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Physical Sciences Dean Miguel García-Garibay and Former Director Mary Nichols Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

The dean of Physical Sciences, Miguel García-Garibay and former IoES Director Mary Nichols were elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the nation’s most prestigious honorary societies.

Miguel García-Garibay, dean of the UCLA Division of Physical Sciences and professor of chemistry and biochemistry, has earned worldwide recognition in the fields of artificial molecular machines, organic photochemistry, solid-state organic chemistry and physical organic chemistry. He studies the interaction of light and molecules in crystals. Light can have enough energy to break and make bonds in molecules, and García-Garibay’s research team has shown that crystals offer an opportunity to control the outcome of these chemical reactions.

Mary Nichols is professor-in-residence at the UCLA School of Law and a member and former director of the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. She also serves as chair of the California Air Resources Board. Prior to joining UCLA, Nichols was the California Secretary for Resources (from 1979 to 2003), where she was responsible for activities related to the management, preservation and enhancement of the state’s natural resources, and for the oversight of the state’s scenic, cultural and recreational resources.