Johannes Schul, a professor of biological sciences at the University of Missouri, has been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Election as an AAAS Fellow is an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers. This year AAAS named 416 new Fellows in recognition of their extraordinary achievements in advancing science.

Schul was recognized for his accomplishments to both science and science education. The citation for his election reads “for distinguished contributions to animal behavior, as related to integrating evolutionary and mechanistic aspects of acoustic communication, and for substantial contributions to inclusive biology education.”

Schul’s research focuses on the evolution of acoustic communication in insects. Standing out among Schul’s scientific contributions to animal communication and behavior are his comparative studies of acoustic pattern discrimination and the evolution of female preferences in Neoconocephalus katydids. These exciting findings are based on the molecular phylogenetic analyses of this genus. Also noteworthy are his studies that identified the cellular and molecular mechanisms of change detection in the katydid hearing system.

Schul also has a distinguished record of excellence as a science educator. At MU, he has been involved in curricular changes aimed at making undergraduate courses both more reflective of modern biological science and of our nation’s diverse population. Beyond the classroom, he has been instrumental in establishing faculty learning communities focused on sharing evidence-based practices that promote inclusive classroom environments. His educational ideas have been supported by grants from the National Science Foundation, the Association of American Universities, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

The AAAS Fellows will be announced in the AAAS News & Notes section of the journal Science on Nov. 29. In addition, new Fellows will be honored during the 2019 AAAS Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 16. The Fellows will be presented with an official certificate and the AAAS Fellows’ gold and blue rosette pin, the colors of which represent the fields of science and engineering respectively.