Peter Burns, the Henry Massman Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and director of Notre Dame’s Center for Sustainable Energy (ND Energy), has been elected by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) as a lifetime fellow.
AAAS is one of the world’s largest general scientific societies and publisher of the Science family of journals.
Burns is being honored for contributions to advancing actinide chemistry, geochemistry and mineralogy to improve the nuclear fuel cycle, manage nuclear waste and address environmental contamination. He has focused most of his research over the past decade on the solid-state chemistry, mineralogy and environmental chemistry of uranium, as well as the transuranic elements neptunium and plutonium.
“Anyone who looks at Peter’s research productivity over the last two decades will immediately recognize him as a creative powerhouse in his field,” said Diogo Bolster, Frank M. Freimann Professor of Hydrology and Henry Massman Chair of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences. “He has always distinguished himself as a role model and leader.”
The newest class of AAAS Fellows includes five faculty from the University of Notre Dame.
AAAS Fellows have been elected since 1874, and their ranks include scientists, engineers, and innovators such as Thomas Edison, W.E.B. Du Bois, Maria Mitchell, Steven Chu, Ellen Ochoa and Irwin M. Jacobs.
— Karla Cruise, Notre Dame Engineering