Four University of Iowa faculty members have been named 2024 fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest general-scientific society and publisher of the journal Science.

Iowa’s recipients are Robert Piper, chair and departmental executive officer of anatomy and cell biology, and professor of internal medicine and molecular physiology and biophysics in the Carver College of Medicine; Clark Stanford, professor and dean of the College of Dentistry; Tina Tootle, chair and departmental executive officer in biology and professor in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; and Joshua Weiner, associate dean for research and infrastructure and professor of biology in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and associate director of the Iowa Neuroscience Institute. 

The 2024 class of AAAS Fellows includes 471 scientists, engineers, and innovators from around the world who are recognized for their scientifically and socially distinguished achievements. The fellows are elected annually by the AAAS Council, which has been bestowing the honor on scientists since 1874.

Piper and Tootle were recognized for their work in the biological sciences field, Stanford in the dentistry and oral health field, and Weiner for neuroscience. 

Robert Piper

Piper and his team found out how cells mark proteins and send them to a part of the cell called the lysosome to be broken down. This helps keep the right balance of proteins in the body. The marking process uses a small protein called ubiquitin, which sticks to another protein and starts a chain of events that lead the protein to the lysosome to be destroyed. Piper’s research discovered this process and the important parts of the cell that make it happen. 

“I am honored to be named an AAAS Fellow,” Piper says. “It’s meaningful to have our work recognized by peers and to see its impact in the field. Science is a team effort, and I’m grateful for the colleagues and collaborators who have been part of this journey.”

Piper joined Iowa’s faculty in 1997. 

Clark Stanford

Stanford’s work focuses on ectodermal dysplasias, which are problems that affect the growth and formation of parts of the body such as hair, nails, sweat glands, teeth, and the development of eyes and ears. His research investigates better treatments to rebuild the face and fix missing parts in the mouth. 

“The honor of being recognized is very humbling,” Stanford says. “To have a range of interdisciplinary scientists recognize this work is a statement that we all need to continue to work as a collaborative team to help identify the causes of conditions so that as a group we can make patients’ lives better.”

Stanford, an Iowa alum who previously worked as a UI faculty member for 22 years, returned to the university in 2022.

Tina Tootle

Tootle’s research looks at the connection between prostaglandins — molecules that help control pain, inflammation, heart health, and reproduction — and actin binding proteins, which help cells keep their shape and move. High levels of prostaglandins and actin binding proteins can be linked to aggressive cancers and bad outcomes for patients. Tootle’s research found that the way prostaglandins work in flies mirrors how they help cancer spread in humans. 

“Being an AAAS fellow is a major recognition of the value and importance of my scientific work,” Tootle says. “It is also a recognition of my mentoring — as much of the work being recognized was performed by trainees in my lab. As a first-generation college graduate, who started out not knowing anything about what it meant to be a scientist to getting a PhD, having a successful postdoc, landing a faculty job, and moving through faculty ranks, this honor is just another moment where I think how unexpected it is that I have made this accomplishment.”

Tootle joined Iowa’s faculty in 2009. 

Joshua Weiner

Weiner’s research focuses on how the brain develops, especially how groups of proteins called neuronal cell adhesion molecules help brain cells connect with each other. At Iowa, Weiner has studied a specific group of these proteins called clustered protocadherins. Mutations in the genes that encode these proteins have been linked to autism, schizophrenia, and brain degeneration. By studying how these molecules work and interact during brain development, Weiner hopes to lay the groundwork for new treatments for various brain disorders.

“Every scientist begins their career hoping to make an impact on their field, to add to our understanding of how the world works in a way that is useful,” Weiner says. “Being elected a fellow of the AAAS is a welcome affirmation that my work, and that of my many talented trainees, has done so, however modestly. I am very grateful for the opportunity to conduct this work at the University of Iowa, which has been a wonderful home for me that I am now honored to serve as part of outstanding leadership teams in both the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the Iowa Neuroscience Institute.”

Weiner joined Iowa’s faculty in 2004.