image: Utah State University Chemistry and Biochemistry professor Lisa Berreau, executive associate dean of the College of Science, has been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a top national science honor. view more
Credit: Donna Barry/Utah State University
LOGAN, UTAH, USA -- Utah State University professor Lisa Berreau has been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, one of the nation's top national science honors. One of 391 honorees recognized nationwide, she will be formally honored in a Feb. 18 ceremony during the association's 2017 annual meeting in Boston.
An inorganic chemist, Berreau, who serves as executive associate dean for USU's College of Science, is recognized for her innovative work in understanding reaction involving metals and dioxygen that lead to carbon-carbon bond cleavage and the influence of hydrogen bonding on metal-centered reactivity. Her work investigates the role metal ions play in human health, the environment and catalysis.
"Designation as an AAAS fellow is a distinct honor reserved for the nation's top scientists," says USU President Stan Albrecht. "It's not only an honor for Dr. Berreau to be recognized for her outstanding contributions, but also for Utah State University."
"Dr. Berreau is a most deserving awardee and we are thrilled she is receiving this prestigious recognition," says Maura Hagan, dean of USU's College of Science. "She promotes the role of science not only as an accomplished researcher, but also as a dedicated educator and administrator."
In addition to her administrative and research efforts, Berreau, a professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, teaches and mentors a team of graduate and undergraduate students in research. She also serves as treasurer of the American Chemical Society Division of Inorganic Chemistry.
Berreau, who joined USU's faculty in 1998, received the prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER Research Fellowship and was also named a Herman Frasch Foundation Fellow. In 2006, she was named "Undergraduate Research Mentor of the Year" for USU's College of Science.
A native of Brewster, Minn., Berreau earned a bachelor's degree from Mankato State University in 1990 and completed a doctorate from Iowa State University in 1994. She returned to her home state in 1995, where she served as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Minnesota until 1998. At USU, she advanced to full professor in 2011 and served as interim dean for the College of Science from 2014-2015.
Berreau joins fellow USU AAAS Fellows James "Jim" MacMahon, emeritus trustee professor of biology and former dean of the College of Science; Lance Seefeldt, professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Patricia Lambert, professor in the Department of Sociology, Social Studies and Anthropology.
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The AAAS is the world's largest general scientific society and publisher of a number of academic journals, including the association's flagship publication Science.