Six Professors Selected to Join Science Academy

Six Harvard faculty members have been named among the 60 new members of the National Academy Academy of Sciences, the Academy announced Saturday.

There is not set standard for election to the Academy, and the award recognizes important contributions to scientific research.

Nathan Keyfitz, Andelot Professor of Sociology and Demography and one of the six new Harvard members, said yesterday he had not yet been notified of his election to the Academy. Keyfitz has done extensive research on the mathematics and social problems of population growth.

Willard V.O. Quine, professor of Philosophy, said yesterday his election to the Academy "came as a great surprise," because he had not believed philosophy was "a field that was eligible" for Academy membership.

Congress established the Academy in 1863 to serve as an advisory body in the sciences. It organizes committees of its members and other scientists to explore and report on science as a service to the federal government.

Election to the Academy is considered an honor bestowed by fellow scientists, and includes no financial reward.