April 19, 2011

UCSB Faculty Members Named to American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Three faculty members from UC Santa Barbara have been elected fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. They include Glenn H. Fredrickson, professor of chemical engineering and of materials, and director of the campus's Mitsubishi Chemical Center for Advanced Materials; L. Gary Leal, the Warren and Katharine Schlinger Professor of Chemical Engineering; and Ann Taves, the Virgil Cordano, OFM, Professor of Catholic Studies.

Their selection bring to 28 the number of UCSB faculty members who have been elected fellows of the prestigious academy.

An independent policy research center, the academy is made up of scholars and practitioners from diverse fields, which enables the organization to conduct a wide range of interdisciplinary studies in public policy research. Its membership includes more than 250 Nobel Prize laureates and 60 Pulitzer Prize winners. The academy's research focuses on science and technology policy, global security, social policy and American institutions, the humanities, and education.

Among the 2011 class of scholars, scientists, writers, artists, and civic, corporate, and philanthropic leaders are recipients of the Nobel, Pulitzer, and Pritzker Prizes; the Turing Award; MacArthur and Guggenheim fellowships; and Kennedy Center Honors, Oscars, Grammy, and Golden Globe awards. They represent universities, museums, national laboratories, private research institutes, businesses, and foundations in 29 states and 11 countries.

"The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is one of the oldest learned societies in the country, and to be elected fellow is a most prestigious distinction," said UCSB Chancellor Henry T. Yang. "We are delighted that our three colleagues have received such a meaningful recognition from their peers, and we congratulate them on their outstanding achievement. Their exemplary commitment to research, to teaching, and to improving our society is a source of inspiration for us all."

Said Leslie Berlowitz, academy president and William T. Golden Chair: "It is a privilege to honor these men and women for their extraordinary individual accomplishments. The knowledge and expertise of our members give the Academy a unique capacity –– and responsibility –– to provide practical policy solutions to the pressing challenges of the day. We look forward to engaging our new members in this work."

This year's new fellows include veteran diplomat Edward Djerejian, former Congressional Budget Office Director Robert Reischauer, macroeconomist Monika Piazzesi, jazz icon Dave Brubeck, filmmaker Ken Burns, actors Daniel Day-Lewis and Sam Waterston, singer/songwriter Paul Simon, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Annette Gordon-Reed.

Scientists among the new fellows include astronomer Paul Butler, discoverer of over 330 planets; cancer researcher Clara Bloomfied, who proved that adult acute leukemia can be cured; public health specialist and former Mexican Minister of Health Julio Frenk; geographer Ellen Mosley-Thompson, who has led expeditions to Antarctica and Greenland; David Page, whose genome sequencing work has advanced understanding of human reproduction; theoretical computer scientist Avi Wigderson; and Nobel laureates Ei-Ichi Begish (chemistry) and H. David Politzer.

The academy also elected 16 Foreign Honorary Members from Argentina, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, Japan, Peru, Portugal, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. Among them are French poet Yves Bonnefoy; singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen; Pritzker Prize-winning architect Eduardo Souto de Moura; Nobel laureate writer Mario Vargas Llosa; and actress Helen Mirren.

Founded in 1780 by John Adams, James Bowdoin John Hancock, and other scholar-patriots, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences has elected as members and honorary members the finest and most influential leaders from each generation, including George Washington and Benjamin Franklin in the 18th century, Daniel Webster and Ralph Waldo Emerson in the 19th, and Albert Einstein and Winston Churchill in the 20th.

The academy will welcome this year's new class at its annual Induction Ceremony on October 1, at the academy's headquarters in Cambridge, Mass.

About UC Santa Barbara

The University of California, Santa Barbara is a leading research institution that also provides a comprehensive liberal arts learning experience. Our academic community of faculty, students, and staff is characterized by a culture of interdisciplinary collaboration that is responsive to the needs of our multicultural and global society. All of this takes place within a living and learning environment like no other, as we draw inspiration from the beauty and resources of our extraordinary location at the edge of the Pacific Ocean.