American Academy of Arts and Sciences facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Abbreviation	AAA&S
Formation	May 4, 1780; 245 years ago (1780-05-04)
Type	Honorary society and independent research center
Headquarters	Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.
Membership	5,700+ active members
Subsidiaries	Daedalus

The House of the Academy, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAA&S) is one of the oldest and most respected groups of thinkers in the United States. It was started in 1780 during the American Revolution. Important leaders like John Adams, John Hancock, and James Bowdoin helped create it.

The Academy's main office is in Cambridge, Massachusetts. To become a member, people go through a careful process of applying and being chosen. The Academy also publishes a quarterly journal called Dædalus. This journal shares new ideas and research. The Academy also does research on public policy, which means they study how government decisions affect people.

History of the Academy

The Academy was officially started by the state of Massachusetts on May 4, 1780. Its goal was to "cultivate every art and science." This meant they wanted to encourage all kinds of learning and discovery. They hoped this would help a free and independent country grow.

The first 62 members were important people from politics, business, and different jobs. In 1781, new members were chosen. These included famous figures like Benjamin Franklin and George Washington. Even international members from other countries joined.

The Academy started publishing its findings in 1785. Later, in the 1950s, they launched their journal Daedalus. This showed their interest in a wider range of ideas and social issues.

Since the mid-1900s, doing independent research has become very important to the Academy. They have studied big topics like arms control, which is about limiting weapons. The Academy also helped create the National Humanities Center in North Carolina.

In the late 1990s, the Academy made a new plan. They decided to focus on four main areas:

• Science, technology, and global safety
• Social policy and education
• Humanities (like history and literature) and culture
• Education

In 2002, the Academy started a program for visiting scholars. These scholars come to study at the Academy, often working with Harvard University. Many universities across the country support this program. The Academy has also given out awards and offered special programs for scholars.

In 2013, the president of the Academy, Leslie Berlowitz, resigned.

Academy Projects

The Humanities Indicators

One important project of the Academy is called The Humanities Indicators. This project helps people understand the state of the humanities in the United States. The humanities include subjects like history, literature, and philosophy.

This project provides data and tools for many groups. These include researchers, universities, museums, and libraries. They can use this information to learn about:

• How humanities are taught in schools and colleges.
• Who works in humanities jobs.
• How much money is spent on humanities programs.
• How the public understands and is affected by the humanities.

This project is similar to the Science and Engineering Indicators. That report is published by the National Science Board for the U.S. Congress.

Membership in the Academy

People become members of the Academy by being nominated and elected by other members. From the very beginning, members have included not just scientists and scholars. They also include writers, artists, and people from many different jobs and public life.

Throughout its history, over 10,000 people have been elected as members.

Founding members

The first members of the Academy in 1780 were:

• John Adams
• Samuel Adams
• John Bacon
• James Bowdoin
• Charles Chauncy
• John Clarke
• David Cobb
• Samuel Cooper
• Nathan Cushing
• Thomas Cushing
• William Cushing
• Tristram Dalton
• Francis Dana
• Samuel Deane
• Perez Fobes
• Caleb Gannett
• Henry Gardner
• Benjamin Guild
• John Hancock
• Joseph Hawley
• Edward Augustus Holyoke
• Ebenezer Hunt
• Jonathan Jackson
• Charles Jarvis
• Samuel Langdon
• Levi Lincoln
• Daniel Little
• Elijah Lothrup
• John Lowell
• Samuel Mather
• Samuel Moody
• Andrew Oliver
• Joseph Orne
• Theodore Parsons
• George Partridge
• Robert Treat Paine
• Phillips Payson
• Samuel Phillips
• John Pickering
• Oliver Prescott
• Zedekiah Sanger
• Nathaniel Peaslee Sargeant
• Micajah Sawyer
• Theodore Sedgwick
• William Sever
• David Sewall
• Stephen Sewall
• John Sprague
• Ebenezer Storer
• Caleb Strong
• James Sullivan
• John Bernard Sweat
• Nathaniel Tracy
• Cotton Tufts
• James Warren
• Samuel West
• Edward Wigglesworth
• Joseph Willard
• Abraham Williams
• Nehemiah Williams
• Samuel Williams
• James Winthrop

Famous Members

Many famous people have been members of the Academy. Some of these include:

• John Adams
• John James Audubon
• Sissela Bok
• Willa Cather
• T. S. Eliot
• Duke Ellington
• Josiah Willard Gibbs
• Joseph Henry
• Washington Irving
• Thomas Jefferson
• Edward R. Murrow
• Martha Nussbaum
• J. Robert Oppenheimer
• Augustus Saint-Gaudens
• Jonas Salk
• Eudora Welty

The Academy also has international honorary members from around the world. These include:

• Albert Einstein
• Leonhard Euler
• Marquis de Lafayette
• Alexander von Humboldt
• Charles Darwin
• Carl Friedrich Gauss
• Pablo Picasso
• Werner Heisenberg
• Alec Guinness

Maria Mitchell, an astronomer, was the first woman elected to the Academy in 1848.

Today, there are over 5,700 active members. These members are from the United States and other countries. More than 250 Academy members have won a Nobel Prize. Over 60 members have won a Pulitzer Prize.

Many members are connected to top universities. The table below shows universities with 300 or more members.

† This list does not include members who only worked at national laboratories.

Membership Categories

As of 2023, the Academy's members are divided into five main groups. These groups cover many different areas of knowledge.

Class I – Mathematical and physical sciences

• Section 1. Mathematics, applied mathematics, and statistics
• Section 2. Physics
• Section 3. Chemistry
• Section 4. Astronomy, astrophysics, and earth sciences
• Section 5. Engineering and technologies
• Section 6. Computer sciences

Class II – Biological sciences

• Section 1. Biochemistry, biophysics, and molecular biology
• Section 2. Cellular and developmental biology
• Section 3. Neurosciences
• Section 4. Evolution and ecology
• Section 5. Medical sciences

Class III – Social and behavioral sciences

• Section 1. Psychological sciences
• Section 2. Economics
• Section 3. Political science
• Section 4. Law
• Section 5. Archaeology and anthropology
• Section 6. Sociology, demography, and geography
• Section 7. Education

Class IV – Arts and humanities

• Section 1. Philosophy
• Section 2. History
• Section 3. Literature and language studies
• Section 4. Literature
• Section 5. Visual arts
• Section 6. Performing arts
• Section 7. Religious studies

Class V – Public affairs, business, and administration

• Section 1. Journalism, media, and communications
• Section 2. Business, corporate, and philanthropic leadership
• Section 3. Educational and academic leadership
• Section 4. Public affairs and public policy
• Section 5. Scientific, cultural, and nonprofit leadership

Presidents of the Academy

The Academy has had many presidents since it was founded in 1780. Here is a list of them:

See Also

In Spanish: Academia Estadounidense de las Artes y las Ciencias para niños

• American Philosophical Society
• National Academy of Engineering
• National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine)
• National Academy of Sciences
• List of American Academy of Arts and Sciences members