Binghamton University alumnus Natasha Jonoska has been named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), providing recognition for the value of her work. The AAAS is the world’s largest general scientific society, with over 120,000 members.

The honor is very prestigious, according to Gary James, a BU professor of anthropology, nursing and bioengineering, who was made a fellow in 2009.

“Only 5 percent or so are elected to fellow status,” James said. “It is a nice honor to have. It [means] a lot to know that scientific efforts have been recognized by my peers.”

Jonoska earned her Ph.D. in mathematical sciences from BU in 1993. She was awarded the USF Presidential Excellence Award in 2003 and named DNA Computer Scientist of the Year at the 13th International Meeting on DNA Computing and Molecular Programming. She has been a member of the AAAS since 1997.

“It keeps the community current on scientific advances,” Jonoska said. “It provides communication between scientists and the larger community, provides communication between scientists and the legislature and affects governmental policies and government guidelines.”

Jonoska was honored specifically for her advancements in understanding processing in molecular self-assembly. Molecular self-assembly describes the phenomenon where molecules form a defined arrangement pattern naturally, without any manipulation from an outside source.

She describes this occurrence as micro-building blocks forming structures with a natural, biological purpose. She then designs models to map and and predict possible patterns and structures.

“The question is what type of structures can be made out of these blocks, how can you recognize them and can you actually use any algorithmic or computational modeling with such materials,” Jonoska said.

Tom Head, a retired BU mathematics professor, was Jonoska’s adviser when she attended the University. Jonoska said that Head had a profound effect on her academic interests and career choices.

“He has been an amazing father figure for me because he was the one who actually introduced biology to me,” Jonoska said. “I don’t think I could have been anywhere close to this without him.”

Jonoska said she was happy that her work was recognized by the organization and that the honor was unexpected.

“It is very unusual for a mathematician to be recognized; bio-medical sciences are recognized most of the time,” Jonoska said. “So, being a statistician and mathematician and being recognized as a fellow is really something that is special to me.”