David Popham named fellow of American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), one of the world’s largest general scientific societies, has named David Popham to its 2024 class of fellows.
“This year’s class of fellows are the embodiment of scientific excellence and service to our communities,” said Sudip S. Parikh, the association's chief executive officer and executive publisher of the Science family of journals. “At a time when the future of the scientific enterprise in the U.S. and around the world is uncertain, their work demonstrates the value of sustained investment in science and engineering.”
This latest class is comprised of 471 scientists, engineers and innovators across 24 of the association's disciplinary sections.
“We are very proud that David’s outstanding body of work has been acknowledged as a fellow of the AAAS,” said Kevin Pitts, dean of the College of Science. “He is a great colleague, a great leader, and exemplifies Virginia Tech as a destination for great people and a world-class research university.”
Popham, professor of biological sciences, was selected for “distinguished contributions to studies of the structure, synthesis, and hydrolysis of the peptidoglycan wall components of bacteria vegetative cells and endospores.”
Bacterial endospores are the most long-lived and resistant forms of life on earth. Spores of some species cause food spoilage or serious disease, such as anthrax, botulism, gangrene, and C. diff infection. Spore resistance properties make it very difficult to eradicate them but also makes spores useful agents for some industrial applications. Our research on the molecular processes involved in spore dormancy, resistance, and germination contributes to the development of methods for elimination of problematic species and better utilization of beneficial species.
“I’m very honored and happy that this recognizes the importance of research in basic sciences that is key to unforeseen advances in medicine and industry,” Popham said. “My success has been dependent on the support of my family, the participation of many talented colleagues, and the environment created by my department and the Virginia Tech community.”