Provost Daniel A. Wubah Elected Fellow of American Association for the Advancement of Science
Daniel A. Wubah, provost of Washington and Lee University, has been named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
AAAS fellows are elected by the association’s membership in honor of their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. Wubah is only the second Washington and Lee educator to be elected.
A member of AAAS’ Section on Education, Wubah was chosen for his outstanding contributions and leadership in improving undergraduate science education, undergraduate research, international education, and inclusion and diversity. He is among 401 fellows so honored this year.
“We congratulate Provost Wubah on this important recognition, well deserved for his extensive contributions to undergraduate science education and his commitment to inclusion and diversity,” said W&L President Ken Ruscio. “We take great pride in calling him one of our own and celebrate his latest achievement.”
Wubah joined Washington and Lee in 2013 from Virginia Tech, where he served as vice president for undergraduate education and deputy provost. He holds a B.S. with honors in botany and a diploma in science education from the University of Cape Coast in Ghana, an M.S. in biology from the University of Akron, and a Ph.D. in botany with specialization in anaerobic microbiology from the University of Georgia. He worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Research Laboratory in Athens, Georgia.
Wubah began his career in higher education in 1992 at Towson State University as assistant professor of biological sciences. In 2000, he moved to James Madison University as associate dean of the College of Science and Mathematics; in 2003 he was appointed special assistant to the president. While at JMU, he testified before the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology on how to prepare the STEM workforce for the 21st century. And he developed the Centennial Scholars Program, which provides access for students from under-represented or first-generation groups.
After serving as associate provost for undergraduate education and professor of zoology at the University of Florida from 2007 to 2009, he moved to Virginia Tech, where his accomplishments included the development of a vision plan for undergraduate education, an interdisciplinary program in real estate, and the first baccalaureate program in meteorology in Virginia. He also was the architect of the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes-funded undergraduate research program and the Signature Course program and led the establishment of an international journal on e-portfolios.
Wubah has published more than 50 peer-reviewed journal articles and reports. He has served on several review panels for state and federal agencies, such as the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health. He has received competitive grants totaling approximately $15 million from federal, state and private sources. During the past 12 years, he has been continuously funded by NSF to manage an international summer research program for undergraduates in Ghana. He has mentored 96 undergraduates and 12 graduate students.
AAAS began recognizing fellows in 1874. They are nominated by steering groups of the association’s 24 sections, any three fellow AAAS members, or the AAAS chief executive officer.
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