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The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the National Academy of Medicine (NAM).
As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. Election to the National Academy is one of the highest honors in the scientific field. Members of the National Academy of Sciences serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation" on science, engineering, and medicine. The group holds a congressional charter under Title 36 of the United States Code.
Founded in 1863 as a result of an Act of Congress that was approved by Abraham Lincoln, the NAS is charged with "providing independent, objective advice to the nation on matters related to science and technology. … to provide scientific advice to the government 'whenever called upon' by any government department."
The Academy receives no compensation from the government for its services.
Presidents
The president is the head of the Academy, elected by a majority vote of the membership to serve in this position for a term to be determined by the governing Council, not to exceed six years, and may be re-elected for a second term. The Academy has had 22 presidents since its foundation. Geophysicist Marcia K. McNutt, is the first woman to hold this position. Her term expires on June 30, 2022.
- 1863–1867 Alexander Dallas Bache
- 1868–1878 Joseph Henry
- 1879–1882 William Barton Rogers
- 1883–1895 Othniel Charles Marsh
- 1895–1900 Wolcott Gibbs
- 1901–1907 Alexander Agassiz
- 1907–1913 Ira Remsen
- 1913–1917 William Henry Welch
- 1917–1923 Charles Doolittle Walcott
- 1923–1927 Albert Abraham Michelson
- 1927–1931 Thomas Hunt Morgan
- 1931–1935 William Wallace Campbell
- 1935–1939 Frank Rattray Lillie
- 1939–1947 Frank Baldwin Jewett
- 1947–1950 Alfred Newton Richards
- 1950–1962 Detlev Wulf Bronk
- 1962–1969 Frederick Seitz
- 1969–1981 Philip Handler
- 1981–1993 Frank Press
- 1993–2005 Bruce Michael Alberts
- 2005–2016 Ralph J. Cicerone
- 2016–present Marcia McNutt