National Academy of Sciences

The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a private, non-profit society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the public good.An Act of Congress, signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 at the height of the Civil War, calls upon the NAS to provide independent advice to the government on matters related to science and technology. The National Research Council was created under the NAS charter in 1916 to extend the scope of the NAS in its advisory role. The National Academy of Engineering and the Institute of Medicine were organized under the NAS charter in 1964 and 1970, respectively.