A former Salmon Arm student is gaining more attention for his work with viruses.

Michael Worobey, now a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Arizona in Tucson, is being honoured by Simon Fraser University.

On Oct. 13, Worobey will be presented with the 2009 Sterling Prize in Support of Controversy.

The award was established in 1993 to honour work which challenges complacency and provokes controversy or contributes to its understanding. Along with receiving the award, Worobey will present a Sterling Prize lecture entitled: “Plotting a course through controversy: A search for the origins of HIV.”

Contacted in Tucson, Worobey said he’s happy – and a little surprised – to have been chosen.

“When I first heard from my old mentor that there was this prize for doing controversial stuff, I thought he was kidding but it turns out it’s the real thing.”

Worobey, leading a team of scientists, has been recognized for doing groundbreaking work on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). His research discovered that the virus moved from Africa to Haiti and on to the United States, and made the transfer years earlier than was originally considered.

It showed the virus can simmer regionally for long periods without being noticed and is poorly transmitted, so it isn’t as powerful as it may seem.

The research, carried out over a few years, involved analysis of blood samples collected in the early 1980s from Haitian HIV/AIDS patients in Miami.

His findings prompted some accusations of racism, but in response he told the Observer that HIV research often understandably sparks strong feelings.

“I think when the dust settles on this, everyone will see it has a lot of value for everyone afflicted with HIV and AIDS. It’s us against the viruses, not us against each other,” he said in 2007.