Statement by Under Secretary for Science Dr. Raymond L. Orbach on the Election of Dr. Dennis Kovar and Bill Valdez as 2006 AAAS Fellows

Dear Colleagues,

I am very pleased to inform you that two members the Department of Energy’s Office of Science have been elected Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest general scientific society.

Dennis Kovar and Bill Valdez are among the limited number of AAAS members awarded the distinction of AAAS Fellow by their peers this year.

I congratulate Dennis and Bill for this honor, which reflects the very high regard the scientific community has for each of them. I am very proud of the recognition they are receiving from their colleagues in the AAAS.

The complete list of new AAAS Fellows was published in the AAAS New & Notes section of the November 24, 2006 issue of Science.

Dr. Dennis Kovar, Associate Director, Office of Nuclear Physics, was elected an AAAS Fellow in the Physics section “for distinguished contribution to nuclear physics research and to the administration of the Department of Energy’s nuclear physics program.”

William J. Valdez, Acting Director, Office of Workforce Development, and Director, Planning and Analysis Division, was elected an AAAS Fellow in the General Interest in Science and Engineering section “for seminal contributions to the methodologies for evaluating innovation and productivity in research organizations.”

The tradition of AAAS Fellows began in 1874. An AAAS Fellow is defined as "a Member whose efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its applications are scientifically or socially distinguished." Examples of areas in which nominees may have made significant contributions are research; teaching; technology; services to professional societies; administration in academe, industry, government, and other institutions; and communicating and interpreting science to the public. Fellows are elected annually by the AAAS Council, the association’s policymaking body.

The 2006 AAAS Fellows will be presented with an official certificate and a gold or blue (for science and engineering, respectively) rosette pin at the Fellows Forum on Saturday, February 17, during the 2007 AAAS Annual Meeting in San Francisco, CA.

Please join me in congratulating Dennis and Bill for their election as AAAS Fellows.

Sincerely,
Raymond L. Orbach
Under Secretary for Science