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Morgan State University announced this week that Vice President of Research Willie E. May had been selected to serve as President-Elect of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the Science family of journals. (Photo: Courtesy of Morgan State)
May is expected to begin his term immediately as president-elect before becoming President on Jan. 1, 2024, and holding that position for one year. In 2019, May was selected as an AAAS Fellow. “The members of the American Association for the Advancement of Science have made a great selection for the presidency of their organization with the election of Dr. Willie May. He is one of our nation’s top scientific minds and possesses the gravitas and thought leadership that will serve their organization well,” said David K. Wilson, president of Morgan State University. “I congratulate Dr. May on achieving such a prestigious leadership role with a national profile. His appointment will serve the scientific community well and is a great representation of the type of leaders we have on staff at Morgan.” This past December, three new fellows with Morgan State University ties were selected to join AAAS’ 50th Science and Technology Policy Fellowships class. Professor of Biology Christine Hohmann, Ph.D., was elected as a 2021 AAAS Fellow joining 563 other scientists, engineers, and innovators to receive the honor. In addition, members elected Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Ph.D., and Vassiliki Betty Smocovitis, Ph.D., to the AAAS Board of Directors. “We are thrilled to welcome Willie, Kathleen, and Betty to the AAAS Board. Their expertise will be invaluable as we advance scientific excellence, expand who can participate in the STEMM ecosystem, address mis- and disinformation, and provide historical context on the scientific enterprise to inform strategic thinking. We are confident that these strong leaders will help achieve our vision, especially as we celebrate our 175th anniversary and focus on igniting progress for the next 175 years,” said Sudip S. Parikh, Ph.D., chief executive officer of AAAS and executive publisher of the Science family of journals.