EXCELLENCE

Van Etten Elected to National Academy of Sciences

		James Van Etten, William Allington distinguished professor of plant pathology at UNL

James Van Etten, William Allington distinguished professor of plant pathology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, was elected to membership in the National Academy of Sciences. Membership to the academy is considered one of the highest honors that can be accorded a U.S. scientist. Van Etten's NAS election is thought to be only the third in the history of Nebraska.

The election, on April 29 in Washington, D.C., during the business session of the 140th annual meeting of the academy, added 72 new member scientists from the U.S. in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. "This is one of the highest recognitions that a faculty member in science or engineering can attain," said UNL Chancellor Harvey Perlman. "We are delighted for what this says about Professor Van Etten and for what it says about the University of Nebraska."

Van Etten, together with former UNL faculty member Russ Meints, discovered of a new family of viruses called Phycodnaviridae, which is one of only about 60 recognized families of viruses. The discovery in 1981 has resulted in international research collaborations now involving about 20 labs in the United States, Europe and Japan. Van Etten has worked in plant pathology at Nebraska since 1966, earning the Allington distinguished professorship in 1986 and the Outstanding Research and Creative Activity Award in 1992, the highest research award from the University of Nebraska system.

Van Etten's nomination was spearheaded by Myron Brakke, an academy member since 1974, and a retired UNL plant virologist. Van Etten said he was thrilled upon hearing news of the honor. "Obviously it's something you don't expect, and I was surprised!" he said. "It's a fantastic honor, and obviously a lot of people went to a lot of work to forward my nomination. I have a lot of people to thank for this. Since to my knowledge only three people have been elected to the academy in the history of the state, it's not a very common occurrence, and I'm certainly proud of the fact I was elected."

Van Etten earned his doctoral and master's degrees at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, both in plant pathology, and his bachelor's in biology at Carleton College in Northfield, Minn. He did post-doctoral work in the department of genetics at the University of Pavia in Italy, before coming to Nebraska.

The National Academy of Sciences is a private organization of scientists and engineers dedicated to the furtherance of science and its use for the general welfare. It was established in 1863 by a congressional act of incorporation, signed by President Abraham Lincoln, which calls on the academy to act as an official adviser to the federal government, upon request, in any matter of science or technology. Those elected this week bring the total number of active members to 1,922. The four-branch National Academies, together with the Academy of Sciences and Academy of Engineering, also include its Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council.

PLANT PATHOLOGY