Two U professors have been elected into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Baldomero Olivera and Brenda Bass are two of the newest fellows elected to the AAAS. They are part of this year’s 230-person class, which includes other scholars, scientists and artists as well as civic, corporate and philanthropic leaders.
A native of the Philippines, Olivera has spent his career researching sea-dwelling cone snails that were sold in fish markets by the kilo in his hometown. The cone snail possesses paralyzing venom that shuts down the nervous system of its prey.
Olivera is being recognized for his work and involvement in the discovery of a new painkiller, derived from the venom of the cone snail. The new painkiller has just been approved for use and is used as an alternative to morphine for medical patients with severe pain.
“It’s quite an honor. I’m able to meet people who I wouldn’t otherwise meet,” Olivera said.
Bass, the U’s other electee to the academy, is a professor of biochemistry and has been involved in many notable discoveries, including her discovery of an RNA-editing enzyme.
Among other functions, RNA regulates genes in the nervous system. The editing enzyme helps carry out many functions in living organisms, particularly in the nervous system. By editing RNA, the information is relayed from a single gene and can be converted into a variety of proteins, which in turn help carry out various functions.
Bass does her research on tiny worms due to the simplicity of their nervous systems.
The AAAS awards “bring important recognition to the university,” Bass said.
“People in Utah don’t always know there is nationally and internationally recognized research going on at the U, and this validates that,” Olivera said.
Award recipients are nominated anonymously by a colleague in their field of work or study and are then voted on by other AAAS members.
Olivera and Bass will be inducted into the AAAS on Oct. 6 in a ceremony at the academy’s headquarters in Cambridge, Mass. Other inductees in this year’s class include Al Gore, Sandra Day O’Connor and Spike Lee.