NASA Scientist Claire Parkinson Elected to American Philosophical Society

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May 07, 2010, 01:09 ET

GREENBELT, Md., May 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Another renowned scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. is taking home a prestigious honor this year.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO)

Dr. Claire L. Parkinson, a climate scientist at NASA Goddard, is one of the 38 new members elected into the American Philosophical Society (APS).

The APS, which was founded by Benjamin Franklin, is the oldest learned society in America and boasts many famous notables such as Albert Einstein, Nelson Mandela, and Thomas Jefferson. Aiming to "promote useful knowledge," the APS is comprised of top scholars from a wide variety of academic and other disciplines, all organized into five classes. Parkinson has earned a spot in Class 1, which is Mathematical and Physical Sciences. Other classes include Biological Sciences, Social Sciences, Humanities, and the Arts, Professions, and Leaders in Public and Private Affairs.

Over the course of its history, the Society has not only provided a forum for discussion of important topics but has funded important experiments and expeditions and has established a notable library containing more than 300,000 printed items and over 8 million manuscripts.

"It is quite a thrill for me to be elected to an organization with the history and goals of the American Philosophical Society. This society has had so many notable people in it and has done so many good things that I really feel quite humbled and thrilled to be elected," Parkinson said.

Parkinson, who has been a scientist at Goddard since 1978, has worked extensively on using satellite data to reveal and quantify the decreases in the Arctic sea ice cover over the past three decades and the lesser but still important increases in the Antarctic sea ice cover over the same time period. She is also the Project Scientist for the Aqua satellite mission and has written books about the history of science, satellite observations, and current climate change issues. Her latest book, "Coming Climate Crisis? Consider the Past, Beware the Big Fix," was published this spring. Parkinson resides in Greenbelt, Md.

For more information about Dr. Parkinson's book, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/parkinson-book.html

For more information about the American Philosophical Society, visit:

http://www.amphilsoc.org/

SOURCE NASA