University of Georgia zooarchaeology professor Elizabeth J. Reitz has been named to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, joining the ranks of world's most accomplished leaders from academia, business, public affairs, the humanities and the arts.

Members of the 2014 class, which includes winners of the Nobel Prize, MacArthur, Guggenheim and Fulbright fellowships and Grammy, Emmy, Oscar and Tony awards, will be inducted at a ceremony Oct. 11 at the academy's headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

"I was very pleased to learn of Dr. Reitz's election as a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences," said UGA President Jere W. Morehead. "This significant recognition reflects her outstanding academic career and the high regard her colleagues have for her."

"Dr. Reitz's induction into one of the nation's oldest and most respected honor societies is an indication of the remarkable impact of her scholarship," said Pamela Whitten, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. "The University of Georgia is fortunate to have faculty of her caliber advancing the scope of human knowledge and seeking solutions to some of society's most challenging issues."

One of the nation's most prestigious honorary societies, the academy is also a leading center for independent policy research. Members contribute to academy publications and studies of science and technology policy, energy and global security, social policy, American institutions, the humanities, arts and education.

A professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences department of anthropology, Reitz is a zooarchaeologist who focuses on Latin American and southeastern archaeology with an emphasis on ecological and environmental archaeology. She serves as curator of the Zooarchaeology Laboratory in the Georgia Museum of Natural History, which maintains a comparative skeletal collection of more than 4,000 modern vertebrate and invertebrate specimens from Georgia, the southeastern U.S. and adjacent coastal waters.

"I'm totally amazed at this unexpected honor, grateful to my colleagues for conferring it upon me and thankful to my colleagues who have contributed to my career by supporting my research and my students," Reitz said. "In particular, I'd like to thank all of the students who have worked in the Zooarchaeology Laboratory. Their hard work really is the basis for any recognition that I receive."

A full list of new members is located at https://www.amacad.org/members.aspx. A history of the academy and past members can be found at www.amacad.org.

For more information on Reitz's Zooarchaeology Laboratory, see http://anthropology.uga.edu/about/research_labs/zooarchaeology_lab/.