Universities Space Research Association Announces the Election of Ghassem Asrar as Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science

COLUMBIA, Md., Nov. 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Ghassem Asrar, Senior Vice President, Science, Universities Space Research Association, has been named Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).  Election as a AAAS Fellow is an honor bestowed by AAS members by their peers.

AAAS recognized Dr. Asrar for his "outstanding research contributions to remote sensing of biosphere atmosphere interactions, his scientific leadership and service to the Earth and Space community with great societal impact."

Each year, the organization elects Fellows whose "efforts on behalf of the advancement of science and its applications are scientifically or socially distinguished."  The Council elects Fellows deliberately and carefully to preserve the honor attached to this recognition.  Election as an AAAS Fellow is an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by peers. This year 489 members have been awarded this honor by AAAS because of their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications.

Dr. Jeffrey Isaacson, President and CEO of USRA said, "We are delighted and proud to have such a distinguished scientist and leader as a colleague here at USRA. Ghassem's exceptional technical contributions and his invaluable leadership within the Earth and space science communities reflect the positive impact he has had on science and society. His election to the rank of AAAS Fellow is yet another accolade in his distinguished career."

Dr. Asrar's prolific publications include more than 220 peer-reviewed scientific and technical papers and text and reference books, primarily in the fields of biosphere and atmosphere studies and Earth remote sensing. He has been an invited and keynote speaker at several hundred National and international scientific, technical and education conferences. He serves as a member of editorial boards of several scientific and technical journals. Dr. Asrar is a recipient of numerous prestigious awards including the U.S. Presidential Distinguished Executive Award, NASA's Exceptional Leadership Medals and Group Achievement Awards, and Distingusihed Fellow and Award Recipient from several National and international scientific professional societies. 

The tradition of AAAS Fellows began in 1874. Currently, members can be considered for the rank of Fellow if nominated by the steering groups of the Association's 24 sections, or by any three Fellows who are current AAAS members (so long as two of the three sponsors are not affiliated with the nominee's institution), or by the AAAS chief executive officer. Fellows must have been continuous members of AAAS for four years by the end of the calendar year in which they are elected.

This year's AAAS Fellows will be formally announced in the AAAS News & Notes section of the November 27, 2020 issue of Science .  New Fellows will be presented with an official certificate  and a gold and blue (representing science and engineering, respectively) rosette pin to commemorate their election.

Resources:

www.aaas.org/fellows/listing.  

www.aaas.org/aboutaaas/fellows/.  

About USRA

Universities Space Research Association is an independent, nonprofit research corporation where the combined efforts of in-house talent and university-based expertise merge to advance space science and technology. USRA works across disciplines including biomedicine, planetary science, astrophysics, and engineering and integrates those competencies into applications ranging from fundamental research to facility management and operations. USRA engages the creativity and authoritative expertise of the research community to develop and deliver sophisticated, forward-looking solutions to Federal agencies and other government sponsors.

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SOURCE Universities Space Research Association

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