Six MIT faculty members are among the 72 newly elected members and 18 foreign associates of the National Academy of Sciences in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.
Election to the NAS --Â a private organization of scientists and engineers dedicated to advancing science and its use for the general welfare --Â is considered a top honor for those in the science and engineering fields. Established in 1863, the NAS acts as an official advisor to the federal government, upon request, in any matter of science or technology.
The new NAS members from MIT are:
- Tyler Jacks, the David H. Koch Professor of Biology in the Department of Biology, and director of the David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT. Jacks is also a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator;
- John Joannopoulos, the Francis Wright David Professor of Physics in the Department of Physics, and director of the Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies;
- Monty Krieger, the Whitehead Professor of Molecular Genetics in the Department of Biology;
- Daniel Nocera, the Henry Dreyfus Professor of Energy and professor of chemistry in the Department of Chemistry;
- Gilbert Strang, professor of mathematics in the Department of Mathematics;
- Timothy Berners-Lee, the 3Com Founders Professor of Engineering in the School of Engineering and the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Berners-Lee is also director of the World Wide Web Consortium. Berners-Lee was elected as a foreign associate.
Today's election brings the total active number of NAS members to 2,150, with 404 active, non-voting foreign associates.
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on April 29, 2009 (download PDF).
