Two UW-Madison faculty members were elected into the National Academy of Sciences Tuesday, joining 46 other UW faculty who are active members in the NAS.
Geneticist John F. Doebly and physicist Willy Haeberli were elected at the 139th annual meeting of the academy, of which there are 1,907 active members. Election to the academy is considered one of the highest honors awarded to scientists.
Doebly, a genetics professor at UW since 1999, studies the genetic evolution of corn. He has been instrumental in identifying teosinte, the corn’s ancestor, and has identified five major gene regions that have enabled teosinte to evolve into one of the world’s most important crops.
Haeberli, a native of Switzerland and UW faculty member since 1956, is an authority in the area of nuclear polarization, which help in the understanding of nuclear physics. Haeberli is known for pioneering the use of polarized beams to gain new insight into nuclear interactions.
The National Academy of Sciences is a private organization of scientists and engineers dedicated to the furtherance of science and its use for the general welfare. Doebly said entrance into the NAS is a dream come true.
“It was a surprise,” he said. “I’m totally shocked. I think anyone in this situation would be. Gaining entrance into the academy means you’ve gotten recognition from your colleagues. It’s very rewarding.”
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences also inducted two members from UW into their ranks.
Virginia Sapiro, professor of political science and women’s studies, is an authority on gender, political participation and public opinion. She has been a member of UW faculty since 1976 and is the former director of the American National Election Studies.
Yi-Fu Tuan has been at UW since 1983 and has written on subjects such as aesthetics, nature and the symbolism of American urban landscape.
The Academy was founded in 1780 and is an international learned society composed of the world’s leading scientists, scholars, artists, business people and public leaders.
