□ Director V. Narry Kim (Professor at the School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University) of the Center for RNA Research at the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) was newly elected as a foreign associate of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) of the United States during the 151th NAS Annual Meeting held on April 29.

•     • Director Kim was recommended by a number of world-renowned scientists overseas, including three Nobel Laureates.

•     • During the 151th Annual Meeting, 84 members (including Distinguished Professor Frank McCormick at the University of California) and 21 foreign associates were newly elected in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research, bringing the total number of active members to 2,214 and the number of foreign associates to 444.

□ Director Kim was commended for her pioneering achievements in the field of the creation process of microRNAs and their biological functions during the Annual Meeting.

•     • In the past, Director Kim was appointed as Korea’s National Honor Scientist in recognition of her above achievements. Most recently, Director Kim has been leading the Center for RNA Research at IBS.

•     • Director Kim has also been acknowledged world-wide for her unparalleled accomplishments in the RNA research field. For instance, she was a member of the editorial board of Cell, one of the world’s most prestigious journals in the field of life sciences.