Yonggang Huang Joins the Ranks of Darwin, Newton

On July 14, Yonggang Huang, the Jan and Marcia Achenbach Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Civil and Environmental Engineering, was inducted into the Royal Society in a ceremony in London.  

Huang was elected as a Foreign Member of the Royal Society, the United Kingdom’s national academy of science and one of the most prestigious academies in Europe. 

The Royal Society Fellowship comprises scientists, engineers, and technologists from the UK and the Commonwealth. Fellows and Foreign Members are elected for life through a rigorous peer-review process based on excellence in science. 

During the ceremony, Huang signed the Fellow’s book – a hallowed doctrine that stretches back centuries and has become a living archive of some of the greatest figures in science.  

"This book started in 1662 when the Academy was first established,” Huang said. “This book contains the original signatures of all fellows of Royal Society, including Newton's and Darwin's original signatures in this book.”  

"I am deeply honored to sign the same book as Newton, Darwin, and many giants in science,” he said.