On April 11, 2019, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences presented the inaugural Award for Excellence in Public Policy and Public Affairs to Ernest J. Moniz, the 13th Secretary of Energy of the United States. Ashton Carter, who served as the 25th Secretary of Defense of the United States and is the current Director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School, introduced Secretary Moniz and presented the award. An edited version of Secretary Moniz’s acceptance remarks appears below.

On March 31, 1999, Jared Diamond presented a condensed version of his talk on "How to Get Rich."

Sheldon Pollock explores the fate of philology amid far-reaching social and technological developments.

"In this essay, I review some of my work that attempts to understand the changes in human memory that take place from young adulthood to old age."

A newly released paper from the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, "Nuclear Power in Vietnam: International Responses and Future Prospects," explores the current and potential evolution of Vietnam’s nuclear program in light of regional geopolitical dynamics.

Over the past three years, the American Academy’s Commission on the Arts has developed a rich and diverse array of materials to elevate and promote arts education, the creative workforce, and the arts generally. Drawing on the expertise of artists, scholars, activists, and leaders of a variety of artistic institutions, the Commission developed two reports and a collection of artistic expressions.

William Labov is regarded as the founder of variationist sociolinguistics, a discipline dedicated to understanding and researching language in relation to social factors that include region, class, and gender. Dr. Labov has worked to promote literacy for speakers of nonstandard dialects and to develop reading and teaching materials for these populations.

The Academy’s strategic priorities include improving the impact of the Academy’s work and raising the visibility of the institution with external audiences. These audiences vary and have included policymakers at the federal, state, and local level; leaders in philanthropy, higher education, nonprofit organizations, and business; scholars and students; advocacy groups; professional groups and practitioners; and the public.

A new publication from the Academy, released in January 2015, features selected materials from the Academy’s Archives. Published to celebrate the 235th anniversary of the institution’s founding in 1780, “Advancing Knowledge” reflects the rich intellectual history of the Academy and the nation.

The Academy’s new strategic framework presents four animating principles and seven strategies that are designed to ensure that the Academy continues to produce high-quality, interdisciplinary work that addresses urgent societal challenges. In 2025, the Academy’s programmatic work laid the groundwork for new projects and initiatives that will implement this framework and built on ongoing efforts to increase impact and raise the visibility of the institution with external audiences. These audiences include policymakers at the federal, state, and local level; leaders in philanthropy, higher education, nonprofit organizations, and business; scholars and students; advocacy groups; professional groups and practitioners; and the public.

Language immersion is needed to help address global challenges, yet U.S. citizens are falling behind. Nicholas B. Dirks, member of the Academy's Commission on Language Learning, offers his commentary.

Danielle Allen featured on BYU Radio about what she learned cochairing the Academy's bipartisan Commission on democratic citizenship and how recommended reforms can help Americans increase trust in one another and their institutions.

Public Higher Education and the Private Sector on Tap for Discussion

Journalists seeking background information on yesterday’s report of the reported test of a Chinese anti-satellite weapon are encouraged to consult Academy resources from the Reconsidering the Rules of Space project.

The Academy issued its first volume of papers in 1786.