More Laurels.

By Dateline staff

They study "buckyballs" and RNA; plant-soil relationships and biodiversity in agricultural landscapes; rice genetics and breeding; the impact of environmental changes on natural selection; and plant growth and development.

One is an associate geneticist, the other five are professors (including the chancellor emeritus) — and all of them are among 539 scientists newly elected as fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world's largest general scientific society.

The new fellows from UC Davis are Alan L. Balch, Peter A. Beal, Louise Jackson, David Mackill, Maureen Stanton and Larry N. Vanderhoef. They are due to be recognized with all the other new fellows during the AAAS annual meeting, scheduled this year for Feb. 16 to 20 in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Founded in 1848, the association aims to “advance science and serve society” through initiatives that include science policy, international programs, science education and public understanding of science. Fellows are nominated and elected by other members of the society.

The newly elected fellows from UC Davis are:

• Alan L. Balch, Distinguished Professor, Department of Chemistry — He studies complex molecules that contain metal atoms, including soccer ball-like carbon molecules called “fullerenes” (or sometimes “buckyballs,” after the architect Buckminster Fuller); metalloporphyrins, or hemes, a vital component for carrying oxygen in our blood; and metal clusters. These molecules can have interesting and useful properties, with potential applications ranging from batteries and microelectronics to contrast agents for medical imaging.

• Peter A. Beal, professor, Department of Chemistry — As a chemical biologist, he studies ribonucleic acids (RNA), molecules that are involved in translating the genetic code of DNA into proteins, and the proteins and other enzymes that control and regulate RNA. His work could lead to new medicines based on interfering with or enhancing RNA activity.

• Louise Jackson, professor and Cooperative Extension specialist, Department of Land, Air and Water Resources — A plant physiologist, she focuses on plant-soil relationships and biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. She studies nutrient cycling, soil quality, organic agriculture, grassland restoration and climate change adaptation, and works with famers and ranchers to improve the sustainability of California ecosystems. In 2006, she became the first appointee to the John B. Orr Endowed Chair in Environmental Plant Sciences.

• David Mackill, associate geneticist, Department of Plant Sciences — His status as an international expert on rice genetics and breeding stems from his research on the genetics of disease resistance and abiotic stress tolerance with the aim of developing more resistant rice varieties. Indeed, he and his colleagues identified a gene that confers tolerance to submergence and transferred the gene to new, high-yielding rice varieties. This advancement has critical significance in areas such as southern Asia where monsoonal rains and the resultant flooding can bring routine destruction of crops.

• Maureen Stanton, professor, Department of Evolution and Ecology — Her research focuses on how environmental changes, caused by both natural processes and human activities, alter patterns of natural selection in plant and insect populations. Understanding how populations adapt to environmental changes is critical for predicting the long-term consequences of climate change, biological invasions and other alterations of global ecosystems. On Jan. 1 this year, she took up her new post as vice provost of Academic Affairs.

• Larry N. Vanderhoef, professor, departments of Plant Biology (College of Biological Sciences) and Plant Sciences (College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences) — Vanderhoef, who studies plant growth and development, served as provost for 10 years and chancellor for 15 years. He stepped down in 2009, and now he is back in the classroom, this time teaching biology to nonscience majors.

His time as chancellor saw considerable expansion of UC Davis’ research and teaching programs and facilities, including such construction projects as the Genome and Biomedical Sciences Facility, and the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts.

He is a member of the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity, which advises the secretary of education on matters related to postsecondary (or higher education) accreditation, and the eligibility and certification process for higher education institutions to participate in federal student aid programs.