IRVINE : UCI Professor Joins Philosophical Society

A UC Irvine professor has been elected to the American Philosophical Society, the oldest American academy recognizing achievement in thought, UCI officials said Wednesday.

R. Duncan Luce, a psychologist and distinguished professor of cognitive sciences at UCI, was among 30 people from the United States and six from abroad elected to the society April 22, UCI spokesman Scott Nelson said.

Other figures elected included Walter Cronkite, Toni Morrison and Nelson Mandela, Nelson said.

Luce, of Irvine, uses mathematics to try to predict human behavior, Nelson said. Luce’s models of behavior are often used by researchers worldwide, the spokesman said.

At UCI, the professor directs the Institute for Mathematical Behavioral Sciences, which includes more than 35 faculty members who examine how mathematics relates to sciences such as psychology.

Luce, 69, came to UCI in 1988 after serving as a professor at Harvard University, Nelson said.

The American Philosophical Society was founded in 1743, Nelson said. The group recognizes achievement in science, humanities and arts, provides grants, and publishes journals.

Only one other UCI researcher--Francisco Ayala, a distinguished professor of biological sciences, has been elected to the prestigious society, Nelson said. Ayala was chosen in 1984.