- Mary Firestone
Mary Firestone, a professor of soil microbiology at UC Berkeley’s Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, has been elected to The National Academy of Sciences. Election to the National Academy is considered to be a high honor, as nominations are reserved for scientists who demonstrate distinguished and continuing achievements in their fields.
As a microbial ecologist, Firestone’s work includes developing a greater understanding of the soil microbial environment, as well as applying that knowledge towards advancements in issues relating to sustainability, biodegradation, and soil structure. She has collaborated with Environmental & Earth Sciences Area Research Scientist Eoin Brodie on a U.S. Department of Energy-funded study that examined the role played by soil microbial communities in stabilizing soil organic carbon, as well as on a project investigating the microbial link between rain and the release of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.
A complete list of all of the scientists elected to the National Academy in 2017 can be accessed here.