Three faculty elected to the NAE

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - February 8, 2008 -- Three faculty from the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Barbara Grosz, Frans Spaepen, and Zhigang Suo, have been elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). They are among 65 new members elected to the NAE in 2008.

Election to the National Academy of Engineering is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer. Academy membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to "engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature," and to the "pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education."

Barbara Grosz, Higgins Professor of Natural Sciences and Interim Dean of the Radcliffe Institute, is a pioneer in the field of artificial intelligence and human computer interaction. As a mentor, teacher, and administrator she has also has remained ever-vigilant in finding ways to increase the participation of women in all areas of the sciences and research.

Frans Spaepen, John C. and Helen F. Franklin Professor and Director of the Rowland Institute at Harvard, researches a wide range of experimental and theoretical topics in materials science. He is one of the most active scientific collaborators at Harvard, has led numerous academic societies such as the Materials Research Society, and is currently the co-editor of Solid State Physics and Principal editor of the Journal of Materials Research.

Zhigang Suo, Allen E. and Marilyn M. Puckett Professor of Mechanics and Materials, studies small materials structures and the mechanics of nanofabrication, self-assembly, and durability. A paper he co-authored with his once mentor John Hutchinson, "Mixed-mode cracking in layered materials," is among the 10 most-cited papers in the field of engineering in the past decade. At SEAS Zhigang has played an active role in curricular development and in building a stronger student community.

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About the Faculty National Academy of Engineering (NAE)
Founded in 1964, the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) provides engineering leadership in service to the nation. The NAE operates under the same congressional act of incorporation that established the National Academy of Sciences, signed in 1863 by President Lincoln. Under this charter the NAE is directed "whenever called upon by any department or agency of the government, to investigate, examine, experiment, and report upon any subject of science or art."