Randy W. Schekman moderated a panel discussion on consensus and controversy in science with Jennifer Doudna, Richard A. Muller, and Pamela Ronald.

In September, Fellows and guests gathered at the House of the Academy to dedicate the Leo L. Beranek Library, named in recognition of Beranek’s generous gift of $550,000 to the Academy’s endowment. The gift is the first in response to naming opportunities for rooms in the House, instituted as part of the Academy’s commitment to increase its resources to fully realize its mission in the years ahead.

Following World War II, our government forged a commitment to support scientific research. Today, our nation’s standing is threatened due to the under-prioritization of investment in scientific research.

John G. Levi discusses access to justice, and how many low-income Americans have significant difficulty navigating our country’s legal system on their own.

The Legacy Recognition Program, an important part of the Academy’s overall effort to address and reconcile our history regarding racism and inequality, highlights the contributions of scholars, researchers, writers, artists, business leaders, community leaders, and others whose accomplishments have been overlooked or undervalued due to their race, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation.

The Academy shared a link to an opinion piece coauthored by James Fallows (Our Towns Civic Foundation), which highlights recommendations from the Academy’s Commission on Reimagining Our Economy that recognize the media as essential information infrastructure for a robust and resilient democracy.

Civil wars are getting longer, and their consequences are starting to seep across borders to threaten other countries and, sometimes, the rest of the world. In this first episode of the World Class podcast series on civil wars, Karl Eikenberry and Stephen Krasner talk about how war is changing and why we need to address it.

Robert Townsend, director of the Humanities Indicators, discusses PhD trends in the U.S.

This online data set – the first of its kind – attracted extensive attention in the news media and in the blogosphere and the website received more than 250,000 hits originating from 38 countries. The prototype includes 74 indicators and more than 200 tables and charts.

The American Academy of Arts and Sciences was founded by visionaries who foresaw that the nascent republic would benefit from the expertise of learned citizens to guide its development, health, and integrity through whatever challenges may arise.

In the face of increasing polarization and considerable stress on the American polity, a new issue of Dædalus begins a much-needed public conversation about how individuals and institutions can work together to strengthen democracy and promote the common good.

Representatives of the Initiative for Humanities and Culture's two major components—the Research Program and the Humanities Indicators Program—came together to refine and elaborate on their future plans and to learn about each other's progress.

Prizes Awarded by the American Academy

Black World War II veterans were denied the housing and education benefits of the 1944 G.I. Bill. An article in The New Republic endorses and explores legislation and a recommendation in the report from the Commission on Reimagining Our Economy, championed by Commission member Cornell Brooks, to extend those benefits to the direct descendants of those G.I.'s.

Judge Theodor Meron on his experiences being an international criminal judge.