President Emeritus Steadman Upham to be posthumously honored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
TU received notice in November that the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) will honor Upham in February as a fellow of the AAAS.
The former president’s colleagues at Ohio State, Penn State and the Field Museum of Natural History nominated him for the honor. They voted last February.
The accolade is awarded to a “member whose efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its applications are scientifically or socially distinguished.”
Upham worked in anthropology before entering the field of academic administration. The AAAS honors him with this award based on his contributions in anthropology.
He earned his Ph.D in anthropology from Arizona State University in 1980. Following that, he held positions including chief archaeologist and tenured professor of archeology at New Mexico State University before leaving for the University of Oregon in 1990.
While president at TU, he concurrently held the position of professor in the anthropology department.
Upham widely published in the field of archaeology. He wrote and helped edit 10 books and over 75 journal articles.
Current president Gerard Clancy said of Upham and the award: “his contributions to scientific fields will be forever remembered thanks, in part, to this significant distinction.”
Former president Upham’s family will accept the award in his honor next month at the AAAS Fellows Forum.