Three University of Arizona faculty members, spanning medical sciences, chemistry education, and geology and geography have been elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The honor, awarded annually by vote of the AAAS membership, recognizes researchers for sustained contributions to their fields.

The 2025 class of nearly 500 fellows was announced Thursday and includes the following U of A scientists, who will be celebrated at the annual Fellows forum in Washington D.C. on May 29. 

• Dr. Marvin Slepian, Regents Professor of medicine and biomedical engineering
• Valerie Trouet, professor, Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research
• Vicente Talanquer, University Distinguished Professor of chemistry and biochemistry

"This year's AAAS Fellows have demonstrated research excellence, made notable contributions to advance science, and delivered important services to their communities," said Sudip S. Parikh, AAAS chief executive officer and executive publisher of the Science family of journals. "These Fellows and their accomplishments validate the importance of investing in science and technology for the benefit of all."

This year's class brings the U of A's total number of elected fellows to 30.

Dr. Marvin Slepian

Slepian, a Regents Professor of medicine and biomedical engineering at the U of A and a member of the James E. Rogers College of Law faculty, is being recognized by the AAAS for "his distinguished contributions to biological, biomechanical, and device aspects of the field of cardiovascular bioengineering, to medical technology, and to intellectual property leadership." 

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Slepian's laboratory developed the first biodegradable coronary stent and pioneered a technique "arterial paving" – coating the blood vessel interior with a flexible polymer that props it open, shields the arterial wall, and delivers medication directly to the affected vessel wall. This prevents tissue regrowth after arterial widening as well as long-term fatty plaque accumulation. Slepian also developed a wide range of cardiovascular devices such as heart valves and co-developed the first FDA-approved total artificial heart, commercialized through SynCardia Systems, a company he founded. 

His current work includes studying the impact of physical forces such as shear and pressure on platelet activation and blood clot formation, and translational research efforts to improve blood-contacting devices. He has also pioneered wearable smart sensors that track not just steps, but the full range of how a person moves – data that, combined with artificial intelligence, can support remote patient monitoring and precision health applications. 

Slepian is the founder and director of the Arizona Center for Accelerated Biomedical Innovation, a university-wide center connecting faculty science with real-world clinical needs to drive translation and entrepreneurship. ACABI focuses on advancing research and application of Artificial Intelligence, safely and effectively, in education research and patient care. 

At ACABI, "we go around, find unmet needs, find science, and become a creativity engine, to innovate" Slepian said.

Slepian, who is also recognized for his contribution to intellectual property leadership, said earning a law degree was a natural extension of his scientific work. A holder of more than 100 patents, he was appointed to the Patent Public Advisory Committee of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 2023.

"You need science, medicine, and engineering to innovate," Slepian said, "but you also need law to operate."

Valerie Trouet

Trouet is a professor at the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research and a joint professor in the Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences and Geosciences departments, as well as in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment. AAAS has recognized Trouet for her "distinguished contributions to the fields of paleoclimatology, dendrochronology, climate change and science communication." 

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"It's really a sign of appreciation of your science and scientific integrity not just by your colleagues, but by the bigger scientific community," Trouet said.

Born and raised in Belgium, Trouet earned her master's in bioscience engineering from Ghent University in 1999 and her Ph.D. in bioscience engineering in 2004 from KU Leuven. Her master's thesis involved studying climate change using tree rings in Tanzania, which is when Trouet heard about tree-rings for the first time. 

"It's hard to describe the magical experience you get when you work with wood. When you look through the microscope, the patterns are so beautiful, and it's almost like a jigsaw puzzle when you try to match the patterns in different samples," Trouet said.

Trouet joined the U of A faculty in 2011 as an assistant professor of dendrochronology. Some of her current projects include studying forest fire history to inform prescribed burning and effective fire management and using an X-ray CT scanner to measure the density of tree-rings. Tropics have always been a region that's difficult for tree-ring research, Trouet said, which made her get involved in developing novel methods for dating tree-rings in the tropics. 

Trouet, who is also recognized for her contributions to science communication, is passionate about translating research to a broad audience. 

"The concept of tree-rings is so familiar among people that it lends itself very well to science communication and to reaching a wider audience," Trouet said. 

Vicente Talanquer

Talanquer is a University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, who transitioned from research in physical chemistry to chemistry education research after observing differences in teaching quality across educational settings. Talanquer is recognized by the AAAS for his "groundbreaking research on student reasoning in chemistry, revealing conceptual challenges and informing innovative curricular reforms that enhance teaching practices and improve student learning."

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"My area of research, chemistry education, is not pure chemistry – it is not uncommon for this kind of educational work to be viewed as less than traditional lab research. So, I'm glad to be recognized for this valid and important area of research," Talanquer said. 

Talanquer obtained his Ph.D. from the National Autonomous University of Mexico and subsequently completed a postdoctoral appointment at the University of Chicago. When he returned to Mexico after his postdoctoral studies, Talanquer became part of a team that wrote national textbooks for elementary schools across Mexico, an experience that Talanquer said was transformative for him. 

"I had the opportunity to interact with many teachers and students in this process. I realized the power that education can have in terms of changing and transforming the real world," Talanquer said. 

When Talanquer joined the U of A faculty as an associate professor of chemistry in 2000, the College of Science launched a new science teacher preparation program, which Talanquer helped develop and lead. The program prepared dozens of prospective teachers to implement evidence-based teaching strategies in secondary classrooms, Talanquer said.

Eventually, he fully switched his research projects from physical chemistry to chemistry education, mentoring several graduate students. One of his current projects involves using an interactive artificial intelligence tool to understand how best to support college students' reasoning in and with chemistry.

"Many problems we face today, such as global warming, are chemical in origin. If we want students to be able to understand and contribute to solving those issues, they must be able to think systemically using their chemical knowledge," Talanquer said.