Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone, immediate past president of the National Academy of Sciences, and also an Honorary Academician of Academia Sinica, died at his home in New Jersey on November 5 at the age of 73. 
　　Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone was the 21st president of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) of the United States (from July 1, 2005 to June 30, 2016). He was a leader of the scientific community and a world-renowned authority on atmospheric chemistry and climate change. “The entire scientific community is mourning the sudden and untimely loss of this great leader who has been unexpectedly removed from the forefront of the scientific issues that matter most to the future well-being of society,” said Marcia McNutt, Cicerone’s successor as president of the National Academy of Sciences. “Ralph Cicerone was a model for all of us of not only doing what counts, but doing it with honesty, integrity, and deep passion.”
　　During his time at the NAS, Dr. Cicerone was a strong and effective voice for both climate education and evolution education. In the words of the Academy’s memorial notice: “Cicerone was an atmospheric scientist whose research placed him at the forefront in shaping science and environmental policy, both nationally and internationally. In 2001, he led a key National Academy of Sciences study about climate change requested by President George W. Bush. Ten years later, under Cicerone's leadership, a comprehensive set of reports titled America's Climate Choices, which called for action on reducing greenhouse gas emissions while identifying strategies to help the nation and world adapt to a changing climate, were issued. Under Cicerone’s guidance, the NAS and the Royal Society — the science academy of the U.K. — teamed up in 2014 to produce Climate Change: Evidence and Causes, a readable publication written for policymakers, educators, and members of the public.” Cicerone also helped to develop the Academy’s 2008 publication Science, Evolution, and Creationism, a book designed to give the public a comprehensive and up-to-date picture of the current scientific understanding of evolution and its importance in the science classroom.
　　Dr. Cicerone was invited to Academia Sinica in 2008 and 2014 when he presented a lecture as part of the Academia Sinica Lecture Series. He was elected as an Honorary Academician of Academia Sinica in 2010.
　　Dr. Cicerone received his B.S. degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1965 and his M.S. and Ph.D. in electrical engineering with a minor in physics from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, in 1967 and 1970. He was a researcher at the University of Michigan, the University of California, San Diego, and the National Center for Atmospheric Research before moving to the University of California, Irvine, in 1989, where he served as Chancellor from 1998 to 2005. He then served as the president of the National Academy of Sciences from 2005 to 2016. His honors included the Roger Revelle Medal from the American Geophysical Union.