P&S Professor Elected to National Academy of Sciences Dr. Arthur Karlin’s NAS election brings Columbia’s membership in the academy to 28. Dr. Arthur Karlin, Higgins Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, was elected to the National Academy of Sciences on April 27. The director of the Center for Molecular Recognition has gained renown for his work on the nervous system, specifically in his studies of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, a chemical that communicates signals along nerve cells. Election to the NAS is considered one of the highest honors that can be accorded a scientist or engineer. This private, non-profit society has approximately 1,900 members and 300 foreign associates, of whom more than 160 have won Nobel Prizes. Dr. Karlin’s appointment brings the total of Columbia’s NAS membership to 28. This total includes the following P&S professors: Dr. Richard Axel, Higgins Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics; Dr. Isidore Edelman, Johnson Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics; Dr. Wayne Hendrickson, professor of biochemistry and molecular biophysics; Dr. Elvin Kabat, Higgins Professor Emeritus of Microbiology; and Dr. Eric Kandel, University Professor and Howard Hughes senior investigator.