Three UCLA professors elected to National Academy of Sciences
By Allison Ong
April 29, 2015 3:49 p.m.
The National Academy of Sciences elected three UCLA professors to its organization Tuesday.
The UCLA inductees, coming from the disciplines of microbiology and immunology, chemical engineering and geography, are three of 84 members elected to the academy this year.
James Liao, Glen MacDonald and Jeffrey Miller were inducted into the academy. The University of California now has 584 NAS members in the system. As of 2014, more than 50 UCLA faculty have become members of the NAS.
Liao, chair of the chemical and biomolecular engineering department at UCLA, researches metabolic engineering, harnessing the biological processes of microorganisms to produce fuels and chemicals for human use, according to his website. He has also developed methods to turn electricity into liquid fuel, according to an article by UCLA Engineering.
Miller is the director of the California NanoSystems Institute and a microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics professor. While his lab at CNSI studies bacterial function and evolution, his Miller Lab at UCLA has conducted protein music research, which aims to convert protein sequences into musical notes.
The research wants to make genomic coding sequences more approachable for people such as young children and vision-impaired scientists by turning codon sequences into rhythm and amino acids into three-note chords, the Miller Lab website said.
As a former director of the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, MacDonald researches environmental issues such as climate change and its impact on California coastal marshes. He has also studied water resources in western North America global semi-arid regions, according to his website.
NAS advises the United States government through sub-organizations such as the National Research Council. The council enlists scientific and engineering professionals to produce reports on topics such as health, technology, education and international welfare.
“Our mission is to provide evidence-based advice to inform policymakers so that they have the information necessary to take on the challenges we take on as a nation and globally as well,” said William Kearney, an academy spokesperson.
In total, the NAS has about 2,250 members and 440 foreign associates, or non-U.S. citizens who cannot vote in academy proceedings. The election process begins when an academy member formally nominates a person. After a vetting process, the academy votes on members at its annual April meeting.
Compiled by Allison Ong, Bruin contributor.
