Prof. Lisa Feldman Barrett, Boston College Psychology, Named 2008 AAAS Fellow

Main Category: Psychology / Psychiatry
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Article Date: 25 Dec 2008 - 0:00 PST

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The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has awarded the distinction of Fellow to Boston College Psychology Professor Lisa Feldman Barrett, a leader in the field of emotion research.

As part of the Section on Psychology, Barrett was elected as an AAAS Fellow "for distinguished contributions to the field of psychology, particularly for theoretical and empirical work on the nature of emotion."

This year 486 AAAS members have been elevated to the rank of Fellow because of their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. New Fellows will be presented with an official certificate and a gold and blue (representing science and engineering, respectively) rosette pin during the 2009 AAAS Annual Meeting in Chicago in February.

"I am delighted and honored to join this exceptional and distinguished group of individuals who are serving society by advancing science," said Barrett.

Barrett joined Boston College in 1996 and directs the University's Interdisciplinary Affective Science Laboratory. Her research is on the psychology and neuroscience of emotion. She earned a Distinguished Faculty Research Award from Boston College in 2001.

In 2007, Barrett received a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Pioneer Award, which recognizes "exceptionally innovative investigators whose work holds the promise of conceptual and technological breakthroughs in science." The award provides $2.5 million over five years to support Barrett's research.

Barrett is a fellow of the American Psychological Association, the Association for Psychological Science, and the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. Her other honors include the Society for Experimental Social Psychology Career Trajectory Award and an Independent Scientist Research Award from the National Institute of Mental Health. Barrett also co-directs the Laboratory of Aging and Emotion at Mass. General Hospital.

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Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.
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The tradition of AAAS Fellows began in 1874. Currently, members can be considered for the rank of Fellow if nominated by the steering groups of the Association's 24 sections, or by any three Fellows who are current AAAS members, or by the AAAS chief executive officer. Each steering group then reviews the nominations of individuals within its respective section and a final list is forwarded to the AAAS Council, which votes on the aggregate list.

Boston College, founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus, is one of the foremost universities in the nation, with a coeducational enrollment of 14,600 undergraduate and graduate students drawn students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries. BC is among the nation's most selective universities, with more than 30,800 applications received for its 2,250-member Class of 2012. After more than a century of growth and evolution, Boston College remains focused on its mission of helping students to develop their minds and talents while providing them with the motivation and compassion to use those talents in the service of others.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the world's largest general scientific society, and publisher of the journal, Science. AAAS was founded in 1848, and includes some 262 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. Science has the largest paid circulation of any peer-reviewed general science journal in the world, with an estimated total readership of 1 million. The non-profit AAAS is open to all and fulfills its mission to "advance science and serve society" through initiatives in science policy; international programs; science education; and more.

Source: Kathleen Sullivan
Boston College