Research Professor and Roy F. Westin Chair in Natural Economics Rosina M. Bierbaum has been elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS).
Membership in the National Academy of Sciences is one of the highest honors in the scientific field. Bierbaum is one of 100 new members announced this week in recognition of their achievements, contributions and original research. She also joins 56 other UMD faculty who are members of national academies.
“This is not only a great honor, but also well-deserved recognition of her long-standing and ongoing contributions to the academy, to advancing the frontiers of knowledge, and to helping policymakers the world over address issues of sustainability and science and technology policy," said Robert C. Orr, dean of the School of Public Policy.
"Election to the National Academy of Sciences has me stunned, humbled, and elated, all at the same time. This institution is the premier voice of science and technology in the Nation, and needed now more than ever in this era of ‘alt-facts,’" Bierbaum said.
As a first generation college graduate hailing from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, I know I would not be here without “Star Trek”, a lot of science fairs, and many, many patient mentors along the way.Rosina Bierbaum
Bierbaum is an expert on the intersection of policy and science. She served on President Barack Obama’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and worked to advance policy in areas including STEM education, antibiotic resistance, clean energy, agriculture, natural capital and drinking water. She chairs the Scientific and Advisory Panel of the Global Environment Facility, serves as a Science Adviser to the newly-created Global Adaptation Commission, and was named an Adaptation Fellow at the World Bank. Bierbaum is the lead author of the U.S. National Climate Assessment.
"As a first generation college graduate hailing from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, I know I would not be here without “Star Trek”, a lot of science fairs, and many, many patient mentors along the way," Bierbaum added. "Their strongest advice to me was that doing research was not enough, but one should strive to be a ‘civic scientist’ and communicate the value of science to the public. My unusual career has come full circle from ‘discovery’ of knowledge, to ‘assessment’ and ‘use’ of knowledge for the Congress and the White House, and back to the University to mentor the next generation of environmental leaders. I pledge to mentor them as well as I was mentored."
The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit institution that recognizes achievement in science by election to members. Along with the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Medicine, the National Academy of Sciences provides science, engineering and health policy advice to the federal government and other organizations.
See the full list of the newly elected members.
