Dr. George Bertsch and Dr. Gerald Mahan were the first to be appointed as UT/ORNL “distinguished scientists” in 1984 with the creation of the Science Alliance. An offer was also made to David Prescott, a research scientist from the University of Colorado, who declined. Bertsch resigned effective August 1, 1985, to return to Michigan State University to accept an endowed chair position. Mahan left in 2001 to become a distinguished professor at the Pennsylvania State University. He was the first UT faculty member to be elected to the National Academy of Science.