Ohio State researcher elected to national post Linda Saif, a professor and researcher with Ohio State's Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC), has been elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest honors that can be accorded a U.S. scientist or engineer.
Saif is a virologist who works with OARDC's Food Animal Health Research Program. She is known nationally and internationally for her work on enteric viruses, which cause mortality and illness in both food-producing animals and humans. During the past 30 years, she has identified new intestinal viruses and developed diagnostic tests and research methods for working with them in the laboratory. While fulfilling OARDC's mission to address the health needs of animal agriculture, she has made important discoveries that contribute to human health as well. One example is her ongoing effort to develop safe and effective vaccines for rotavirus diarrhea, which kills nearly 1 million children every year.
The National Academy of Sciences is a private organization of scientists and engineers dedicated to the furtherance of science and its use for the general welfare. Upon request from the federal government, it serves as an official adviser in any matter of science and technology. | |