Election to the Academy is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer
On Wednesday, February 6, Charles M. Lieber was elected into the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), earning a rare academic hat trick: membership in all three National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.
This year, the NAE elected a total of 105 new members—87 national and 18 international. As of now, there are 2,309 U.S. members and 281 international members.
Becoming one of those two thousand members is not easy. According to the Academy's press release announcing this year's electees, membership honors engineering research, practice, or education and, in particular, "the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering."
A leader and pioneer in the field of nanoscience, co-founder of the journal Nanoletters, and inventor of ultrathin, ultraflexible neural probes to investigate and treat neurological disorders and disease, Lieber more than fits the criteria.
The academy specifically cited Lieber's "contributions at the intersection of nanoelectronics, materials design, and neuroscience" as his principal engineering accomplishments. He and the rest of the newly elected class will be formally inducted during a ceremony at the NAE's annual meeting in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 4.
