By Matthew Makowski
Edward Aboufadel has been named a Fellow by the American Association of the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for his contributions to the advancement of science or its applications. Aboufadel is the first Grand Valley State University faculty member to be named an AAAS Fellow.
“My initial reaction to receiving this award was one of pleasant surprise, because I was not aware that I was a nominee,” said Aboufadel, assistant vice president for Academic Affairs and professor of mathematics.
Aboufadel has been a member of AAAS since 1987, serving in a variety of roles, including secretary, an officer in the Mathematics Section of the organization, and task force chair.
Beyond his work with the AAAS, Aboufadel said he takes pride in his on-going program of scholarship in applied mathematics during his more than 20 years at Grand Valley. Much of his work has consisted of conducting research with undergraduate students. Some of his projects have included mathematically-based 3D printing designs, hiding messages in images, and the analysis of pollution in river systems using subway-like maps.
Aboufadel said he is most proud of a project through which he and two of his students helped develop an app called Street Bump. The app uses a wavelet-based algorithm to detect potholes within the city of Boston. Aboufadel and his students received a prize from the city for their work.
