Usha Varanasi, ’68, Fellow of the American Academy for the Advancement of Science

Usha Varanasi, ’68, and Richard Feely have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

As part of the Section on Chemistry, Usha was recognized for her distinguished contributions in environmental chemistry and toxicology, particularly in establishing and communicating the impact of environmental contaminants on marine organisms and ecosystems.

In the Section on Atmospheric and Hydrospheric Sciences, Richard was recognized for leading the scientific examination of ocean acidification and shifting public policy to address the issue.

Richard Feely, affiliate professor in the school of Oceanography, senior scientist at NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory and Fellow of the American Academy for the Advancement of Science
NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory
Richard Feely, affiliate professor in the school of Oceanography, senior scientist at NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory and Fellow of the American Academy for the Advancement of Science

In all, eight UW researchers were among 396 members to receive fellowships because of their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. Election as a fellow is an honor bestowed upon members by their peers.

Usha has been a distinguished scholar in residence at the College of the Environment since 2011 and is an affiliate professor in the UW’s School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, chemistry department and School of Law. She was also elected in that same year as a member of the Washington State Academy of Sciences.

In 1994, Usha became the first woman to lead one of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s nine major fisheries field stations and was the science and research director at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center until her retirement in 2010. Because of their widely recognized expertise in oil spill detection and rapid analysis, Usha and her team were at the forefront of the agency’s seafood safety response after environmental catastrophes, including the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the first Persian Gulf War, Hurricane Katrina and the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster. She has published over 150 peer-reviewed articles in scientific journals, edited and co-authored two books and is deeply committed to the education of students in the sciences.

Richard is an affiliate professor in the School of Oceanography and a senior scientist at NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, where he is the Carbon Group’s project leader. For more than 35 years, Richard has contributed to research that demonstrated how human-generated carbon dioxide emissions alter ocean chemistry and ecosystems and harm marine life. In the Pacific Northwest, Richard developed programs to monitor carbon dioxide levels off Washington’s coasts, which in turn help shellfish hatchery managers protect their stock from acidic waters.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science is the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal Science.

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