Peter J. Stang, dean of the University of Utah's College of Science, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences.
Stang was among 60 new members and 15 foreign associates from nine countries who were elected to the panel. According to the academy, membership is "in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research."The election was held Tuesday morning during the business session of the 137th annual meeting of the academy, held in Washington, D.C., says an announcement. "Election to membership in the academy is considered one of the highest honors that can be accorded a U.S. scientist or engineer."
With the addition, the total number of active members is 1,843. Foreign associates are non-voting members, and Tuesday's change brings the total number of foreign associates to 320.
The National Academy of Sciences is a private organization, established in 1863 by a congressional act of incorporation. The group acts as an official adviser to the federal government in matters of science and technology.
Besides his service as dean, Stang's title is distinguished professor of chemistry at the U. Born in Germany, he became a citizen of the United States in 1962.
As a researcher, he has focused attention on the shapes that some chemical compounds form, organometallic chemistry, reactive intermediates and other topics.
Stang is the recipient of many awards, including the American Chemical Society's James Flack Norris Award, the U.'s Rosenblatt Prize for Excellence, the Governor's Medal for Science and Technology, and honorary doctorates given in Russia.
He is editor-in-chief of the Journal of Organic Chemistry. He is author or co-author of 333 publications in international and national peer-reviewed journals.
According to the academy's membership listing, Stang joins about seven other scientists who work in Utah or were from Utah when they were elected to the group.