David Dethier Named AAAS Fellow

Media contact: Noelle Lemoine, communications assistant; tele: (413) 597-4277; email: [email protected]

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass., December 9, 2015—David Dethier, Edward Brust Professor of Geology and Mineralogy at Williams College, has been named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). He was one of 347 members named fellows this year for their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications.

Dethier was elected as a Fellow for his commitment to undergraduate science education and for his studies of erosion and soil development in the American Southwest. His research focuses mainly on the measurement of geochemical processes and long-term erosion rates in the Boulder Creek “critical zone” (CZO), which includes the life-supporting mantle of soil and weathered material that forms from fresh bedrock over time. For the past 30 years, Dethier has also helped to coordinate ongoing collection of weather, streamflow, precipitation chemistry and other environmental data from Hopkins Memorial Forest and their analysis in the Environmental Science Lab in the Morley Science Center. Dethier holds an A.B. from Dartmouth College, and an M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Washington. He has taught at Williams since 1982.

The tradition of AAAS Fellows began in 1874. Election as a Fellow is an honor bestowed upon members by their peers. The association is the world’s largest general scientific society, and it publishes the journal Science as well as Science Translational Medicine and Science Signaling. AAAS was founded in 1948, and it includes 254 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. The non-profit AAAS is open to all and fulfills its mission to “advance science and serve society” through initiatives in science policy, international programs, science education, and more.

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Founded in 1793, Williams College is the second-oldest institution of higher learning in Massachusetts. The college’s 2,000 students are taught by a faculty noted for the quality of their teaching and research, and the achievement of academic goals includes active participation of students with faculty in their research. Students’ educational experience is enriched by the residential campus environment in Williamstown, Mass., which provides a host of opportunities for interaction with one another and with faculty beyond the classroom. Admission decisions on U.S. applicants are made regardless of a student’s financial ability, and the college provides grants and other assistance to meet the demonstrated needs of all who are admitted.

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