April 24, 2013

Two UCSB Faculty Members Named Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

George Foulsham

Gary Horowitz, professor of physics at UC Santa Barbara, and Ken C. Macdonald, professor emeritus of marine geophysics and earth science, have been elected fellows of the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Their selection brings to 31 the number of UCSB faculty that belong to the academy.

The academy is an independent policy research center that conducts interdisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. Members of the 233-year-old organization hail from a broad spectrum of disciplines, allowing the academy to conduct a wide range of interdisciplinary studies in public policy research. Membership includes more that 250 Nobel Laureates and 60 Pulitzer Prize winners. The academy's research focuses on science and technology policy, global security, social policy and American institutions, the humanities, and education.

"I am delighted to congratulate our colleagues Gary Horowitz and Ken Macdonald on their election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences," said Chancellor Henry T. Yang. "This prestigious and well-deserved honor represents a very meaningful affirmation from their peers of the important contributions Professor Horowitz and Professor Macdonald have made to advancing the frontiers of research and serving our society. Our UC Santa Barbara community takes great pride in their achievements."

Members of the 2013 class include winners of the Nobel Prize; National Medal of Science; the Lasker Award; the Pulitzer and Shaw prizes; the Fields Medal; MacArthur and Guggenheim fellowships; the Kennedy Center Honors; and Grammy, Emmy, Academy, and Tony awards.

Fellow members of the 2013 class include Bruce A. Beutler, recipient of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine; director and actor Robert De Niro; actor Sally Field; jazz musician Herbie Hancock; singer-songwriters Pete Seeger and Bruce Springsteen; and astronaut and former Senator John Glenn.

The academy also elected 12 Foreign Honorary Members from Canada, China, France, Germany, Mexico, Panama, South Africa, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

Horowitz studies both classical and quantum aspects of gravitational physics. His research focuses mostly on questions involving gravity under the most extreme conditions, including the big bang in cosmology and the spacetime inside black holes. Horowitz has been at UCSB since 1983.

Macdonald's research as a marine geophysicist has focused primarily on the mid-ocean ridge, the most active geologic feature on the planet, using a variety of geophysical or geological tools to study the tectonics of this complex system.

"Election to the academy honors individual accomplishment and calls upon members to serve the public good," said Academy President Leslie C. Berlowitz. "We look forward to drawing on the knowledge and expertise of these distinguished men and women to advance solutions to the pressing policy challenges of the day."

The new class will be inducted at a ceremony on October 13, at the academy's headquarters in Cambridge, Mass.

About UC Santa Barbara

The University of California, Santa Barbara is a leading research institution that also provides a comprehensive liberal arts learning experience. Our academic community of faculty, students, and staff is characterized by a culture of interdisciplinary collaboration that is responsive to the needs of our multicultural and global society. All of this takes place within a living and learning environment like no other, as we draw inspiration from the beauty and resources of our extraordinary location at the edge of the Pacific Ocean.