A Spouse’s Guide To The National Academies Of Sciences, Engineering And Medicine

This week I received an email that said I had been elected to the National Academy of Engineering. The weight of that honor is so heavy that I did not believe the email was true. I emailed it to my wife and asked if she thought it was a valid email. I followed that up with a call to the contact name on the letter. It was real. After a brief tear (and I am generally not a super emotional person), I immediately wanted to share with my wife the significance of the honor but struggled to convey it to someone who is not a scientist or engineer. My tendency is to deflect personal accolades to others or offer a collective contribution from the outcome. Here’s a brief “101” on the National Academies.

The National Academies website provides a good starting point. It says, “The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine provide independent, objective advice to inform policy with evidence, spark progress and innovation, and confront challenging issues for the benefit of society.” To put it in simple terms, when the White House, Congress, major federal agencies, or other major entities want an objective, non-partisan analysis or voice on science, engineering or medical topics, they turn to the National Academies.

President Lincoln is credited with the formation of the National Academy of Science in 1863. The congressional charter that he signed would ultimately be modified to include the National Academy of Engineering (1964) and National Academy of Medicine (1970). The role of the Academies is “advise the Nation.” In fact, the first thing I see on the National Academies webpage this morning is a new rapid expert consultation entitled, Strategies for Building COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence. Several years ago, I was invited as a climate expert to serve on a committee that wrote a report for the U.S. Navy entitled, National Security Implications of Climate Change for U.S. Naval Forces. That report was organized by the National Research Council (NRC), an entity of the National Academies created in 1916 by President Woodrow Wilson. The original stated goal, with World War I as a backdrop, of NRC was to “bring into cooperation government, educational, industrial, and other research organizations with the object of encouraging the investigation of natural phenomena, and increased use of scientific research in the development of American industries, the employment of scientific methods in strengthening the national defense, and such other applications of science as will promote the national security and welfare.”

This week the National Academy of Engineering announced its 2021 class. I was notified on the day that the public announcement was made. I was shocked. This class included 106 new members and 23 international members. The total number of U.S. members stands at 2,355. According to a University of Georgia press release, election to one of the National Academies is “one of the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer or scientist.”However, I struggled to explain it to my wife in meaningful terms so I said that it is like the Grammy or Academy Award for scientists and engineers. One colleague, in a congratulatory email, said, “This is….the highest honor that can bestowed upon an academic scientists.” While a significant honor, the members serve as key experts, panelists, and contributors to the Academies and the Nation.

I am grateful for the honor, but in the uncomfortable moment of fully letting it seep in, this article was the best that I could do deflect it (and perhaps teach).

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