American Academy of Arts and Sciences is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 to advance research and to promote the study of national and international problems. Members are chosen for achievements in scholarship, the arts, the professions, or public affairs.
The academy administers funds for research and awards prizes for outstanding achievement, including the Rumford Prize in the physical and biological sciences and the Emerson-Thoreau Medal in literature. One of the academy’s main activities is to appraise current and emerging issues in such areas as arms control, education, and economic development. Headquarters of the academy are in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
