Randy Hultgren Congratulates Fermilab Director on National Appointment

U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren (IL-14) today gave kudos to the director of for his move into an honor society.

Pier Oddone was appointed to the National Academy of Sciences, which is dedicated to advancing science and technology. Academy membership includes about 2,100 members and 380 foreign associates. Nearly 200 of them have won Nobel Prizes, according to the Academy's website.

"I congratulate Director Oddone for receiving this esteemed honor," Hultgren said in a press release. "An appointment of this magnitude from his peers is a testament to his contributions to the science community and leadership at Fermilab. We depend on the efforts of Pier and others to ensure that America is and will remain a world leader in innovation and scientific discovery."

Hulgren accompanied by Oddone. He also said the cuts the lab was threatened with earlier this year while visiting the 14th district back in February. Oddone has since said the lab will not have to give furloughs this year—more on that .

Election to the Academy is considered one of the highest honors that a scientist or engineer can receive. Academy members and foreign associates are elected in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research, according to the release.

Past Academy members include Albert Einstein, Robert Oppenheimer, Thomas Edison, Orville Wright and Alexander Graham Bell.

More About Oddone

Oddone was appointed Fermilab Director in July 2005. He previously served as Deputy Director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Oddone's research has been in experimental particle physics and based primarily on electron-positron colliders. He invented the Asymmetric B-Factory, a new kind of elementary particle collider to study the differences between matter and antimatter. Oddone in 2005 received the Panofsky Award of the American Physical Society for this invention.

Oddone is a Fellow of the American Physical Society.  He was elected as Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in 2008.  He also served as a member of the Executive Council of the National Laboratory Directors Council (NLDC).