United States National Academy of Sciences

National Academy of Sciences building in Washington, D.C.

The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is an organization of eminent scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare.

The membership of the National Academy of Sciences includes scientists in the physical sciences and social scientists. For example, the psychologist Daniel Kahneman is a member of the National Academy of Sciences.[1] The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) has content that spans the biological, physical, and social sciences.[2]

The NAS was signed into being by President Abraham Lincoln on March 3, 1863, during the Civil War. As mandated in its Act of Incorporation, the NAS serves to "investigate, examine, experiment, and report upon any subject of science or art" whenever called upon to do so by any department of the United States Government. Scientific issues would become even more contentious and complex in the years following the war. To keep up with the growing roles that science and technology play in American life, the NAS eventually expanded to include the National Research Council created in 1916, the National Academy of Engineering created in 1964, and the Institute of Medicine which was created in 1970. Collectively, the four organizations are known as the The National Academies of the United States.[3]

The NAS operates a Gulf Research Program which was founded after the Deepwater Horizon accident. Over a 30-year period, the Program will fund and conduct activities to enhance oil system safety, human health, and environmental resources in the Gulf of Mexico and other U.S. outer continental shelf regions that support oil and gas production. British Petroleum has donate $350 million and Transocean has donated $150 million to fund a limited term endowment at the NAS.[4]

## See also[edit]

* Atheists and the National Academy of Sciences

## References[edit]

1. ↑ Daniel Kahneman - NAS member directory listing
2. ↑ Mainpage of NAS website
3. ↑ National Academies Site. Retrieved on March 27, 2016.
4. ↑ Gulf Research Program. Retrieved on March 27, 2016.

## Links[edit]

Official site