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May 1, 2008
Córdova elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - |
The Academy, one of the nation's oldest honorary societies and independent policy research centers, draws its members from the sciences, arts and humanities, business, public affairs and the nonprofit sector. This year, 190 new fellows and 22 foreign honorary members were elected. An induction ceremony for the new class will be held Oct. 11 at the Academy's headquarters in Cambridge, Mass.
Other 2008 fellows include Henry Smith, the father of X-ray lithography, and astronomer Adam Riess, who contributed to the discovery of dark energy in the universe. U.S. Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice John Paul Stevens, Academy Award-winning filmmakers Ethan and Joel Coen and former eBay CEO Margaret Whitman also were elected this year.
Leslie Berlowitz, chief executive officer and William T. Golden Chair of the Academy, said this year's fellows represent the spirit of the Academy's mission to be good stewards of public welfare.
“For 228 years, the Academy has served the public good by convening leading thinkers and doers from diverse perspectives to examine and provide practical policy solutions to the pressing issues of the day,” Berlowitz said. “I am confident that this distinguished class of new members will continue that tradition.”
Córdova, Purdue's 11th president, was elected along with five other fellows nationwide in the "Educational, Scientific, Cultural and Philanthropic Administration," nonprofit section of the public affairs, business and administration category.
Prior to joining Purdue, Córdova served as chancellor at the University of California Riverside from 2002-07. An internationally recognized astrophysicist, Córdova also has taught physics and astronomy in the UC system and served as vice chancellor for research at UC Santa Barbara. She was chief scientist at NASA from 1993-96, serving as the primary scientific adviser to the NASA administrator and the principal interface between NASA headquarters and the broader scientific community.
Córdova headed the department of astronomy and astrophysics at Pennsylvania State University from 1989-93. She was a member of the staff of the Space Astronomy and Astrophysics Group at the Los Alamos National Laboratory from 1979-89, where she also served as deputy group leader.
Faculty members from Purdue who are active members of the Academy include Albert Overhauser, Stuart Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Physics, and Michael Rossmann, the Hanley Professor of Biological Sciences. Overhauser was elected to the Academy in 1977. Rossmann was elected in 1978.
Founded in 1780 by John Adams, James Bowdoin, John Hancock and other scholar-patriots, the Academy has elected as members influential leaders from each generation, including George Washington and Benjamin Franklin in the 18th century, Daniel Webster and Ralph Waldo Emerson in the 19th century, and Albert Einstein and Winston Churchill in the 20th century. The current membership includes some 200 Nobel laureates and more than 60 Pulitzer Prize winners.
The Academy's membership encompasses 4,000 fellows and 600 foreign honorary members and reflects nearly every discipline, including mathematics, the physical and biological sciences, medicine, the social sciences and humanities, business, government, public affairs and the arts.
Writer: Tanya Brown, (765) 494-2079, tanyabrown@purdue.edu
Source: Joseph L. Bennett, (765) 494-2082, jlbennett@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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