Seventy-two new members and 18 foreign associates from 12 countries were elected to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in recognition of their achievements in original research. The elections were held during a business meeting today during the academy's 44th annual meeting.

The new members include: Mario H.Acuña, senior astrophysicist and project scientist, International Solar Terrestrial Physics Program, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; David Aswshalom, a professor of physics and electrical and computer engineering at the University of California, Santa Barbara; Moungi G. Bawendi, a chemistry professor and Keck Professor of Energy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and Gerald Gabrielse, a physic professor at Harvard University.

Also: Allen M. Goldman; Institute of Technology physics professor and head of the School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota, Minn.; William L. Johnson; professor of materials science, engineering and applied science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena; Albert J. Libchaber, physics professor, Rockefeller University, New York City; Clifford Will, physics professor at Washington University, St. Louis; Mark B. Wise; professor of high-energy physics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena; Sumio Iijima, professor of materials science and engineering, Meijo University, Nagoya, Japan; Aizhen Li, Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai; and Simon D.M. White, director, Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, Garching, Germany.

The total number of active members is now 2025, with 387 foreign associates, nonvoting members with citizenship outside the US.

The NAS is a private organization of scientists and engineers established in 1863 by a congressional act of incorporation signed by Abraham Lincoln as an official adviser to the federal government in science and technology matters.

For the complete list of new members, visit: www.national-academies.org