Posted March 31, 1999

National Academy of Engineering Elects Four Berkeley Faculty, Nine Alums

Four Berkeley professors and nine alumni were among 80 engineers and eight foreign associates recently elected members of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). Election to the academy is the highest professional honor for an American engineer.

The new Berkeley faculty members are Vitelmo Bertero, professor emeritus of civil and environmental engineering (elected as a foreign associate); James Demmel, professor of mathematics and electrical engineering and computer sciences; Pravin Varaiya, professor of electrical engineering and computer sciences; and John Newman, professor of chemical engineering in the College of Chemistry.

The recent announcement brings to 76 the total Berkeley faculty who are members of the academy. The new members will be inducted at ceremonies in Washington, D.C. in October.

Alaa Mansour

The Davidson Gold Medal -- one of the three highest honors presented by the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers -- was awarded to Mechanical Engineering Professor Alaa Mansour at the society's annual meeting Nov. 11-14 in San Diego.

Given for "outstanding scientific accomplishment in ship research," the honor cited Mansour as perhaps "the preeminent ship structural researcher in the U.S. today." His work has been important in the development of modern ship structural design methods; his research on structural reliability has been key in establishing design methods now employed by the U.S. Navy and the American Bureau of Shipping.

Nelson Morgan

Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences Adjunct Professor Nelson Morgan was elected a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Morgan is an expert on speech recognition and works with the International Computer Science Institute.

Daphne Muse

Daphne Muse, research coordinator for the McNair Scholars Program, is a 1999 recipient of a Sister-Circle Award for her body of critical and creative work in children's literature.

Conceived and born out of the labor and tenacity of Jerry Thompson at San Francisco's Alexander Book Company, Sister-Circle celebrates and supports the literary achievements of black authors throughout the United States and around the world. For the past three years, Sister-Circle has sponsored readings by some of the leading voices in Black literature including Ntozake Shange, Lucille Clifton and Toni Morrison.

Other 1999 Sister-Circle Awardees include Alice Walker, for writer of the year; Evelyn C. White, for her body of work as a travel writer; and Daryll Cumberdance, for "Honey Hush," an anthology of African American humor.

Gareth Thomas Material Science and Mineral Engineering Professor Gareth Thomas has been named an honorary member of the Japan Institute of Metals. Thomas was recognized for his contributions to the development of metallurgy and materials science. He receives the award at the institute's annual meeting in Tokyo this month.

March 31 - April 6, 1999 (Volume 27, Number 28)
Copyright 1999, The Regents of the University of California.
Produced and maintained by the Office of Public Affairs at UC Berkeley.
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