Researchers who study ancient skulls, seed biology and the implacts of enzymes on nutrition, are among UC Davis faculty members who were recently elected as fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Election recognizes "meritorious efforts to advance science or its applications." Founded in 1848, the AAAS is the world's largest general scientific society and publishes the journal Science.

The newly-elected AAAS fellows are:

Kent Bradford, a professor in the department of vegetable crops and founding director of UC Davis' Seed Biotechnology Center, was recognized for his research in seed biology and for leadership in university/industry collaboration. Bradford's research encompasses all aspects of seed biology, from molecular biology and seed physiology to the storage, enhancement and utilization of seeds for agricultural purposes. Recently, his laboratory developed mathematical models that describe the germination and dormancy behavior of seeds in response to environmental factors.

Bryce Falk, professor of plant pathology, was honored for outstanding work in plant virology. Falk studies genes that allow viruses to replicate and spread within plants and to be spread among plants by insect vectors. He hopes to use viral genes to interfere with the viral life cycle and control plant diseases. His laboratory studies plant virus populations and the effect that natural and genetically engineered resistance traits have on the evolution of viruses. He and colleagues are also attempting to use engineered plant viruses as agents for expressing desirable proteins in plants and plant cells.

Robert Rucker, a professor in the department of nutrition and in the School of Medicine, was elected for his contributions to nutrition. Rucker studies the metabolism of essential vitamins and minerals. His research interests include the role of enzymes in assembling connective tissues and the role of copper in early growth and development. One of his major research emphases has been on the physiological roles of certain essential compounds, or cofactors, derived from the amino acid tyrosine. Rucker's laboratory was the first to identify pyrroloquinoline quinone as one such cofactor essential for animal and human growth.

Evolutionary anthropologist Henry McHenry studies fossil hominids between 5.5 million and 1 million years old and was honored for his work on skull shape and size. He has written more than 100 scientific publications on ancient bones, including analyses of evolutionary relationships, body size and shape, tooth size and diet, and brain-size increase. He is particularly known for helping to understand the evolution of bipedal locomotion by comparing fossils with the same bones in apes and humans; for estimating of the size of human ancestors from fossils; and for work on physical differences between genders in these ancestors. McHenry is also a forensic anthropologist, called upon when human skeletons of unknown origin are discovered.

Ben Orlove, professor of environmental science and policy, was recognized for contributions to understanding human adaptation to environmental conditions, especially in the Andes and Lake Titicaca region. His research focuses on small-scale agriculture, fisheries and climate. He studies issues such as how people cope with El Niño events and traditional forms of forecasting among indigenous people. His field studies have been conducted in Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Mexico, and in Zimbabwe and Uganda. He also holds an appointment as an adjunct senior research scientist at the International Research Institute for Climate Prediction at Columbia University.

C. Bruce Tarter, adjunct professor in the department of applied science and former director of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, was elected for his leadership of the laboratory in the post-Cold War era and for contributions to national science policy. As director of the Livermore laboratory from 1994 to 2002, Tarter oversaw growth of programs in areas such as the Human Genome Project and supercomputing. He also led the effort to build the National Ignition Facility, the world's biggest and most powerful laser, designed to recreate conditions in the center of stars.