National Academy of Sciences

03/17/2023

Krzysztof Matyjaszewski of Carnegie Mellon University has made transformative contributions to polymer that have shaped the field and have a wide range of commercial, biomedical, and environmental applications. We are thrilled to present him with the 2023 NAS Award in Chemical Sciences.

Matyjaszewski is globally recognized for his atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) technique, and he has become a scientific leader and inspiration to others as a mentor, author, and inventor. Read more about his impactful career: https://bit.ly/3Da73Q5

03/17/2023

NEW exhibit from Cultural Programs of the National Academy of Sciences (CPNAS): Come see "Blue Dreams," Rebecca Rutstein's immersive video installation now on display at the NAS Building, and be enchanted by the intricate workings of microbial networks in the deep sea and the sublimeness of the natural world.

Learn more: https://t.co/aalFYZYMcZ

03/16/2023

From discoveries of functional organization in the human brain to techniques to measure brain blood flow and metabolism, the recipients of the NAS Award in the Neurosciences have made landmark contributions to . This , learn about their discoveries and how they are impacting this ever-evolving field: http://bit.ly/3T9rSSt

03/16/2023

Margaret Washburn was a trailblazer for women in . She was the first American woman to earn a doctorate degree in the field and the second woman to serve as president of the American Psychological Association. In 1931, she became the second woman elected to the Academy. Read her memoir: http://bit.ly/3FeUUdz

03/16/2023

TOMORROW: Join the Gulf Research Program for their buzzworthy inaugural lecture on "Understanding the Relationship Between Genes and Behavior: Lessons from the Honey Bee," featuring and honey bee expert Gene Robinson.🐝

Register for the livestream: http://bit.ly/3Jwzr2A

03/15/2023

Using cutting-edge experimental and theoretical approaches, Tim Buschman of Princeton University has provided groundbreaking insights into the neural mechanisms of cognitive control, earning him a 2023 Troland Research Award.

Buschman's work is key to cognitive psychology models of working memory, attention, and goal-directed behavior, and he and his team are also making pioneering discoveries about principles of neural coding that underlie high-level cognition. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3H8h81k

03/15/2023

Brain-Computer Interfaces: Promises and Pitfalls

Imagine being able to control computers with nothing but your thoughts? Sounds like sci-fi, but brain-computer interfaces are already helping people with disabilities and enhancing our interactions with our built environment. Learn more with a deep dive from The Science and Entertainment Exchange: http://bit.ly/420vfiK

Want to attend our virtual events live? Sign up here to get invited to our next virtual eventhttp://scienceandentertainmentexchang... Recorded live on Zoom ...

03/14/2023

Celebrate and by learning about Julia Bowman Robinson, whose love of numbers and contributions to the negative solution of Hilbert's 10th Problem led her to become the first female mathematician elected to the Academy. Read her memoir: http://bit.ly/3yroBVd

03/14/2023

Happy 144th birthday to Albert Einstein! Come celebrate by visiting one of our most famous at the Albert Einstein Memorial on Constitution Ave in DC. Share your pictures with us on social media using to be featured on our accounts!

03/13/2023

Carol Barnes - Memory and the Aging Brain

"One of the greatest scientific puzzles is how the brain captures and preserves the unique experiences of each individual," says Carol Barnes.

Watch her talk on memory & the aging brain to celebrate : http://bit.ly/3ZEMQLp

April 27, 2019 - Changes in memory occur over the course of typical aging. More severe memory impairment is characteristic of age-associated neurodegenerativ...

03/13/2023

How can the scientific community become more trustworthy and rebuild public trust in ? NAS President Marcia McNutt will discuss answers to this question in a webinar on April 12, hosted by The Center for Advanced Study at Illinois.

Save the date and register here: https://cas.illinois.edu/node/2720

03/10/2023

Next on our memoir spotlights is Chien-Shiung Wu, an experimental nuclear physicist whose research with the beta decay process confirmed theories about what happens with energy and mass when atoms decompose. Read her memoir: http://bit.ly/3IH2tL8

03/10/2023

"We need to build moral outrage from every person on this globe to what's happening to the ocean."

Earlier this week, NAS President Marcia McNutt spoke at the G-Science Academy International Symposium about solutions to loss. Hear what she had to say.

The G-7 Science Academies have issued a call for action to their respective governments on protecting ocean , as well as improving decision-making and supporting the well-being of older people. Read the three joint statements here: http://bit.ly/3mChSoF

03/09/2023

Geoffrey W. Coates' discoveries have revolutionized polymer recycling, materials for green hydrogen generation, and the synthesis of sustainable plastics. That is why he is this year's recipient of the for the Industrial Application of Science.

Coates is known for discovering synthetic processes to make high-performance plastics from biorenewable resources, and he continues to in developing a novel multiblock polymer that could revolutionize the of plastic waste. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3iYDCcR Cornell University

03/08/2023

Florence R. Sabin

This , we are kicking off our memoir series with the first woman to be elected to the Academy, Florence R. Sabin.

Sabin was also the first woman to be a full professor at Johns Hopkins Medicine and the first woman president of the American Association for Anatomy.

Read her memoir: http://bit.ly/3Y716ex

03/07/2023

Catherine Hartley of Hartley Lab at NYU is one of our 2023 Troland Research Award recipients for her novel insights into changes in brain systems that support motivated learning and memory, which has expanded our understanding of the developing mind and brain.

Hartley has also conducted research on how we learn about threats and control threat reactions, with important implications for educational practices, understanding both adolescent risk-taking and the developmental emergence of psychopathology. Read more: https://bit.ly/3XStscw

03/06/2023

This March, we are celebrating by sharing a special collection of memoirs about women who have shaped American . Follow along throughout the month to be inspired by the biographies of these trailblazing : http://bit.ly/3ZtR9IV

03/03/2023

Kevan M. Shokat of UCSF is a pioneer of modern chemical biology, using innovative approaches to develop powerful molecular tools to advance basic knowledge and combat devastating diseases. We are honored to present him with the 2023 NAS Award for Scientific Discovery.

Among his many impacts is the discovery of inhibitors targeted to the commonly mutated oncogene K-Ras, which has led to a revolutionary new approach to that is already having a major medical impact. Read more about his work: https://bit.ly/3ZZRJ2u

03/02/2023

It's and we are excited to kick it off with a special note from NAS President Marcia McNutt on what a historic time it is to be a woman.

"I want to celebrate all women who have broken the mold, defied conventions and paved the way for the rest of us to follow."

03/01/2023

Amid and , Huaijun Zhou's livestock and poultry genome research has had a major impact on selection and breeding of food animals for production efficiency and disease resistance, earning him this year's NAS Prize in Food and Agriculture Sciences.

In addition, Zhou leads the USAID - US Agency for International Development-sponsored project Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Genomics to Improve Poultry UC Davis, serving as a mentor for next-generation scientists in areas of need in the U.S. and developing countries. Learn more about his impact: https://bit.ly/3kDdRiP

03/01/2023

NAS President Marcia McNutt to Speak at AAAS Annual Meeting; Several National Academies Projects Will Also Be Featured

This Friday at 10 AM ET, NAS President Marcia McNutt will speak at the 2023 AAAS - The American Association for the Advancement of Science Annual Meeting about the future of the enterprise and how it could be improved to meet the challenges of this century — as well as risks that may come with these changes.

Learn more and register:

National Academy of Sciences President Marcia McNutt will deliver a lecture on the future of the research enterprise this week at the AAAS Annual Meeting. The meeting will also feature sessions and presentations focused on National Academies reports and projects.

02/28/2023

As we close out , we are thrilled to spotlight our 2023 Public Welfare Medal recipient Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, a mathematician, educator and advocate who has transformed U.S. and increased cultural within the science workforce.

Among Hrabowski's greatest contributions to is his leadership in recasting UMBC into a top-tier research university and education center that has been the top producer of Black undergraduates who go on to earn PhDs in and for 15+ years.

Hrabowski started his advocacy work at a young age. At 12 years he old joined the historic Children’s March inspired by Martin Luther King Jr. and was among hundreds of children who were arrested as they marched for & opportunity — a cause that has shaped his career. In retirement, Hrabowski has remained engaged in advancing in science and engineering. As the inaugural American Council on Education Centennial Fellow, he focuses on how colleges and universities can ensure that all types of learners can access higher education and earn a degree.

Of Hrabowski's many contributions, NAS President Marcia McNutt has said, "Our entire science ecosystem is stronger because of his efforts, and our nation is reaping the benefits.”

Read more about his career and impact: https://bit.ly/3x0IT7j

02/27/2023

As we near the end of , we are looking back to celebrate the historic achievements of the first Black David H. Blackwell, a pioneering statistician who became a leading expert in .

Blackwell rose from poverty and struggled against the intense racial discrimination of the mid-1900s to earn his PhD in mathematics, win a fellowship to Princeton University's Institute for Advanced Study, and later become the head of the math department at Howard University.

While in Washington, he developed an interest in after attending a lecture by Meyer A. Girshick, and together they wrote the 1954 book, "The Theory of Games and Statistical Decisions," which established them as leaders in the emerging field of game theory. Blackwell's contributions to game theory include his analysis of bluffing as a poker strategy and his research on dueling. He also conducted seminal work on the mathematics of multistage decision-making that has been applied in and .

In addition to being the first African American elected to the National Academy of Sciences, Blackwell was also the first Black tenured professor at UC Berkeley, and a member of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (IMS) and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Read more about his trailblazing career here: https://bit.ly/3x0IT7j

02/27/2023

For his groundbreaking work in scanning probe, optical, and electron that has transformed understanding and , Harald F. Hess of Janelia Research Campus will receive this year's James Prize in Science and Technology Integration.

Fusing ideas from different scientific disciplines and industries, Hess has influenced and created new technologies, including forced evaporative cooling in magnetic traps and photo-activated localization microscopy (PALM). Read more about his prolific career: https://bit.ly/3wrcVRj

02/24/2023

National Academy of Sciences Day Prize Lecture Series with Lindy T. Elkins-Tanton

HAPPENING NOW: Watch live as Dr. Lindy Elkins-Tanton gives her first about NASA's Mission To Psyche at The University of New Mexico - UNM.

The NASA Psyche Mission: An Electric Journey to a Metal World=======“Psyche” is both the name of an asteroid in the main belt, orbiting out past Mars, and th...

02/24/2023

TODAY at 5:30 ET: Don't forget to tune into Dr. Lindy Elkins-Tanton's on NASA's Mission To Psyche, a metal-rich asteroid that may hold secrets to the evolution of our solar system. It's sure to be out of this world! Register here for the livestream: https://bit.ly/3DrxT6B

NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Arizona State University
The University of New Mexico - UNM

02/23/2023

Today for , we are highlighting the achievements of Tirin Moore, a visual neuroscientist who has helped transform our understanding of visual attention by grounding a causal link between motor control signals and the neural circuits of perception. Moore's work constitutes one of the most rigorous and focused body of work in the field of systems and cognitive neuroscience, and has been an important contribution to the clinical understanding of attention disorders such as .

Because of these neuroscientific advancements, Moore received the Academy's Troland Research Award in 2009 and Pradel Research Award in 2021. He is also a member of the . You can learn more about his work here: https://bit.ly/3x0IT7j

02/22/2023

A U.S. Vice President, Atmospheric Scientist, And Oceanographer - That’s Black History

Earlier this month, Dr. J. Marshall Shepherd co-moderated a discussion with Vice President Kamala Harris about . Read his reflection in Forbes on the significance of sharing the stage with other Black trailblazers for this important conversation during :

A Black U.S. Vice President, oceanographer and atmospheric scientist walked into a room. They talked about climate change. Why that is fitting this Black History Month.

02/22/2023

Through her pioneering research, Michelle Monje has fundamentally changed our view about the communication between neurons and glial cells in normal brain function and neurological disorders such as . Her contributions have earned her the 2023 Richard Lounsbery Award.

Monje's work has advanced understanding of the role of neuronal activity in physiological and pathological processes of brain development, maturation and oncogenesis, with a focus on pediatric brain tumors and treatment. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3wrg5Vb

02/21/2023

Continuing our spotlights with Karen Nelson, whose research has provided key insights into microbial evolution. Focusing on the human microbiome and its impact on and , Nelson is leading discoveries that may advance at large.

Nelson has played a role in several landmark achievements in microbial , including the completion of the first comprehensive metagenomic survey of the human gastrointestinal tract. Her research has focused on interactions between the human microbiome and various diseases. Nelson's discoveries have helped prompt a broader exploration of symbiotic relationships within the human body and how they affect human and disease, as well as an emphasis on the individuality of the patient to inform tailored approaches to treatment and .

Nelson also serves as editor-in-chief of the journal Microbial Ecology, and has been an advocate for increasing diversity within STEM careers. "There are many people out there with brilliant minds, and we need them all in the STEM field." Learn more: https://bit.ly/3x0IT7j

02/20/2023

This year, Kirk Bryan, Jr. of Princeton University and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory will receive the Alexander Agassiz Medal for his research that has advanced our understanding of the ocean's role in Earth's .

Bryan’s work has established the foundations for numerical modeling in ocean and , showing how the ocean works and its role in the earth climate system. Learn more about his research, which has influenced ocean and climate scientists worldwide, at the link in our bio.

02/17/2023

On March 6–8, the Third International Summit on Human Genome Editing will continue the global dialogue on the scientific, ethical, and governance issues surrounding somatic and germline human editing. The 2023 is hosted by the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, The Royal Society and TWAS - The World Academy of Sciences.

See the agenda and register: https://bit.ly/3XaQ9I6

02/16/2023

Jason S. McLellan of The University of Texas at Austin, recipient of the 2023 in Molecular Biology, has made exceptional contributions to and medicine through groundbreaking work on the and structure of viral glycoproteins as applied to vaccine antigen design.

By pioneering the use of atomic-resolution structures in vaccine design, McLellan's work has been instrumental to the development of vaccines against RSV and SARS-CoV-2 and is playing a key role in vaccine development for other pathogens. Read more: https://bit.ly/3Xu5GnF

02/15/2023

Know yourself to become a better leader

Are leaders born, or are they made? NAS President Marcia McNutt writes about the helpful role of personality profiling exercises in development for Elsevier, citing her own discoveries that helped her improve as a leader.

The president of the National Academy of Sciences shares how personality profiling exercises helped her understand her strengths and shortcomings to improve as a leader

02/15/2023

Olufunmilayo Olopade is our next spotlight for for her internationally renowned expertise in breast cancer and cancer risk assessment. Her work has advanced early detection, treatment, and prevention of in women at high risk for the disease. Through an individualized approach based on understanding of the altered genes in individual patients, Olopade has developed novel management strategies for the most aggressive forms of breast cancer.

Olopade is the recipient of numerous awards, including a 2005 MacArthur Foundation Fellowship or "Genius Grant," for translating findings on the molecular genetics of breast cancer in African and African-American women into innovative clinical practices in the U.S. and abroad. Olopade's impact on can be seen in her advancement of for diverse populations, with her discoveries leading to innovative approaches to democratize precision health care for all and reduce disparities. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3x0IT7j