UCLA Engineering Professor Eli Yablonovitch Elected to National Academy of Sciences By Christopher Sutton Eli Yablonovitch, professor of electrical engineering in the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, was elected to the prestigious National Academy of Sciences. He is currently the only person in the School to hold membership in the NAS. Election to membership in the Academy is considered one of the highest honors that can be accorded a U.S. scientist or engineer. Earlier this year, Yablonovitch was one of three UCLA engineering professors to be elected to the National Academy of Engineering for introducing photonic band-gap engineering and applying semiconductor concepts to electromagnetic waves in artificial periodic structures. "I am tremendously proud of Professor Yablonovitch's achievement," said Vijay K. Dhir, dean of the School. "His contributions to our School are extraordinary and his overall contribution to scientific inquiry is immense." Yablonovitch joined the UCLA faculty in 1992. His work has covered a broad variety of topics including nonlinear optics, laser-plasma interaction, infrared laser chemistry, photovoltaic energy conversion, strained-quantum-well lasers and chemical modification of semiconductor surfaces. His current interests are in optoelectronics, high-speed optical communications, high-efficiency light-emitting diodes and nano-cavity lasers, photonic crystals at optical and microwave frequencies, quantum computing, and quantum communication. He also heads UCLA's portion of the Center for Nanoscience Innovation for Defense, a $20 million, multi-campus project sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency and Defense MicroElectronics Activity. The purpose of the project is to facilitate the rapid transition of research innovations in the nanosciences into applications for the defense sector. Yablonovitch graduated with a PhD in applied physics from Harvard University in 1972. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, the Optical Society of America and the American Physical Society, and a life member of Eta Kappa Nu. The National Academy of Sciences is a private organization of scientists and engineers dedicated to advancing science and its use for the general welfare. It was established in 1863 by a congressional act of incorporation, signed by 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. There are 32 Academy members at UCLA. For additional information on Yablonovitch's research, please visit http://www.ee.ucla.edu/labs/photon/homepage.html.