Two distinguished Greek scientists from the diaspora, Columbia University Computer Science Professor Mihalis Yannakakis and Professor of Physics and Astronomy Vicky Kalogera at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, have been elected new members of the National Academy of Sciences in the United States, in recognition of their important scientific work.

The NAS announced the election of 84 new members and 21 foreign associates –which again included two Greek scientists– on May 1.

Kalogera told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency:

“I feel deeply honoured, as this is a distinction beyond any expectation. I really needed some time to assimilate that it was real.”

With regard to the future goals of her research, Kalogera said:

“We are at the dawn of gravity waves astronomy… just in the beginning … Exploring the universe through this new window will change the way we understand how stars die, how black holes and neutron stars are born in pairs, and how they end their lives in a spiral of death. This is the primary objective of research over the next few years, as we discover more and more collisions of these dense objects.”

In addition to the two expatriate Greek scientists working in U.S. universities, the NAS elected the director of the Archaeological Sciences Laboratory at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, Panagiotis Karkanas, and Economic Theory and Policy Professor Anastasios Xepapadeas of the Athens University of Economics and Business as foreign associates.

Source: thegreekobserver