Contact: Maridith Geuder
STARKVILLE, Miss.--Two widely recognized scholars and members of the prestigious National Academies are joining the faculty ranks at Mississippi State University.
Reproductive biologist Neal First soon will begin an appointment with the university's biological sciences department, while electrical engineer James Flanagan--a 1948 MSU graduate--will be affiliated with the Bagley College of Engineering. Both will hold the rank of distinguished research professor.
"This is a major accomplishment for Mississippi and for our university," said MSU President Charles Lee.
Based in Washington, D.C., the National Academies is the umbrella organization for the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Council. Authorized by the federal government, the member agencies serve as the highest level of advisers on matters of science, engineering and medicine.
Considered one of the highest honors a scientist or engineer can receive, membership in the academies is based on distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.
"The affiliation of these two National Academies members with Mississippi State reflects the caliber of research already under way at our institution by an outstanding research faculty," Lee said. "It also reaffirms the university's commitment to expanding the scope and significance of its research contributions."
Among only 2,000 National Academies members worldwide, First and Flanagan will be collaborating on faculty research projects. According to the organization's Web site (www.nasonline.org), they become Mississippi's only members of the National Academy of Sciences, which was established in 1863 by President Abraham Lincoln. Flanagan also is a member of the National Academy of Engineering.
First recently retired as L.E. Casida Professor of Reproductive Biology and Animal Biotechnology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Known for his pioneering work in animal biotechnology, he was the first to prove that cattle could be cloned. Techniques he developed now are commercially available for both human and animal applications.
Over his career, First was honored with the Animal Science Morrison, Upjohn Research and Society for the Study of Reproduction Research awards, along with the Wolf Prize in Agriculture. He serves on the National Research Council Commission on Life Sciences, and committees of the Institute for Laboratory Animal Research Board and Agriculture and the Institute of Medicine.
"Dr. First brings a distinguished career and outstanding international credentials that will be invaluable in strengthening Mississippi State's research capabilities," said Philip Oldham, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
Flanagan is recognized worldwide for his scientific contributions in speech technology. His ideas have contributed to the development of modern automatic speech recognition systems, audio codes such as MP3s and modern voice-over-Internet protocol technology.
"We are especially pleased that Jim will be joining our electrical and computer engineering department in the Bagley College of Engineering," said Dean Kirk Schulz. "He will be able to serve as a role model and mentor to current and future engineering students."
Flanagan, who received advanced degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, spent more than 30 years at AT&T Bell Laboratories, where he became the director of information principles research. He joined Rutgers University in 1990, retiring in 2005 as Board of Governors Professor Emeritus.
He received the National Medal of Science in 1996 from President Bill Clinton for work in merging engineering techniques with speech science to solve basic problems in speech communication.