Carol Burns Selected 2008 AAAS Fellow

This Just In: Another Woman Chemist Does Good at LANL

Chemistry Division's Carol Burns has been selected as a 2008 Fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Carol is the Group Leader for the Nuclear and Radiochemistry Group. She is being honored for her contributions to the field of actinide science and to the understanding of actinide metal-ligand multiple bonds. Selection as Fellow in the AAAS is a high honor, and only one other scientist was chosen in 2008 from Los Alamos.

Carol has long been recognized as a national and international leader in actinide chemistry, one whose research is followed and respected by the actinide chemistry community. According to colleagues, she is largely responsible for the current understanding of organoactinide complexes containing metal-ligand multiple bonds. They also state that her work has changed the way the scientific community thinks about the chemistry of the light actinides. The breadth and depth of her accomplishments can be seen by her numerous professional publications, invitations to contribute to prestigious monographs and review articles, and plenary lectures at international conferences in the field.

Her scientific achievements have been paralleled by her dedication to the Laboratory. She has worked to further Laboratory programs in a wide variety of areas, and she has mentored many young researchers who have themselves gone on to significant scientific achievements. She served time as a Senior Policy Analyst in the Office of Science and Technology Policy working in the area of national security, and has also testified before Congress on the potential national impact of the decreasing number of American young people who are choosing radiochemistry as a career. Her work as mentor, educator, and advocate has made her a nationally recognized expert in science education as well. In recent years she has emerged as a spokesperson for the Laboratory's nuclear forensics mission, in particular the challenges that mission faces in a time of diminished funding in the nuclear arena.

On being selected as an AAAS Fellow, Carol says, “I am extremely honored that my colleagues chose to nominate me and that the Society selected me. I think the Society has a very important role to play at the cusp of science and politics; it champions science in the political dialog and informs science policy. This involvement is important at a time when we must communicate the broader value of the national laboratories within a changing national security framework.” She has been a society member for over ten years.

In the words of one of her colleagues, “Carol's scientific accomplishments have won international recognition for her and LANL...she is one of our best, brightest, and most productive.”

For more on the American Society for the Advancement of Science, see http://www.aaas.org/