Four MIT professors newly elected to the National Academy of Sciences (clockwise, from top left): Sam Bowring, Sara Seager, Tom Mrowka, James Poterba. (Photos: MIT News)
From MIT News:
Four MIT professors have just been have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), a significant honor for scholars based on “distinguished and continuing achievements in original research” throughout their careers.
MIT’s four new NAS members are: Samuel A. Bowring, the Robert R. Shrock Professor of Earth and Planetary Science; Thomasz Mrowka, the Singer Professor of Mathematics; James M. Poterba, the Mitsui Professor of Economics; and Sara Seager, the Class of 1941 Professor in the departments of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences and of Physics.
OCW is pleased to share courses by these four distinguished professors.
Samuel A. Bowring
In his work as a geologist, Bowring has unearthed new insights about multiple large-scale issues, including the early history of the Earth. He discovered the world’s oldest recognized rocks and used them to develop the theory that the separation of the Earth’s layers occurred earlier than previously believed. Frequently working in North America, Bowring has also done extensive work on the historical rates of geological processes. He has also developed geochemical methods of analyzing the extent of human inputs — such as acid rain — into the environment.
OCW courses by Samuel Bowring:
- 12.000 Solving Complex Problems
- 12.102 Environmental Earth Science
- 12.119 Analytical Techniques for Studying Environmental and Geologic Samples
Thomasz Mrowka
The research of Mrowka, who was named head of MIT’s Department of Mathematics in December, involves analysis, geometry, and topology, and has advanced our understanding of four-dimensional spacetime topology. He has also resolved questions about the characteristics of knots, among other complex structures.
OCW courses by Tomasz Mrowka:
James M. Poterba
Poterba is a leading scholar of public finance whose work has illuminated many aspects of tax policy since the early 1980s, including its relationship to the economic decision-making of both firms and households. Over the last two decades, he has also conducted a significant number of studies in the area of retirement finance.
OCW courses by James M. Poterba:
Sara Seager
A specialist in exoplanets, Seager has made new discoveries and helped develop new methods of conducting research in space. Her work led to the initial discovery of an exoplanet with an atmosphere; she has also done extensive theoretical research on exoplanet atmospheres. Seager has helped develop “nanosatellites” for space research, and is a co-investigator on TESS, an MIT-directed NASA mission that is scheduled to launch in 2017.
OCW courses by Sara Seager:
