Dr. Carol Mason Elected to National Academy of Sciences
Dr. Carol Mason is among the newly elected members of the National Academy of Sciences
On May 1, 2018, the National Academy of Sciences announced the election of 84 new members and 21 foreign associates, in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. Dr. Carol Mason, PhD, Professor of Departments of Pathology and Cell Biology, Neuroscience, and Ophthalmology, is among the newly elected members.
Membership in the National Academy of Sciences is considered a symbol of scientific excellence. The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit institution that was established under a congressional charter signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. It recognizes achievement in science by election to membership, and — with the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Medicine — provides science, engineering, and health policy advice to the federal government and other organizations.
Dr. Mason is also a member of the National Academy of Medicine (elected in 2011), the American Association for the Advancement of Science (elected in 2006), and a Simons Foundation Senior Fellow. As one of the world’s leading authorities on the development of the mammalian visual system and cerebellum, she focuses on investigating the role of transcriptional regulators and guidance mechanisms that determine how these connections are formed. She has served as a co-director of the Doctoral Program in Neurobiology and Behavior, and the Vision Sciences Training Program. She was president of the Society for Neuroscience from 2013 to 2014 and is currently a member of the NIH BRAIN Initiative's Multi-Council Working Group and the National Eye Institute's Advisory Council. She is currently a principal investigator and chair of Interschool Planning, in Columbia’s Zuckerman Institute.
Dr. Mason has received numerous awards during her career, including the Mika Salpeter Lifetime Achievement Award (2017) from the Society for Neuroscience; the Champalimaud Vision Award (2016) from the António Champalimaud Foundation; and the Stevens Triennial Prize (2013) from the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.
Congratulations to Dr. Mason on this remarkable honor!