AAS Members Honored for Advancing Science

Seven AAS members have been honored by three eminent organizations for contributions to the advancement of astronomy, astrophysics, and planetary science.

National Academy of Sciences

Each year the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) elects new members in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. Election to the Academy is widely regarded as one of the highest honors that a scientist can receive. Among the 84 researchers elected in 2013 are the following AAS members:

• Michael E. Brown, Richard and Barbara Rosenberg Professor, Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
• Chryssa Kouveliotou, Astrophysicist and Senior Scientist for High-Energy Astrophysics, Science and Technology Office, NASA George C. Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
• Ramesh Narayan, Thomas Dudley Cabot Professor of the Natural Sciences, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.

American Academy of Arts and Sciences

One of the nation's most prestigious honorary societies,the American Academy of Arts and Sciences is also a leading center for independent policy research. Members contribute to Academy publications and studies of science and technology policy, energy and global security, social policy and American institutions, and the humanities, arts, and education. Three AAS members were recently elected to the Academy:

• Timothy M. Heckman, Dr. A. Hermann Pfund Professor, Director of the Center for Astrophysical Sciences, and Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md.
• Marc Kamionkowski, Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md.
• David W. Latham, Astrophysicist and Lecturer, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, Mass.

Franklin Institute

Founded in honor of one of America's first scientists, Benjamin Franklin, The Franklin Institute is one of the oldest and premier centers of science education and development in the country. The Franklin Institute Awards, given annually since 1874, are among the most prestigious science awards in the world, with winners recognized for their formidable and ground-breaking contributions to science. Recipient of the 2013 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Physics:

• Alexander Dalgarno, Phillips Professor of Astronomy, Emeritus, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.

Alex, who served as editor of the Astrophysical Journal Letters from 1973 to 2003, was cited "for his many fundamental contributions to the development of the field of molecular astrophysics, which led to a better understanding of interstellar space, including the giant molecular clouds that are the birthplaces of stars and planets."

Congratulations to all!