For Immediate Release
May 2nd, 2019
Contacts: Chrysandra Medley, cazzy@umd.edu
James Farquhar Elected Into National Academy of Sciences
COLLEGE PARK, MD. – Professor James Farquhar of the University of Maryland (UMD) Department of Geology and the Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center (ESSIC), has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). The appointment is often considered as one of the more significant honors bestowed upon researchers in recognition of their scientific achievement.
“I am highly honored to be elected to the National Academy of Sciences,” said Farquhar in a recent CMNS press release. “I am very grateful to the University of Maryland; the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences; ESSIC; and the Department of Geology for creating an environment where I could grow and thrive.”
Farquhar’s research focuses on sulfur isotope geochemistry in a variety of terrestrial and extraterrestrial systems. He and his coworkers are best known for their discovery and interpretation of mass independent sulfur isotope signatures in samples from the early Earth that trace the evolution of oxygen and chemistry in the early atmosphere.
He recently co-authored a paper detailing a method for identifying large stratospheric eruptions recorded in the layers of Antarctic ice cores. This system allowed the researchers to correct several misidentified events and discover several unknown stratospheric eruptions. Read more about this research here.
The National Academy of Sciences is a private, non-profit society established by an Act of Congress and signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. Members, chosen through an extensive and rigorous election among existing members, provide independent, objective advice to the nation on matters related to science and technology.
Dr. Farquhar is among the 100 new members and 25 foreign associates elected in recognition of their achievements in original research. Dr. Rosina Bierbaum, research professor in the School of Public Policy and Roy F. WestOn Chair in Natural Economics, is the only other University of Maryland scientist elected.
Media Contacts
Chrysandra Medley
cazzy@umd.edu
Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center
