 From 1956-67 he chaired the National Academy of Sciences Fire Research committee, which studied tactics to fight large fires, including forest fires and fire storms in urban areas.He was a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.Hottel co-authored three books, contributed sections to 15 others and wrote more than 150 technical papers while acquiring eight patents.