American Academy Inducts 227th Class of
Scholars, Scientists, Artists, Civic, Corporate and Philanthropic Leaders
Friday, October 5, 2007
CAMBRIDGE, MA - Superior
scholarship, artistic triumph and exemplary service to society will be
celebrated here on Saturday, October 6, as the American Academy of Arts and
Sciences officially welcomes its 227th class of Fellows.
Founded in 1780, the Academy honors excellence each
year by electing to membership the finest minds and most influential leaders of
the day. Among this year’s new members are former Vice President Albert
Gore, Jr.; former Supreme Court Associate Justice Sandra Day
O’Connor; New York Mayor and businessman Michael Bloomberg;
Google Chairman and CEO Eric Schmidt; New York Times investigative
correspondent James Risen; filmmaker Spike Lee;
acclaimed chef, activist and cookbook author Alice Waters; and
Pixar Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter.
Six members of the newly elected class will address
their colleagues at the induction ceremony at Harvard University’s Sanders
Theatre: MIT robotics professor and co-founder of iRobot Corporation Rodney
Brooks; Princeton University molecular biologist Bonnie
Bassler; civil rights champion and University of California,
Berkeley, law school dean Christopher Edley, Jr. opera singer
Jessye Norman, architect Billie Tsien, and
mathematician and University of Chicago President Robert Zimmer.
“The induction ceremony is an opportunity to welcome
new members and celebrate the extraordinary history of the organization, now in
its third century of service to the nation,” said Chief Executive Officer Leslie
Berlowitz. “The Academy both honors excellence by electing members
to its fellowship and draws on that distinguished membership to address
critical social and intellectual issues. It does so through studies,
publications, meetings and symposia.”
The 202 new Fellows and 23 new Foreign Honorary Members
are leaders in scholarship, business, the arts and public affairs. They come
from 27 states and 12 countries, and range in age from 36 to 92. They represent
dozens of universities, corporations, museums, research institutes, media
outlets and foundations, and include seven university presidents or
chancellors; winners of Nobel and Pulitzer prizes, and Academy Awards; and two
former chairs of the President’s Council of Economic Advisors.
Other new Fellows are: economists Gregory Mankiw
and Murray Weidenbaum; supercomputer expert David Shaw;
Grammy-winning pianist Emanuel Ax; historian Nell Painter;
classicist Sabine MacCormack; and international public health
leader Allan Rosenfield.
This year’s new Foreign Honorary Members come from
Europe, Asia, Canada, and the Middle East, and include Italian glassblower Lino
Tagliapietra; Israeli biochemist and Nobel laureate Avram
Hershko; French literary scholar Tzvetan Todorov;
Pritzker Prize-winning Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas; and
Canadian Supreme Court Justice Rosalie Abella.
A complete list of new members is available on the
Academy’s website at: www.amacad.org
“The Academy takes great pride in honoring the accomplishments of these
outstanding and influential individuals,” said Academy President Emilio
Bizzi. “Throughout its history, Fellows of the Academy have been
dedicated to advancing intellectual thought and constructive action in America
and the world. We are confident that our newest group of Fellows will help us
fulfill that mission in significant ways.”
On Saturday, new members will learn about the Academy’s wide-ranging research
program. Current Fellows will discuss some of the Academy’s ongoing projects,
which include such topics as the state of the humanities, the independence of
the American judiciary, the future of the Internet, nuclear proliferation, the
future of the media, and universal education. New members also will learn about
the Academy’s Visiting Scholars Program, which mentors the next generation of
scholars and thinkers.
New Fellows and Honorary Foreign Members are nominated and elected by current
members of the Academy. Members are divided into five broad classes:
mathematics and physical sciences; biological sciences; social sciences;
humanities and the arts; and public affairs, business and administration.
Founded in 1780, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent
research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging
problems. Current Academy research focuses on: science, technology, and global
security; social policy and American Institutions; the humanities and culture;
and education. With headquarters in Cambridge, Mass., the Academy’s work is
advanced by its 4,600 elected members, who are leaders in the academic
disciplines, the arts, business and public affairs from around the world.
(www.amacad.org)
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