The National Academy of Sciences (NAS), one of America’s most prestigious societies of scholars engaged in science and engineering research, at the end of April announced its election of 72 members, six of whom are Berkeley researchers. They are: Alex Filippenko, professor of astronomy Robert Fischer, professor of plant and microbial biology (who earned his Ph.D. here in 1979) Sarah Hake, director of the USDA Plant Gene Expression Center and adjunct professor of plant and microbial biology Hiroshi Nikaido, professor of molecular and cell biology Christos Papadimitriou, professor of electrical engineering and computer sciences, and Mu-ming Poo, professor of molecular and cell biology Election to the academy is considered one of the highest honors that can be accorded a U.S. scientist or engineer. The academy is congressionally chartered, with an act of incorporation signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. Its members serve pro bono as “advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine.” The academy’s current president is atmospheric scientist Ralph Cicerone, a former chancellor of UC’s Irvine campus.
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS), one of America’s most prestigious societies of scholars engaged in science and engineering research, at the end of April announced its election of 72 members, six of whom are Berkeley researchers. They are: Alex Filippenko, professor of astronomy Robert Fischer, professor of plant and microbial biology (who earned his Ph.D. here in 1979) Sarah Hake, director of the USDA Plant Gene Expression Center and adjunct professor of plant and microbial biology Hiroshi Nikaido, professor of molecular and cell biology Christos Papadimitriou, professor of electrical engineering and computer sciences, and Mu-ming Poo, professor of molecular and cell biology Election to the academy is considered one of the highest honors that can be accorded a U.S. scientist or engineer. The academy is congressionally chartered, with an act of incorporation signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. Its members serve pro bono as “advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine.” The academy’s current president is atmospheric scientist Ralph Cicerone, a former chancellor of UC’s Irvine campus.