Houston: Ten Indian-Americans are among the 67 new members and 12 foreign associates elected to America's prestigious National Academy of Engineering (NAE) for their pioneering works in the field of technology. Election to the NAE is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to American engineers. Academy membership honours those who have made outstanding contributions to engineering research, practise, or education, and to the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering. The Indian-Americans include Hari Balakrishnan, professor of computer science, Anantha Chandrakasan professor of Electrical Engineering and head, department of electrical engineering and comp science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sangeeta Bhatia, investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Deepakraj M Divan, president, chief technical officer, Varentec Inc.

Others include Supratik Guha, director of physical sciences, IBM Corp, Samir Mitragotri, director, Center for Bioengineering, Santosh K Das, retired vice president, Polymer Technologies Inc., Guruswami Ravichandran, Junior Professor of Aerospace, Junuthula N Reddy, distinguished professor, Ajit P Yoganathan, Regents' Professor. Founded in 1964, the US National Academy of Engineering is a private, independent, non-profit institution that provides engineering leadership in service to the nation. Its mission is to advance the well-being of the nation by promoting a vibrant engineering profession and by marshalling the expertise and insights of eminent engineers to provide independent advice to the federal government on matters involving engineering and technology.