One of the great strengths of the Academy is its ability to bring together members with other experts from many disciplines and professions to explore contemporary challenges, identify solutions, and offer ways forward to advance the public good.

In a new release today, the American Academy reports on the first broad national survey on the humanities, which asked Americans about their engagement in a variety of humanistic activities, as well as their beliefs about the personal, societal, and economic benefits of the humanities.

Public Trust in Vaccines identifies priorities for future research that would elucidate how health care providers can best communicate with undecided parents about the individual and community benefits of childhood vaccinations.

Those of us who teach undergraduates are familiar with the trend revealed in these data. Baccalaureate graduates typically have earned more course credits in the humanities (about 17% as defined here) than in STEM fields (about 13%). STEM majors earn fewer credits in the humanities than do students majoring in other areas; and students majoring in the humanities, business, social sciences, and education apparently earn no more than a required minimum of their credits in STEM courses.

A new lithograph by the U.S. preeminent painter and sculptor Ellsworth Kelly now hangs in the atrium of the House of the Academy. In celebration of the Academy’s 225th anniversary, Kelly donated 25 signed prints of his “Sunflower II” from a limited edition of 60 lithographs. The remaining prints have been designated by Kelly to be used as gifts of appreciation to donors who make lead contributions to the Academy’s endowment and capital funds during the 225th anniversary period.

Sterling Speirn served on the 35-member Academy commission and talks about his life's work and this initiative of "civic, cultural and political reforms that could inspire a democratic renaissance at this crucial moment."

Since January when I began my tenure as President, I have viewed firsthand the Academy do what it does best: convene members and other experts from across disciplines and professions to address some of the most important challenges that face our nation and the world. In just my first month at the Academy, I participated in meetings about improving K-12 education, understanding the role of the arts in American life, and rethinking a humanitarian health approach to violent conflict.

The two-day forum, part of a project of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, led by the Freeman Spogli Institute’s Karl Eikenberry and Stephen Krasner, gathered experts to examine trends in civil wars and solutions moving forward.

Morton L. Mandel, business leader and entrepreneur, named as the recipient of the American Academy's Scholar-Patriot Award in recognition of his philanthropy and dedication to public service.

Language education is dwindling at every level in the US, from school to university, and a diminishing share of the country’s residents speak languages other than English, according to a new report from the American Academy.

From its founding, the American Academy was engaged in one of the earliest efforts to collect and analyze medical data as it pertained mainly to births and deaths, as a means of promoting public health.

Rebecca Sandefur, cochair of Academy project on access to justice, believes America needs a new model for handling everyday legal issues.

There is no resource more central to life on Earth than water. It is essential to the survival of people, organisms, and economies; its availability is inextricably linked to humanity’s need for security, energy, food, and community. The Summer 2015 issue of Dædalus moves beyond the failures of our tried approaches to water management.

The events of Induction Weekend 2019 feature artists, scholars, activists, and leaders in business, philanthropy, and public service.

Applying threat-reduction lessons from cyber technology, biological science, and biotechnology to nuclear technology

The publication provides an overview of undergraduate financial aid – its history, evolution, and controversies – and highlights key issues that are central to the future of higher education and the American economy.

The Academy partnered with iCivics to host a virtual panel event featuring General Jim Mattis, Louise Dube, and Danielle Allen on the link between civics education and national security.