Bloch, Mahowald, elected to National Academy of Sciences

Spencer Bloch, Professor in Mathematics, and Anthony Mahowald, Louis Block Professor and Chairman of Molecular Genetics & Cell Biology, have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences.

The NAS, established by Congress in 1863, is a private organization of scientists and engineers that serves as an official advisory body to the federal government in matters of science and technology. Election to membership in the academy is considered one of the highest honors that can be accorded a U.S. scientist or engineer. Sixty new members were elected last month, bringing the total number of active members to 1,710. The election brings the number of Chicago faculty members in the academy to 48.

Bloch's research focuses on algebraic geometry, K-theory and number theory. He has been editor of several mathematics journals, including the American Journal of Mathematics, the Bulletin of the American Mathematical Society, Composito Mathematica and Communications in Algebra. He currently serves as editor of K-Theory, Mathematical Research Letters and the Journal of Algebraic Geometry.

Bloch received his Ph.D. in mathematics from Columbia in 1971. He taught at Princeton and Michigan before joining the Chicago faculty in 1976.

Mahowald studies the developmental genetics of the fruit fly and the expression of genes governing the formation of the egg and the early embryo. He is the author or co-author of more than 100 scientific articles. Mahowald is also a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Mahowald received his Ph.D. in biology from Johns Hopkins in 1962. He taught at Marquette, Indiana and Case Western Reserve before coming to Chicago in 1990.