OU RESEARCHER RECOGNIZED FOR SCIENTIFIC CONTRIBUTIONS TO UROLOGY AND CANCER
University of Oklahoma researcher Robert Hurst, Ph.D., has been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers.
Hurst, professor and director of Basic Research in the Department of Urology, OU College of Medicine, was elected as a Fellow for his contributions to urology and cancer research, particularly the development of biochemistry-based biomarker diagnostic procedures, his work on the causes, diagnosis and treatment of interstitial cystitis, and the development of novel drugs to target the spread of cancer.
“This prestigious honor is a tribute to Dr. Hurst and his commitment to research aimed at improving treatment for those with a variety of urologic diseases as well as cancer. We are proud to count him among our faculty and congratulate him on this much deserved national recognition,” said Dr. Jason Sanders, senior vice president and provost of the OU Health Sciences Center.
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is the world’s largest general scientific society, and publisher of the peer-reviewed journal, Science. Founded in 1848, the Association includes 254 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals.
This year, Hurst is among 347 members named as Fellows by Association because of their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. He will be presented with an official certificate and a gold and blue (representing science and engineering, respectively) rosette pin at the American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellows Forum during the Association’s 2016 Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., in February.
The tradition of American Association for the Advancement of Science 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 Association members (so long as two of the three sponsors are not affiliated with the nominee’s institution), or by the American Association for the Advancement of Science chief executive officer. Fellows must have been continuous members of the Association for four years by the end of the calendar year in which they are elected.
Each steering group reviews the nominations of individuals within its respective section and a final list is forwarded to the Association Council, which votes on the aggregate list.
The Council is the policymaking body of the Association, chaired by the American Association for the Advancement of Science president, and consisting of the members of the board of directors, the retiring section chairs, delegates from each electorate and each regional division, and two delegates from the National Association of Academies of Science.
