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ROCKVILLE, MD- Dr. Deborah Delmer of The Rockefeller Foundation; Dr. Peter Quail of the University of California, Berkeley; and Dr. Jeffrey Bennetzen of the University of Georgia have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), the NAS announced April 20, 2004.
All three scientists are members of the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB), a non-profit science society representing nearly 6,000 scientists.
"The Academy has elected three outstanding members who have made extraordinary contributions to plant science," commented ASPB President Mary Lou Guerinot of Dartmouth College. Delmer, a past president of ASPB, is Associate Director, Food Security, The Rockefeller Foundation, New York City. In this position, she is science and policy advisor for research related to the advancement of agriculture in developing countries. Delmer was formerly Professor and Chair, Section of Plant Biology, University of California, Davis from 1997 to 2001. She was awarded a Ph.D. in Cellular Biology in 1968 from the University of California, San Diego. Her undergraduate degree is from Indiana University, 1964.
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"I was stunned! But pleased and honored to join such an outstanding group of scientists. I just never considered I would be a candidate," Delmer remarked after hearing of her election.
Quail is Research Director, Plant Gene Expression Center and Professor, Department of Plant & Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley (1989-present). He earned his Bachelor of Science in Agriculture in 1964 from the University of Sydney and his Ph.D. in 1968 from the University of Sydney.
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Quail noted that he was, "Thrilled and honored to be elected to the National Academy of Sciences. There is no greater honor than to be recognized by one's peers. I feel truly fortunate to have had such wonderfully talented students, postdocs and associates over the years who have contributed to the research that has made this possible. I am enormously proud of their achievements and wish to share this recognition with them."
Bennetzen is Norman Giles Professor of Genetics at the University of Georgia, Athens. He was Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, from 1991 to 2003.
Bennetzen earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry at the University of Washington in 1980. He earned his B.A. in Biology at the University of California, San Diego in 1974.
"This is a great honor that deserves to be shared with the outstanding students and other colleagues that have inspired and accomplished the research in my lab over the last 23 years," Bennetzen remarked.
The election was held the morning of April 20 during the business session of the 141st annual meeting of the Academy. Election to membership in the Academy is considered one of the highest honors that can be accorded a U.S. scientist or engineer. The Academy is a private organization of scientists and engineers dedicated to the furtherance of science and its use for the general welfare. The 72 members elected to the Academy April 20 bring the total number of active members to 1,949.