Accomplished Leaders from U.S. Academic and Scientific Communities Named

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL. (November 16, 2012) – The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), the nonprofit organization promoting and managing research on board the International Space Station (ISS) U.S. National Laboratory, last night inducted its first seven members to the organization’s permanent Board of Directors.

CASIS Board Members are divided into two categories in accordance with the organization’s bylaws – “managing members” and “scientific members” – to ensure a solid distribution of skills. The following individuals have been inducted into the CASIS Board of Directors (biographies attached to this release):

Scientific Members:

* Bess Dawson-Hughes, M.D., Director, Bone Metabolism Laboratory, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University
* Andrei E. Ruckenstein, Ph.D., Vice President Research & Associate Provost, Boston University
* Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic, Ph.D., Professor & Vice Chair, Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University

Managing Members:

* France Cordova, Ph.D., President Emerita, Purdue University
* Lewis Duncan, Ph.D., President, Rollins College
* Leroy Hood, M.D., Ph.D., Co-Founder & President, Institute for Systems Biology
* Howard Zucker, M.D., J.D., Professor of Clinical Anesthesiology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Yeshiva University

Following the induction, CASIS’ three Interim Board Members formally stepped down, to enable the new Board to begin its governance responsibilities.

Currently, newly-inducted Board members are preparing for their first, in-person Board meeting, scheduled to take place on December 13, 2012 in Washington D.C. at The Florida House. The CASIS Board of Directors will host a brief media availability from 4:00 – 4:30 p.m. at The Florida House in Washington D.C. following the initial Board Meeting.

Starting in spring of 2012, the CASIS Interim Board engaged national executive search firm Korn Ferry to identify and vet qualified candidates from the U.S. science and university communities, in accordance with requirements of the organization’s bylaws, and agreements with Congress and NASA.

Candidates were selected by the following criteria:

* A demonstrated career in a commercial, academic or scientific area
* Experience in serving in high visibility positions and in leadership
* Management of a university or technically centric corporation, or a non-profit organization tackling life quality challenges through applied science
* Demonstrated performance as a board member fulfilling fiduciary duties.

Additionally, CASIS Board Members selected for the Scientific Category were required to: (1) be nationally-recognized contributors in their fields – as an expert in either biology, chemistry, physics or materials sciences preferably and (2) understand the perspectives of both primary research and applied research.