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Default | NEWS
8/7/1996
CONTACT: Lia Unrau
CLINTON NOMINATES TAPIA TO NATIONAL SCIENCE BOARD President Clinton has announced his intention to nominate Richard A. Tapia, Noah Harding Professor of Computational and Applied Mathematics at Rice University, to the National Science Board. Tapia is an expert in the field of computational and applied mathematics, and he has received numerous awards for his significant contributions to minority education. He is director of human resources and education for the Center for Research on Parallel Computation (CRPC), headquartered at Rice. Tapia directs the Spend a Summer with a Scientist program, which brings minority students to campus during the summer to assist a faculty member with research. He also established the CRPC Mathematical and Computational Sciences Awareness Workshops, which teach elementary and secondary teachers about opportunities in math and science for minorities. Tapia formerly served on the National Board of Directors of the Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Sciences, and he is a member of the National Academy of Engineering. Tapia earned his Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles. "This is an extremely important time to have strong leadership from the board in developing NSF policies," Tapia said. "These are trying times, and some hard financial decisions will have to be made. I'm looking forward to being involved with those decisions, and sharing my understanding." Malcolm Gillis, Rice University president, said, "This is a richly deserved honor for one of Rice's most outstanding faculty. We are immensely proud of Richard's contributions to engineering and science and his efforts to make math and science education more accessible and interesting for minority students. We are very pleased, but not surprised, that President Clinton would select Professor Tapia for membership on the National Science Board." Michael M. Carroll, dean of engineering at Rice, said, "As an award winning teacher, outstanding researcher and research mentor, and very effective administrator in the area of minority recruitment and retention, Richard Tapia is a most appropriate selection for the National Science Board. I am delighted to have one of our distinguished faculty as a member of this influential policy making group." The National Science Board (NSB) is the governing body of the National Science Foundation. Established by the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, the NSB has 24 members appointed by the president with the advice and consent of the Senate. Members serve six-year rotating terms, and eight members are appointed every two years. The board members are selected from industry and academia, and they represent a variety of science and engineering disciplines. They are selected for their distinguished service in research, education or public service. Members of the NSB will recommend broad national policies for promoting basic research and education in the sciences and engineering. Tapia is one of three nominees Clinton announced on Friday. The other nominees are Mary K. Gaillard, professor of physics at the University of California, Berkeley, and faculty senior scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; and Eamon M. Kelly, president of Tulane University in New Orleans and an economist in the fields of applied economics and health development. ### |
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