Membership in the National Academies
The National Academy was created in 1863 by a
congressional charter approved by President Lincoln to
advise the federal government on scientific and technical
matters. The National Academies consist of the National
Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering,
and the Institute of Medicine. Our nation’s leaders
often turn to the National Academies for advice on
scientific issues related to policy decisions.
Only the most distinguished experts in their fields are
elected as members of the National Academies. Of the more
than 1.2 million working scientists in the United States,
only about 2,000 have been elected to membership in the
National Academy of Sciences. Similarly, of the roughly 2
million engineers in the country, only 2,000 are members
of the National Academy of Engineers and of the more than
4 million health professionals and biomedical scientists,
1,700 have been elected to the Institute of Medicine.
Of Washington State University’s members,
Clarence “Bud” Ryan was the first to be
elected to the National Academy of Sciences. John Hirth
is a member of both the National Academy of Engineering
and the National Academy of Sciences.
