AAAS Inducts 225th Class of Fellows

The American Academy of Arts and Sciences inducted its 225th class of fellows and foreign honorary members on Saturday in Sanders Theatre, with 14 Harvard professors and administrators among the inductees.

Cumrun Vafa, Donner professor of science, expressed his happiness to be among this year’s inductees.

“It is part of the American tradition of valuing sciences and arts and it is a great honor for me, especially coming from the different background of Iran,” he said.

Vafa described the work in string theory for which he was elected as, “an area of physics that attempts to explain the fundamental laws of nature and the only theory we know of where quantum theory and gravity can coexist in a mathematically consistent framework.”

Alfred L. Goldberg, professor of cell biology at Harvard Medical School, was elected into the Academy for 30 years of research on protein breakdown in cells.

“We have discovered a structure in cells called the proteasone where this [protein] destruction occurs. Drugs that disrupt the proteasone’s actions are now used to treat certain blood cancers,” he explained. “We’ve uncovered a fundamental cellular process and many applications are seen in many different areas of biology.”

When asked for his thoughts about the Academy, Goldberg replied, “I’m looking forward to interacting with many major figures of American and intellectual life.”

“I was honored and also humbled,” said Robert J. Sampson, Ford professor of social sciences. “It’s rather an impressive cast of characters, both past and present members.”

Sampson was honored for his work in crime and its origins and the social life of cities.

Although he was unable to attend the induction ceremony due to obligations in Europe, William C. Kirby, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, was among this year’s fellows.

“I am very, very honored to join the distinguished class of those inducted into the Academy,” he wrote in an e-mail from London.

The Academy was founded in 1780 by John Adams, John Hancock, and other prominent American leaders in order to build a community of leaders from various fields who would consolidate their talents to improve society. Today, the Academy continues in this endeavor.

The Academy elects its fellows based on their intellectual achievement, leadership, and creativity in one of five classes: mathematical and physical sciences; biological sciences; social sciences; humanities and arts; and public affairs, business, and administration. Members work together to study issues of contemporary importance through multidisciplinary analysis.

The Academy’s seal depicts Minerva, Roman goddess of victory in war and wisdom, a rising sun, and the motto “Sub Libertate Florent.” Established during the Revolutionary War, the Academy was founded to represent some of the brightest minds and hopes of a new country, as well as the belief that the arts and sciences flourish under freedom.

Other 2005 fellows from Harvard are David E. Bloom, Gamble professor of economics and demography; John H. Coatsworth, director of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies; James Engell, Gurney professor of English literature; Elena Kagan, dean of Harvard Law School; Duncan M. Kennedy, Carter professor of general jurisprudence at Harvard Law School; Louis M. Kunkel, professor of pediatrics and genetics at Harvard Medical School; Jay W. Lorsch, Kirstein professor of human relations at Harvard Business School; Tom A. Rapoport, professor of cell biology at Harvard Medical School; Robert I. Rotberg, president of the World Peace Foundation and director of the Kennedy School of Government’s Program on Intrastate Conflict and Conflict Resolution; and Stephen M. Walt, academic dean of the Kennedy School of Government.