title: Age and academic-professional honors.
abstract: This report analyzes variations in the age distribution of individuals at selection to three prominent positions in the academic-professional community. Nobel prizewinner, president of a scientific or professional association, and president of a major research-oriented university. The mean ages of the individuals in each of the categories are compared with those of the presumed pool of scientists. The cross-sectional variations in age at selection seem to be correlated with variations in the levels of codification among the disciplines. There has been a tendency toward older selectees over time. The aging of the pool of scientists cannot fully account for this aging trend. A backlog of candidates for recognition seems to be implicated.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D001363:Awards and Prizes; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009613:Nobel Prize; D012952:Societies; D014495:Universities