The National Academy of Engineering recently announced the election of 84 new members. The new members bring the total number of U.S. members to 2,281. The new members will be inducted in a ceremony in Washington, D.C., on October 8.
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.”
The academy does not disclose the racial makeup of its membership, but past JBHE research has shown that Blacks make up about one percent of the members. According to an analysis of the new membership list by JBHE, it appears that there are three Black engineers among the 84 new members.
Thomas P. Bostick is a senior vice president in the environmental sector of Intrexon Corporation of Germantown, Maryland. He is being honored for his leadership of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and for the development of new methods of hurricane protection. Dr. Bostick is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. He also taught at West Point. He earned a master’s degree in civil and mechanical engineering from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in systems engineering from George Washington University.
Paula Therese Hammond is the David H. Koch Professor of Engineering and chair of the department of chemical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and a Ph.D. from MIT. Dr. Hammond also earned a master’s degree at the Georgia Institute of Technology. She is being honored for her engineering work in energy and healthcare fields.
Daniel E. Hastings is the Cecil Ida Green Education professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is also the director and chief executive officer of the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology. Dr. Hastings is being honored for his expertise and leadership in aerospace research and education. Dr. Hastings is a graduate of the University of Oxford in England and holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
