Tech geosciences professor awarded fellowship
Out of the 10 million members of AAAS, only 471 were elected to be fellows from this premier scientific organization.
"I knew nothing about my nomination, so when I got a letter from the AAAS president, I was very surprised," Hochella said, adding that he was also humbled because he views AAAS as the most important scientific association.
Three current fellows nominate all future fellows, the CEO of the organization, or a member of the award's steering committee.
"What's interesting about this award is it's really bestowed between peers, so it's a way that scientists and other professionals in the scientific and engineering community can acknowledge each other's achievements," said Molly McElroy, communications officer at AAAS.
Robert Bodnar, a geochemistry professor and current fellow of AAAS, nominated Hochella after working with him for about 19 years.
"I recognized that Mike was deserving, so I nominated him and solicited support letters from colleagues around the country," Bodnar said. "He was the only person from Tech selected this year to become a fellow of AAAS. That's not only a great honor for him; it's a great honor for the Department of Geosciences and the College of Science and for Virginia Tech in general."
One of the reasons Hochella was considered worthy of fellowship was his extensive, often pioneering research.
"He was one of the first people to apply atomic-force microscopy to look at geological samples to understand what's going on at the atomic level in minerals," Bodnar said. "He is one of the very first people to combine biology and geochemistry and look at things at the atomic and nano scale."
Hochella has applied his research to various aspects of the mineralogy and earth science fields. Environmental issues have always been a focus for him. In fact, his personal most prized research finding deals with "how environmental contaminants are transported and distributed around the planet."
Hochella received his bachelor's and master's degrees at Tech and started participating in research as a master's student in 1975. After earning his Ph.D. at Stanford University in 1981 and starting a teaching career there, he returned to his alma mater in 1992 to indulge in his love of instructing.
"I love Virginia Tech because it gives me the opportunity to do world-class research, but also really wonderful teaching opportunities are here," Hochella said. "I teach both advanced graduate classes all the way down to basic undergraduate classes, and I love to teach freshmen and sophomores. I think the freshmen and sophomores at this university are very special."
Hochella has nearly 130 published articles in at least 20 scientific journals. He is one of the three co-founding editors of the international magazine "Elements," which deals with geochemistry, mineralogy and petrology. "Elements" began in 2005 and already has a continuously growing circulation of over 10,000. He has also received up to $12 million in funding for his research projects, mostly from the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy.
Hochella will be recognized for his fellowship at the annual AAAS meeting next February in Boston. All newly elected fellows receive a pin and certificate, but McElroy said these are merely symbols of their achievement.
"The pins that we give them and the certificates — that's really just a token," McElroy said. "It's really the recognition from their peers that is the most meaningful. It's great to hear from the actual fellows when they hear of their award. They say it's a pinnacle achievement for many of them."
