Ann Arbor, MI — November 29, 2012 — Two University of Michigan School of Dentistry educators and researchers — Dr. David Kohn and Dr. Jacques Nör — have been named Fellows by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. 

They and 700 others were recognized for their efforts to advance science or its applications.  An announcement of their election as AAAS Fellows will appear in tomorrow’s edition of the journal Science in its News & Notes section.  Election as an AAAS Fellow is an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers.

David Kohn

Dr. David Kohn is a professor of dentistry in the Department of Biologic and Materials Sciences at the School of Dentistry and a professor of biomedical engineering at the College of Engineering. 

He was honored for his contributions to biomaterials and biomechanics, specifically, research that focuses on understanding biomineralization and the dynamics of bone growth and adaptation.  Kohn’s work seeks to understand the physical, chemical, and biological factors behind bone formation with the goal of mimicking those factors in a controlled manner in a laboratory or clinical setting.

Jacques Nör

Dr. Jacques Nör is the Donald Kerr professor of dentistry in the Department of Cariology, Restorative Sciences, and Endodontics.  He is also a professor of biomedical engineering at the U-M College of Engineering and a professor of otolaryngology at the U-M Medical School

He was recognized for his pioneering research in vascular biology as it pertains to tumor neovascularization and therapy, as well his work in stem cell biology and dental pulp regeneration.

Nör’s research focuses on the biology of stem cells in head and neck cancer and in dental pulp tissue repair and regeneration.  He recently discovered mechanisms where dental pulp stem cells differentiate in vascular endothelial cells which could have an important impact in the emerging field of regenerative endodontics.

AAAS Fellow designation began in 1874.  Members can be considered if nominated by the steering groups of the Association’s 24 sections, or by any three Fellows who are current AAAS members, or by the AAAS chief executive officer. 

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the world’s largest general scientific society, and publisher of the journal, Science (www.sciencemag.org) as well as Science Translational Medicine (www.sciencetranslationalmedicine.org) and Science Signaling (www.sciencesignaling.org). AAAS was founded in 1848, and includes 261 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. Sciencehas the largest paid circulation of any peer-reviewed general science journal in the world, with an estimated total readership of 1 million. The non-profit AAAS (www.aaas.org) is open to all and fulfills its mission to “advance science and serve society” through initiatives in science policy, international programs, science education, and more. For the latest research news, log onto EurekAlert!, www.eurekalert.org, the premier science-news Web site, a service of AAAS.