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EDITORIALS
Biographies of newly elected Academy members
Since 1996, newly elected members of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) have been invited to contribute an Inaugural Year Article (IYA) to PNAS. The Inaugural series is meant primarily to introduce the new Academy members and has great appeal for PNAS readers because new members' contributions are at the forefront of science. Although we ask that the article appeal to specialists, we encourage new members to make their articles generally accessible as well. New members prepare a slightly longer than usual introduction and discussion so that they can define carefully their research goals, interests, and vocabulary. These articles provide an opportunity for scientists to learn what is exciting in fields other than their own. Some new members choose to contribute an original research article, whereas others author reviews or perspectives. Regardless of type, IYAs continue to be some of the most-read papers in PNAS. The complete collection of IYAs can be browsed at www.pnas.org/inaugurals.shtml.
IYAs serve not just to underscore new NAS members' scientific contributions but also to highlight the members as individual scientists and editors of PNAS. To introduce the new members more personally, we are launching a Biography series to accompany the IYAs. The Biographies are brief, just one or two pages, but their aim is to encapsulate each member's individual history, education, inspiration, current research, and opinions on the future of their scientific discipline.
This issue contains the first new member Biography with a portrait of demographer John Bongaarts (1). Bongaarts' IYA focuses on his work on fertility and mortality (2), while the biographical portrait of Bongaarts provides a glimpse of the direction for his future work in the field of population aging. Upcoming issues will have IYAs and Biographies of virologist Robert Lamb, neurobiologist Connie Cepko, and plant biologist Enrico Coen.
Currently the NAS is comprised of 1,922 members and 341 foreign associates from 40 countries. Every spring new members are elected. This year 21 women were elected, more than in any previous year. We hope that you find their IYAs and accompanying Biographies both intellectually stimulating and personally engaging.
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