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AAAS Honors UAlbany Researchers for Studies in Bacterial Genes, Urban Health

 Marlene Belfort
Marlene Belfort

ALBANY, N.Y. (October 31, 2007) -- University at Albany researchers Lawrence M. Schell and Marlene Belfort have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), an honor given to AAAS members by their peers.

Marlene Belfort, who in addition to her faculty position is the director of the Division of Genetics Disorders at the Wadsworth Center of the New York State Department of Health, was named an AAAS Fellow for innovative experiments defining intervening sequences in bacterial genes and characterizing these sequences as elements that can hop from place to place in DNA. She received her doctorate in molecular biology from the University of California at Irvine and has been a professor in the UAlbany Department of Biomedical Sciences for more than 20 years.

 Lawrence Schell
Lawrence Schell

Lawrence M. Schell was named an AAAS Fellow for pioneering research on the influence of physical and behavioral factors on human growth and health in urban America. He received his doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania in biological anthropology, and is currently the director at the Center for the Elimination of Minority Health Disparities. His main research focus is the effects of pollutants on the physical and mental growth of children, particularly those from disadvantaged groups.

AAAS is an international non-profit organization dedicated to advancing science around the world by serving as an educator, leader, spokesperson and professional association. Fellows have been awarded the honor by AAAS because of their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications.


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