News Release

Microbiologist named National Associate of National Academies

Nation's premiere science advisory body honors Marylynn Yates' gift of time, expertise

Grant and Award Announcement

University of California - Riverside

The nation's premiere science advisory organization has bestowed its National Associate honor on University of California, Riverside Professor of Environmental Microbiology, Marylynn V. Yates.

The honorary lifetime appointment recognizes Yates' extraordinary service to the National Academies and the Council of the National Academy of Sciences, through her service on committees and in the reviewing of research papers and reports to ensure their scientific rigor.

"Marylynn has spent countless hours serving as a member of committees of the National Research Council and as a reviewer of NRC reports," wrote Walter J. Farmer, professor and chair in the Department of Environmental Sciences at UC Riverside. "The National Academies recognize this level of service as essential to meeting their charge in advising government and the public on matters of science, technology and health."

Yates was a panel member on water system security research in 2003; from 2002 to 2004, she was a committee member studying indicators of waterborne diseases; in 2002, Yates was a consultant to a committee on restoration of the greater Everglades ecosystem; and from 1999 to 2002, she was a member of the Committee to Improve the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water Quality Assessment Program. In addition, Yates recently completed a review of a just-released NRC report titled Regional Cooperation for Water Quality Improvement in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

According to Bruce Alberts, chairman of the National Research Council, Yates is one of the "dedicated individuals who serve pro bono publico on committees of the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine."

"This service is valued, honored, and appreciated both within the National Academies and by government and the public at large." Alberts wrote in a letter informing Yates of the appointment.

"Service to our professions is an integral component of our jobs, so to be recognized in this extraordinary manner was an honor and a very pleasant surprise," Yates said.

Her research interests lie in the area of drinking water and wastewater microbiology. Yates' research focuses on assessing the potential for contamination of water supplies by human disease-causing microorganisms. Yates came to UCR in 1987 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. She received her Ph.D. in microbiology in 1984 from the University of Arizona.

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