A&M; his M.S. in Engineering from Stanford; and a Ph.D. from Arizona State University. He will be honored during the 2003 AAAS Annual Meeting in February.

Each year, the AAAS award recognizes individuals or groups who make outstanding contributions toward furthering international cooperation in science and engineering. The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the world's largest general scientific organization, and publisher of the weekly journal, Science. (See http://www.aaas.org/about/awards/Int.shtml for more information.)

—Ginger Pinholster

6 December 2002