Research

Two Penn Staters named AAAS Fellows

University Park, Pa. -- Mark Maroncelli, professor of chemistry, Eberly College of Science, and A'ndrea Elyse Messer, senior science and research information officer, Department of Public Information, have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science is the world’s largest general scientific society and the publisher of the journal Science. Election as an AAAS Fellow is an honor bestowed upon members by their peers. This year, 486 Fellows were selected for their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. The Fellows will receive certificates and pins in February during the AAAS annual meeting in Chicago.

Maroncelli was named for distinguished work in the field of liquid-phase dynamics, especially contributions elucidating the time-dependence of solvation in conventional and unconventional solvents.

His research focuses on achieving a molecular-level understanding of static and dynamic aspects of solvation and how those aspects influence chemical reactions and other time-dependent processes taking place in a solution. Understanding of solution-phase dynamics has increased dramatically in the last decade as a result of advances in ultrafast laser technology and the use of more sophisticated computer simulations. Moncelli takes advantage of both of these techniques in order to study a variety of problems in solution-phase dynamics.

A member of the Penn State faculty since 1987, Maroncelli was named associate professor in 1993 and professor in 1997. Before he arrived at Penn State, he was a research associate at the University of Chicago from 1985 to 1987 and a research associate at Oregon State University from 1984 to 1985.

He earned his doctoral degree in chemistry at the University of California at Berkeley in 1983 and his bachelor's degree in chemistry, with highest honors, at Williams College in 1979. He is a member of the American Chemical Society and the American Physical Society.

Messer was named for exceptional performance as a science communications officer in translating and disseminating research findings, mentoring science writers and scientists, and improving public understanding of science. She joined the university in 1988 after serving more than eight years as a science writer for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers as well as a newspaper reporter, technical editor and journal editor.

She has written about peer-reviewed research conducted in nearly every academic college at Penn State, ranging from climate and environmental sciences, materials science and technology, and anthropology to nutrition and hospitality management. She engages in media relations networking with the national and state science and medical press and conducts media training for scientists. She also provides scientific information assistance for emergency management issues.

She received a B.A. in science and culture from Purdue University in 1973, an M.S. in journalism/science communication from Boston University in 1976 and an M.A. in anthropology from Penn State in 1995. She is pursuing a Ph.D. in anthropology.

Last Updated April 5, 2010

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