EECS professor Chang-Hasnain named to NAE

The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) has elected Berkeley Engineering nano-optoelectronics expert Constance Chang-Hasnain to its ranks, considered one of the highest professional honors accorded an American engineer.

The selection, announced today, brings to 74 the number of Berkeley Engineering faculty members in the NAE.

Chang-Hasnain, the John R. Whinnery Distinguished Chair in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, was cited for her contributions to wavelength tunable diode lasers and multi-wavelength laser arrays.

In addition to Chang-Hasnain, four others affiliated with Berkeley Engineering were elected to the NAE. They are:

• Diane Greene, (M.S.’88 EECS), senior vice president of Google Cloud at Google Inc., honored for her contributions in transforming virtualization from a concept to an industry; Greene is also a member of the Berkeley Engineering Advisory Board.
• Gary May (M.S.’88, Ph.D.’91 EECS), chancellor at UC Davis and former dean of engineering at Georgia Tech, cited for his contributions to semiconductor manufacturing research and for innovations in educational programs for underrepresented groups in engineering.
• Norman Abrahamson, chief engineering seismologist at Pacific Gas & Electric Company, an adjunct professor in civil and environmental engineering at Berkeley, and a researcher at the Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center, for his contributions to seismic hazard assessment and for leadership in engineering seismology and earthquake engineering.
• David Tse, professor of electrical engineering at Stanford University and an adjunct professor on the EECS faculty at Berkeley, selected for his contributions to wireless network information theory.

There are 2,293 NAE members nationwide, and 262 foreign members.

Election to the NAE recognizes an individual’s outstanding contributions to engineering research, practice or education. This includes the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering or developing and implementing innovative approaches to engineering education.

New academy members will be inducted later this year at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.