EUGENE, Ore. -- (Dec. 19, 2008) -- Patrick J. Bartlein, professor of geography at the University of Oregon, is among 486 members of the American Association for the Advancement of Science chosen by peers for the distinction of AAAS Fellow.

The honor recognizes a person's scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. Bartlein was cited for his "major research contributions involving modeling and visualization of synoptic climatic and vegetation dynamics, including feedback effects, across timescales ranging from recent to geologic."

Bartlein, who was born in Wisconsin, joined the UO faculty in 1982. He earned his bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees in geography from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

New Fellows will be presented with an official certificate and a gold-and-blue rosette pin at the AAAS Fellows Forum on Feb. 14 during the 2009 AAAS Annual Meeting in Chicago. This year's fellows, who also include four other scientists from Oregon institutions, were announced in the Dec. 19 issue of the journal Science. The tradition of AAAS Fellows began in 1874.

The non-profit AAAS is the world's largest general scientific society, and publisher of the journal Science The organization was founded in 1848, and includes some 262 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals.

The other Fellows from the state are Dawn J. Wright and Steven H. Strauss, both of Oregon State University, and Paul Brehm and Robert M. Liskay, both of Oregon Health and Sciences University.