The National Academy of Sciences has announced that Distinguished Professor of Anthropology Patricia Crown has been elected as a member. This is one of the highest honors accorded to scientists and is given in recognition of distinguished and continuing achievement in original research. New members are elected by current members based on outstanding achievement and commitment to service.

“The university is honored to have Patricia Crown as a member of our faculty and we welcome this recognition of the extraordinary quality of her research through the years,” said UNM President Robert G. Frank. “UNM’s Department of Anthropology is one of the best in the nation and we are proud to offer students an opportunity to work with faculty members of the National Academy of Sciences.”

Crown conducts research in the areas of southwestern archaeology, ceramic analysis, the archaeology of childhood and gender in archaeology.  She has received international attention for her research into the prehistoric use of cacao at Chaco Canyon in New Mexico and into the ritual use of a black drink by Native Americans at Cahokia.

"The National Academy of Sciences is one of the most prestigious scientific organizations in the U.S. and Distinguished Professor Patricia Crown's election to the academy is an honor.  It highlights the quality of her research, and the excellence of UNM's Department of Anthropology," said UNM Provost Chaouki Abdallah. "This is also a national-level affirmation of the high quality of UNM faculty."

“We would like to congratulate Patricia Crown on her election to the National Academy of Sciences," said Michael Graves, chair, UNM Department of Anthropology Michael Graves. "Her record of research and scholarship in Southwestern prehistory places her among the top archaeologists in the nation. She joins a select group of anthropologists and brings additional renown to the University of New Mexico.”

The National Academy of Sciences is a private nonprofit institution that provides expert advice on the most pressing challenges and the world. It was founded when President Abraham Lincoln signed a congressional charter forming the NAS as an independent adviser on scientific matters.

Crown said, "I have been very fortunate to be a faculty member in one of the most prestigious anthropology programs in the United States.  There are very few universities in the United States that have the proximity to such a culturally significant past and diverse present as UNM and these enhance our teaching and our research every day."

Crown is part of a group of 84 new members and 21 foreign associates from 15 countries announced today. This brings the total number of active members to 2,214 and the total number of foreign associates to 444. Foreign associates are nonvoting members of the Academy, with citizenship outside the United States.

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