Five 天美影视传媒 researchers have been named AAAS Fellows, according to a . They are among 471 newly elected fellows from around the world, who are recognized for their 鈥渟cientifically and socially distinguished achievements鈥� in science and engineering. A tradition dating back to 1874, election as an AAAS Fellow is a lifetime honor. All fellows are expected to meet the commonly held standards of professional ethics and scientific integrity.

This year鈥檚 UW AAAS fellows are:

, professor of genome sciences in UW Medicine, was recognized for her distinguished contributions to the field of the evolution of tissue development by signaling pathways and to the training of junior scientists. She studies developmental biology, and her work focuses on the patterns and shapes that appear as an organism forms into a living creature composed of a variety of cell types and organs. Her laboratory models are fruit flies, and her investigations begin in the egg chamber and the laid egg. Among her research interests are cell signals and cell migration critical to development, and the evolution of these processes. In addition, new genomic technologies are enabling her research team to manipulate the timing and location of gene activity within developing fly cells. Berg and her team also have designed a system to obtain live imaging of some of the developmental events that take place. Among Berg鈥檚 overarching goals is to better understand the genetic and molecular dysfunctions that lead to prenatal malformations and other disorders. The hope, Berg says, is that basic research, over the long term, might lead to clinical diagnostics for risk factors and to evaluation of potential treatments. Berg鈥檚 course topics are wide-ranging, and include introductory biology, biomedical ethics and forensic genetics at crime scenes.

, the David R. M. Scott Endowed Professor in Forest Resources and professor of plant microbiology in the UW School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, was recognized for distinguished contributions to unraveling mechanisms by which microbes colonize plants, increase plant growth and yields in nutrient-limited conditions, increase water use efficiency and drought tolerance, and improve plant health. Her research is on the importance of the plant microbiome as a resource for nature-based solutions to environmental challenges including pollution, climate change and colonizing the moon. A UW faculty member since 2003, she has received several awards and honors including the Lockwood Endowed Professorship (2013-2021), Director鈥檚 Faculty Award for 鈥渆xemplary contributions to student mentoring鈥� and the Faculty Member of the Year award (2014). She serves on the executive teams of the International Poplar Commission (Co-Vice Chair, Environmental and Ecosystem Services) and the International Symbiosis Society (VP, Education). She holds an adjunct faculty appointment in the Department of Microbiology.

, professor of microbiology in UW Medicine, was recognized for his distinguished contributions to the field of microbial interactions, particularly with regard to unraveling mechanisms responsible for the formation of surface-attached communities called biofilms. Parsek explores the social biology of bacterial communities. One of his areas of investigation is quorum-sensing 鈥� how bacteria use signaling molecules to sense the presence of others of the same species. This communication system allows them to coordinate their behavior as a group. Another of his related fields of interest is biofilms. These are bacteria that produce an extracellular matrix to bind themselves together. The matrix protects the community and plays a role, for example, in resistance to antimicrobials and antibiotics and in the persistence of chronic infection. Parsek鈥檚 lab studies the composition of this matrix and how it is assembled. They are especially interested in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which lives in several different environmental niches, but is notorious for infecting the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients and for colonizing burn wounds and growing on implanted biomaterials. In recent work his lab looked at how these bacteria can sense surfaces. A UW faculty member since 2011, Parsek is a member of the American Academy of Microbiology and was named a Kavli fellow by the National Academy of Sciences.

, the Lloyd and Kay Chapman Endowed Chair for Oral Health in the UW School of Dentistry, was recognized for translating knowledge from the behavioral and social sciences to address the causes of children鈥檚 oral health inequities. In recent years Chi has studied why some parents reject fluoride for their children and worked with Yup鈥檌k communities to improve the oral health of Alaska Native children. In 2018 he was named Pediatric Dentist of the Year by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, and in 2025 he received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) from President Joe Biden. A member of the UW faculty since 2010, Chi is also the associate dean for research in the School of Dentistry and a professor of health systems and population health in the UW School of Public Health. He is editor-in-chief the International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry and treats patients at the Odessa Brown Children鈥檚 Clinic in Seattle.

, the Larry R. Dalton Endowed Chair in Chemistry and associate dean for research in the College of Arts & Sciences, is honored for his contributions to the development and application of time-dependent quantum theory and relativistic electronic structure theory, and for advancing educational pathways and diversity in STEM. Li conducts research at the intersection of physics, chemistry, materials science, mathematics and scientific computing, and he has developed widely used computational software. A UW faculty member since 2005, Li’s honors include a Sloan Research Fellowship, the NSF CAREER Award, the American Chemical Society Jack Simons Award in Theoretical Physical Chemistry and the UW Distinguished Teaching Award. He is a fellow of the American Physical Society (APS) and the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), a Lab Fellow at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and an elected member of the Washington State Academy of Sciences.

You and your dentist have a lot of tools and techniques for stopping cavities, but detecting the specific chemical conditions that can lead to cavities and then preventing them from ever getting started is much harder. Now, in a new , 天美影视传媒 researchers have shown that a dental tool they created can measure the acidity built up by the bacteria in plaque that leads to cavities.

The O-pH system is a prototype optical device that emits an LED light and measures the reactions of that light, the fluorescence, with an FDA-approved chemical dye applied to teeth. The O-pH then produces a numerical reading of the pH, or acidity, of the plaque covering those teeth. Knowing how acidic the plaque is can tell dentists and patients what area of a tooth is most at risk of developing a cavity.

鈥淧laque has a lot of bacteria that produce acid when they interact with the sugar in our food,鈥� said , lead author and a doctoral student in the UW Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering. 鈥淭his acid is what causes the corrosion of the tooth surface and eventually cavities. So, if we can capture information about the acidic activity, we can get an idea of how bacteria are growing in the dental biofilm, or plaque.鈥�

Sharma explained that not all bacteria in that biofilm are bad or will lead to cavities, so measuring the acidity of the environment can tell a dentist what they need to know about the threat of developing problems. That can limit the need to test for specific harmful bacteria, of which there can be a multitude.

To test their device, the researchers recruited 30 patients between the ages of 10 and 18, with a median age of 15, in the UW School of Dentistry鈥檚 . The researchers chose kids for their study in large part because the enamel on kids鈥� teeth is much thinner than that of adults, so getting early warning of acid erosion is even more important. To perform the measurements with the O-pH device, the researchers also recruited second- and third-year students in the dentistry school, who were supervised by a faculty member.

The test is non-invasive. While the dye is applied to the teeth, at the end of a length of cord is the probe that transmits and collects light while hovering over the surface of a tooth (see photos). The collected light travels back to a central box that provides a pH reading. The conditions on the patients鈥� teeth were read several times before and after sugar rinses and other condition changes, such as pre- and post-professional dental cleaning.

, senior author and research professor of mechanical engineering in the UW College of Engineering, said the idea for adding the acidity test as a new clinical procedure came from envisioning that when a patient first sits in the dental chair, before their teeth get cleaned, 鈥渁 dentist would rinse them with the tasteless fluorescent dye solution and then get their teeth optically scanned to look for high acid production areas where the enamel is getting demineralized.鈥�

The was published in February in IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering. The research team reported that one limitation to their study was being unable to consistently measure the same location on each tooth during each phase of testing. To address this limitation, in particular, the researchers are evolving their device to a version that produces images for dentists that instantly show the exact location of high acidity, where the next cavity may occur.

鈥淲e do need more results to show how effective it is for diagnosis, but it can definitely help us understand some of your oral health quantitatively,鈥� said Sharma. 鈥淚t can also help educate patients about the effects of sugar on the chemistry of plaque. We can show them, live, what happens, and that is an experience they鈥檒l remember and say, OK, fine, I need to cut down on sugar!鈥�

Co-authors include Lauren Lee, UW Department of Microbiology; Matthew Carson, UW Human Photonics Laboratory; David Park, Se An, Micah Bovenkamp, Jess Cayetano, Ian Berude, Zheng Xu, Alireza Sadr, UW School of Dentistry; and Shwetak Patel, UW Electrical & Computer Engineering and the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering. This research was funded by the National Science Foundation, Oral Health Monitor, Institute of Translational Health Sciences; and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health.

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For more information, contact Seibel at eseibel@uw.edu.

Twelve-year-old Samuel, who has cerebral palsy, is a huge soccer fan. As Yedlin entered the dental operatory room and said, 鈥淗i, buddy,鈥� Samuel broke into a huge smile that never dimmed.

鈥淚 knew him by his face,鈥� Samuel said, accepting a handshake and an autographed framed photo and cap from Yedlin, a speedy right back for Seattle鈥檚 Major League Soccer team.

鈥淲hen he first walked in, I鈥檓 like, 鈥楾hat looks like DeAndre.鈥� ”

After a brief conversation with Samuel about his soccer interests and Yedlin鈥檚 trademark game-day hair styles, and posing for photos, Yedlin said, 鈥淚鈥檓 glad I could do this for you. Glad you enjoyed this dentist appointment.鈥�

The idea for the surprise visit, which took place just before Thanksgiving, was hatched by Samuel鈥檚 dentist, third-year UW pediatric dental resident Jane Stieber, who enlisted the help of Linda Yedlin, administrator for the UW Department of Pediatric Dentistry and DeAndre鈥檚 grandmother.

Last spring, Stieber visited Yedlin鈥檚 office and noted the many newspaper photos of DeAndre, who recently came third in voting for MLS Rookie of the Year and made the MLS all-star team this year. Yedlin explained her connection to the Sounders鈥� first home-grown player and Stieber thought it would be great to have DeAndre and Samuel meet.

鈥淪amuel recently survived a roller-coaster orthodontic journey here at The Center with a great clinical outcome,鈥� said Stieber, who has been treating Samuel for two years, back when he was in braces. 鈥淗e lived in an orphanage in China until age 8 and has two adopted sisters from China with special needs who are treated by our dentists at Seattle Children鈥檚.鈥� The Center for Pediatric Dentistry is a partnership between the UW and Seattle Children鈥檚 hospital. It has particular expertise in treating children with special needs, including a clinic for children with autism.

The initial appointments were tough for Samuel, who 鈥渨anted to rip his braces off,鈥� said Stieber. When she found out Samuel loved soccer, she started reading up on the Sounders, hoping to earn his trust. Samuel became so comfortable with their conversations that he started correcting her 鈥渇acts.鈥�

The Knorr family 鈥� all of whom were in on the surprise for Samuel 鈥� includes parents Cheri and Gregg, and sisters Sarah, 9, and Hannah, 10. Brothers Joshua, also 12, and Andrew, 15. who are soccer players and Sounders fans in their own right, persuaded their mom to take them along to Samuel鈥檚 appointment.

Samuel has played in the TOPSoccer program, designed for children with disabilities. Now he plays FIFA video games daily.

鈥淚鈥檝e been working on this (surprise meeting) for months,鈥� said Stieber. 鈥淚t was perfect.鈥�

Everyone agreed.

鈥淚 can鈥檛 believe it,鈥� said Samuel as he left the exam room. 鈥淢y teacher is a Sounders fan. I can tell her I finally met a Sounders player.鈥�