Academy Projects

The Academy carries out influential and pioneering work on significant contemporary issues. Bringing together scholars, policymakers, business leaders, and other experts, Academy studies provide multidisciplinary analyses of complex social, political, and intellectual topics in an objective environment. This framework distinguishes the Academy from other research institutes and think tanks whose agendas may be defined by the research needs of outside agencies. Academy studies often shape new fields of study that transcend disciplinary boundaries and explore issues before their importance has been recognized.

The Committee on Studies is responsible for reviewing and approving all studies undertaken in the name of the Academy and helping to identify proposed studies that will make optimum use of Academy expertise and resources. The Committee on Studies works closely with the Committee on Publications to ensure that Academy project reports and publications enhance the stature of the institution and the visibility of its intellectual contributions to the scholarly and policy communities and to the public at large.

The Academy's major program areas are:

	Science, Technology, and Global Security: This area explores how the international community can devise new cooperative structures to improve global security, analyzes the impact of rapid developments in science and technology, and develops policies to govern these transformations.
	Social Policy and American Institutions: Under this program, Academy Fellows carry out studies that focus on American institutions at the crossroads, particularly the government and the corporation.
	Humanities and Culture: Work within this initiative is designed to enhance public understanding of the value and role of the humanities in American life and to create new resources to inform coherent policy analyses relative to the humanities.
	Education: This program deals with education at all levels—from primary and secondary education to teaching and research at the university level.