Gould, Atchley to receive 2010-2011 Holladay Medal
Dr. Fred Gould, William Neal Reynolds Professor of entomology, and Dr. William R. Atchley, William Neal Reynolds Professor of genetics and statistics, have been named to receive the 2010-2011 Alexander Quarles Holladay Medal for Excellence, given in recognition of an outstanding career at N.C. State University.
The Holladay Medal is the highest honor bestowed on a faculty member by the trustees and the university.
Gould, whose research area is insect ecology and evolution, holds a 1971 bachelor’s degree in biology from Queen’s College, City University of New York, and a 1977 Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology from State University of New York at Stony Brook. He joined the faculty at N.C. State in 1978 after a year’s postdoctoral fellowship with the National Science Foundation.
The mission of Gould’s N.C. State University lab is to investigate the ecology and genetics of insect pests to better understand natural and human-induced evolution. The research group believes that this knowledge will contribute to improving food production and the health of humans and the environment. The lab has historically focused on pests of agricultural importance and uses diverse approaches, ranging from molecular analysis and ecological experiments to mathematical and computer modeling.
Among other honors in recognition of Gould’s achievements: In 2003 he was named a National Associate by the National Academies, a group comprising the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council. In 2004, he won the prestigious Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Award, presented annually to the person judged to have made the most significant contribution to American agriculture during the previous five years, in recognition of his work in transgenic pest management technology. And in 2007, he was awarded the first George Bugliarello Prize for writing from Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society, and its magazine American Scientist. Gould and his co-authors, Kristian Magori and Yunxin Huang, received the award for their article “Genetic Strategies for Controlling Mosquito-Borne Diseases.”
Atchley has served N.C. State for 25 years, after joining the faculty as head of the Department of Genetics in 1986. He has been a pioneer in the field of computational biology, which integrates theory and methodology from statistics, mathematics, computer sciences and molecular biology to solve complex biological problems. He is widely recognized as one of the founders of the fields of experimental systematics and developmental quantitative genetics.
Atchley is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and recipient of the Alexander von Humboldt Research Award from Germany. He was recently named a Distinguished International Professor at the Chinese Academy of Science.
The Holladay Medal is named for Col. Alexander Quarles Holladay, the university’s first president. It recognizes the contributions of faculty members in teaching, research and service. Winners receive a medal and a framed certificate, and their names are inscribed on a plaque in the N.C. State Faculty Senate chambers.
The purpose of this award is to recognize members of the faculty who over their careers have made outstanding contributions to the University through their achievements in research, teaching or extension/engagement. — Terri Leith
