Henry Kapteyn Elected as 2018 Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Henry Kapteyn has been elected as a 2018 member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He joins some of the world’s most accomplished leaders from academia, business, public affairs, the humanities, and the arts, including JILA Fellows David Nesbitt (2013), Margaret Murnane (2006), Eric Cornell (2005), and Carl Lineberger (1995), and such luminaries as Benjamin Franklin (1781), Alexander Hamilton (1791), Ralph Waldo Emerson (1864), Charles Darwin (1874), Albert Einstein (1924), and Martin Luther King, Jr. (1966).

“I am delighted to congratulate Henry on  behalf of all of JILA,” said JILA chair Thomas Perkins. “Henry, the taller half of the Kapteyn-Murnane partnership, has helped drive the development ultrafast laser sources since graduate school. His impact is seen in the application of ultrafast lasers to diverse application in attosecond non-linear optics,  molecular dynamics, and nanoscale imaging as well as the many alumni of their group that have gone on to success in both academia and industry.”

The American Academy of Arts and Sciences elected 213 individuals to the class of 2018. The new members span a wide range of disciplines and professions, and include Netflix, Inc. CEO W. Reed Hastings, Jr.;  actor Tom Hanks; 44th President of the United States Barack H. Obama, and CU professor of chemistry and biochemistry, Natalie Ahn.

Kapteyn joins one of the nation’s most prestigious organizations, which engages its members to share knowledge and address challenges facing the world. Its members make contributions to the arts, citizenship, education, energy, government, the humanities, international relations, science, and more.

“Membership in the Academy is not only an honor, but also an opportunity and a responsibility,” said Jonathan Fanton, President of the American Academy. “Members can be inspired and engaged by connecting with one another and through Academy projects dedicated to the common good. The intellect, creativity, and commitment of the 2018 Class will enrich the work of the Academy and the world in which we live.”