Katharine B. Gebbie, director of the Physics Laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), was inducted as a member of the 228th Class of Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences on Oct. 11, 2008, at a ceremony in Cambridge, Mass. As a member of the 2008 class, Gebbie is among 212 scholars, scientists, artists, civic, corporate and philanthropic leaders representing 20 states and 15 countries and ranging in age from 37 to 86.
Gebbie graduated from Bryn Mawr College with a B.A. in physics. She subsequently earned a B.S. in astronomy and a Ph.D. in physics from University College London. She joined NIST in 1968 as a physicist in the Quantum Physics Division of JILA, a cooperative enterprise between NIST and the University of Colorado in Boulder. Before being appointed director of the newly formed Physics Laboratory in 1991, she served as chief of the Quantum Physics Division and acting director of the Center for Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics. Gebbie is a fellow of the American Physical Society, a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a member of several professional societies including Sigma Xi and American Women in Science.
At the Academy, Gebbie will serve in the Educational, Scientific, Cultural & Philanthropic Administration.
Founded in 1780, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. Current Academy research focuses on science and global security, social policy, the humanities and culture, and education.
Read the Academy's official proclamation introducing the 228th Class of Fellows, "Academy Announces 2008 Class of Fellows."