New fellows named at Wisconsin Academy

The Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters has inducted five new Wisconsin Academy Fellows, including three professors.

Those honored from UW–Madison include Hector DeLuca, professor and chair of the biochemistry department; Raymond Gloeckler, wood engraving artist and art professor emeritus; and James A. Thomson, anatomy professor and scientific director of WiCell Research Institute.

Also recognized as fellows are Sister Esther Heffernan, a professor emeritus of social science at Madison’s Edgewood College, and Allen Young, vice president for collections, research and public programs at the Milwaukee Public Museum.

DeLuca is best known for discovering the vitamin D-endocrine system, which revolutionized the treatment of osteoporosis, cured the syndrome of vitamin D-resistant rickets and has been a lifesaver for patients on dialysis. He has received more than 150 patents for his work.

Gloeckler, whose work has been exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide since the 1960s, is one of the world’s great masters of wood engraving art.

Thomson has conducted pioneering research with stem cells that may lead to treatments for Parkinson’s disease, juvenile diabetes, heart disease and damaged nervous tissue.

The mission of the Wisconsin Academy is to gather and share knowledge in the sciences and humanities for the benefit of people in the state. As such, its fellows have accomplished unparalleled excellence in their careers and have contributed significantly to the intellectual and cultural enrichment of Wisconsin.