Kristine C. Harper named 2023 AAAS Fellow 

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has selected Professor Kristine C. Harper to be a part of the 2023 class of AAAS Fellows. 

The non-profit AAAS is the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the Science family of journals. Since 1874, the association has elected AAAS Fellows – a title considered a lifetime honor in the science community. 

Kristine C. Harper is included in the 150th class of AAAS Fellows for her distinguished contributions to the history of science and geoengineering, exemplified in her work at the intersections of earth science, statecraft, and important policy lessons. 

“I feel honored to be selected as a AAAS Fellow in the 2023 class, joining the many distinguished scholars who have made outstanding contributions to the multi-faceted scientific community,” said Kristine C. Harper.  

Kristine C. Harper’s historical research is at the nexus of the history of science, history of technology, and environmental history from the late nineteenth through the twentieth century, with special emphasis on the Cold War. 

Her latest monograph, Make it Rain: State Control of the Atmosphere in Twentieth Century America, addresses the influence of the American state on efforts to deliberately control atmospheric processes for military, diplomatic and domestic purposes.  

Fellows embodies scientific excellence  

This latest class of AAAS Fellows is comprised of 502 scientists, engineers and innovators across 24 AAAS disciplinary Sections. The new Fellows will receive a certificate and a gold and blue rosette pin (representing science and engineering, respectively) to commemorate their election and will be celebrated at a forum on September 21, 2024. That evening, AAAS will also celebrate the program’s 150th anniversary.  

“As we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the AAAS Fellows, AAAS is proud to recognize the newly elected individuals. This year’s class embodies scientific excellence, fosters trust in science throughout the communities they serve, and leads the next generation of scientists while advancing scientific achievements,” said Sudip S. Parikh, Ph.D., AAAS chief executive officer and executive publisher of the Science family of journals.  

The class of 2023 joins the ranks of noted Fellows such as Alondra Nelson, the Harold F. Linder Professor at the Institute for Advanced Study and former deputy assistant to President Joe Biden and acting director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; Mae Jemison, the first Black woman to go to space; Steven Chu, 1997 Nobel laureate in physics who served as the 12th U.S. Secretary of Energy; W. E. B. Dubois, considered the founding father of American sociology; Ellen Ochoa, veteran astronaut and the Johnson Space Center’s first Hispanic and second female director in its history; Grace Hopper, pioneer in computer software development and programming language; and Vint Cerf, who co-designed the TCP/IP protocols and the architecture of the Internet and received the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom.