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National Academy of Sciences, U.S.

THE NATIONAL ACADEMY of Sciences (NAS) is an honorific society incorporated by the U.S. Congress and signed into law on March 3, 1863, with the mandate to “investigate, examine, experiment, and report upon any subject of science or art” when requested to do so by the government. The NAS advises policymakers and its private sponsors on technical matters, and promotes the advancement of science and its use for the public welfare. The NAS is one of four organizations that comprise the National Academies, which also include the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), the Institute of Medicine, and the National Research Council. The NAS organized the National Research Council in 1916, as its operational arm. The National Research Council is now the primary operating agency of the National Academy of Engineering and is administered by the NAS, the NAE, and the Institute of Medicine. Committee activities by the National Academy of Science in 2007 covered more than 20 focus areas, including Agriculture, Behavioral & Social Sciences, Chemistry, Computer & Technology, Earth Science, Energy & Energy Conservation, Environmental Issues, Health & Medicine, International Issues, Policy & Research, and Space.

Members

Current members elect new members of the NAS, like those of the NAE and the Institute of Medicine. Membership in the NAS is regarded as one of the highest tributes conferred in American science. More than 200 members have won the Nobel Prize. Annually, up to 72 members and 18 foreign associates may be elected to membership. With the election in 2007, the number of active members, each of whom is associated with one of 31 disciplines, stood at 2,025. The NAS also has approximately 350 foreign associates. In 2007, the NAS garnered attention for electing the lowest number of women elected to membership since 2001. Only nine women were inducted as new members, raising the total number of members who are women to approximately 10 percent.

The NAS espouses an ongoing commitment to the inclusion of women in leadership and decision-making and in access to grant-funding opportunities and fellowships. In 1994, NAS and the Royal Society of London issued a joint resolution in support of this commitment. According to the leadership of the NAS, the pace at which women are joining the institute may be attributed to the time needed for scientists to build credentials noteworthy enough for consideration for membership. In an effort to inspire an interest in science in middle-school-aged girls, the NAS actively supports the publication of Women's Adventures in Science, a biography series about contemporary women working in diverse scientific fields, and the series' companion website.

Awards

In addition to recognizing distinguished accomplishments by electing members to its own ranks, the NAS recognizes the work of other accomplished scientists by bestowing annual awards, currently 30 in number, in nine fields: Astronomy/Astrophysics, Behavioral/Social Sciences, Biology and Medicine, Chemistry, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Engineering and Applied Sciences, Mathematics and Computer Sciences, Physics, and a General category. Awards include the John J. Carty Award for the Advancement of Science, with an emphasis in ecology; the Arthur L. Day Prize and Lectureship, focusing on the physics of the Earth; the Public Welfare Medal, and the NAS Award for Scientific Reviewing, in the fields of social and political sciences; and the Public Welfare Medal. The Public Welfare Medal is awarded in honor of distinguished service in the application of science to the public good. Noted recipients include Gilbert White, in 2000, for educating members of the academic community and government institutions on water resource management, hazard mitigation, and environmental assessment; Carl Sagan, in 1994 for his ability to describe complex scientific theories in graspable language; and Herbert Hoover, in 1920 for the utilization of science in food conservation and distribution.

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