�����Ƶ

Transcription:

Dear Drs. Liu and Oxtoby:

With equal disbelief and delight I received your letter informing me of my election to the American �����Ƶ of Arts and Sciences. It is a tremendous honor to be invited to join the ranks of so many wise and accomplished individuals, past and present. Before you discover you mistook me for someone else, I gratefully accept the invitation.

As an archaeologist, I can’t give myself much individual credit. We spend time scavenging bits of pottery from trash heaps hundreds of years old. We can glimpse how human history stretches back into the deep past like a giant textile woven by millions of people, sometimes well, sometimes poorly. It is gratifying to formally join the distinguished tapestry of the great �����Ƶ thinkers and visionaries, who include many of my direct intellectual forebears. My own research has been made out of the artifacts and settlements crafted by pre-Columbian Andean people, the knowledge and inspiration I’ve borrowed from many colleagues and students, the guidance of wonderful mentors, and above all, the loving support of my family. So I think this honor belongs to all of us.

I look forward to meeting the other new members, and gladly embrace the �����Ƶ’s mission to foster a more enlightened world.

All my best,

[signed]

Elizabeth Arkush

Transcription:

Dear Mr. Liu and Mr. Oxtoby,

It gives me great pleasure to be invited to be a member of the American �����Ƶ of Arts and Sciences. It is an honor that I gratefully and enthusiastically accept.

My work as an artist and longtime professor has been centered on the ways in which creative expression can impact the larger social world that we live in. I always tell my students that we are all citizens before we are anything else, and that the work in we do in our chosen field should in some way take that into account, with clear intention.

I am pleased to join the long list of distinguished �����Ƶ members whose lives and works have significantly impacted the world we all live in. I look forward to working with the �����Ƶ and my fellow members to continue our individual and collective efforts for the greater good.

Sincerely,

[signed]

Dawoud Bey

Transcription:

Dear President Oxtoby and Chair Liu,

I am delighted to accept your invitation to join the �����Ƶ. For nearly 250 years, this institution has done vital work to advance knowledge in a wide range of fields, bringing together our nation’s most visionary leaders and thinkers in service of the common good. I am humbled – and profoundly honored – that you have included me among their ranks.

I have always believed that a flourishing society depends on creativity to inspire new ideas and innovation to bring them to life. As such, I find the �����Ƶ’s ambitious mission to cultivate “every art and science” to be deeply important. It also aligns with the work we do at Apple, which has always stood at the intersection of the liberal arts and technology. Every day, we innovate to help foster creativity, learning, and human connection – all with the goal of enriching people’s lives.

In these remarkable times, with the unique challenges and opportunities before us, I believe the �����Ƶ’s efforts to convene leading experts from across disciplines have never been more essential. This moment, as much as any I can remember, calls for collaboration. It calls for innovation. It calls for what the late author and �����Ƶ president Howard Mumford Jones described as “imaginative daring.” And it calls on each of us to do our part to leave the world better than we found it.

I am grateful to the �����Ƶ for your commitment to that goal – and for your invaluable contributions to our society. Thank you again for this wonderful honor.

Best,

[signed]

[Tim Cook]

Transcription:

Dear President Oxtoby and Chair Liu:

It is an immense honor to accept your invitation to join the membership of the American �����Ƶ of Arts and Sciences.

In his essay “On the Nature of Human Community,” the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu writes: “In our African weltanschauung, our world view, we have something called ubuntu. In Xhosa, we say, “Umntu ngumtu ngabantu.” This expression is very difficult to render in English, but we could translate it by saying, “A person is a person through other persons.”

In my medical and scientific community, those “other persons” are the hundreds of undergraduates, medical students, graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, clinical fellows, and residents I have had the privilege of mentoring and collaborating with throughout my career. My achievements are our achievements, and my election to the �����Ƶ would not have been possible without them.

It will be a privilege to join my fellow members of the �����Ƶ to advance its mission.

With warm regards,

[signed]

Mark D’Esposito, M.D.

Transcription:

Dear Mr. Liu and Mr. Oxtoby,

Thank you for your letter informing me of my election to the American �����Ƶ of Arts and Sciences. It is a great honor and privilege and I wholeheartedly accept your offer of membership in this esteemed academy.

I am especially honored as I believe I am one of the few pharmacist-scientists to become a member of the �����Ƶ. The profession of pharmacy has a history steeped in the arts and sciences of healing. Compounded medicines including salves, poultices, and powders, which eventually evolved into modern dosage forms such as tablets and capsules, represented the earliest forms of treatments for alleviating human pain and suffering. Indeed the word “pharmakon”, which forms the basis of the word “pharmacy”, derived from the Greek word for “poison” or “drug”. I chose to become a pharmacist because the profession combines the sciences of chemistry and biology including computational biology and genetics, with the arts and sciences of medicine, ultimately focusing on treating, healing and curing patients. I actively and enthusiastically pursued a creative career focused on the sciences that are embodied within pharmacy from molecular pharmacology to clinical drug response. Now as dean of a school of pharmacy, I hope to give back to the profession, by facilitating and leading the education, research and practice of pharmacy. I include here some pictures of pharmacy artifacts from the School of Pharmacy at the University of California San Francisco as a memento for the �����Ƶ.

[Images of an antique metal mortar and pestle; three glass medicine bottles with labels; an advertisement for herbal medicines; and a glass distilling apparatus]

I am grateful for my election in the �����Ƶ and would like to thank the �����Ƶ as well as my family, my students and colleagues, and my friends, especially my nominators. I look forward to interacting with visionary leaders, scientists, and artists in the �����Ƶ, to advance science, education, and human wellness both nationally and internationally.

Sincerely,

[signed]

Kathleen M. Giacomini

Transcription:

Dear American �����Ƶ of Arts and Science,

Thank you for informing me of my election to the �����Ƶ, which I am deeply honored to accept. With 244 years (and counting) of convening leaders from every field of study, I am humbled to join such a prestigious, influential, and enduring institution. I will do my best to uphold the charter to “cultivate every art and science which may tend to advance the interest, honor, dignity, and happiness of a free, independent, and virtuous people.”

The body of work that resulted in this honor would not have been possible alone. I would thus like to take this opportunity to thank and acknowledge my family, friends, teachers, mentors, collaborators, students, and postdocs, all of whom have contributed in countless ways. Below, I include a recent photo of the students and postdocs from my laboratory at Northwestern University. I share this honor with all members of my research group, past and present.

[Landscape color photograph of thirty-six students and post-doctoral fellows from Hersam’s laboratory at Northwestern University]

Sincerely,

[signed]

Mark C. Hersam

Transcription:

To Whom It May Concern:

I am honored to have been elected to the American �����Ƶ of Arts and Sciences and am excited to be a new member of this revered institution. What a wonderful surprise! I wholeheartedly accept this election to the �����Ƶ in union with and on behalf of the Native American community.

I am a proud member of the Kuna and Rappahannock nations. My father was Kuna from Kuna Vala, sovereign islands off the coast of Panama. My mother was Rappahannock from Virginia. They married in Brooklyn and I was born in Brooklyn - I am truly an urban Native. I have been an artist and activist my whole life. I grew up in the New York City Native community and in the theater community.

In 1976, I founded Spiderwoman Theater, the longest running feminist Native theater company in North America. Our work is based in an Indigenous storytelling practice. We produce provocative and humorous theatre that empowers and inspires Indigenous artists, knowledge keepers and women and girls; we inspire, nurture and challenge Indigenous and women theater artists and their communities to discover and explore their dreams and their futures through collective storytelling and performance.

For almost 50 years, our body of work has addressed critical cultural, social and political issues in the Indigenous and women’s communities, informed by traditional artistic expression, teachings and values. Our engagement with our communities in New York, the United States and internationally has allowed us to advance Indigenous performance in the global performing arts community. We have created a platform for Indigenous voices to be elevated to urge a more widespread understanding of cultural life in Indigenous communities and their unique worldviews.

I am so grateful for this unique recognition by the �����Ƶ and my colleagues. It is not mine alone. It is a recognition of the creativity, resiliency and joy that exists in all Native communities in the United States.

Sincerely,

[signed]

Muriel Miguel

Transcription:

Dear President Oxtoby and Chair Liu,

I am both honored and delighted to accept this invitation. Tomorrow will mark 32 years since I came to the United States from Korea to pursue my Ph. D in Mathematics. This invitation from the American �����Ƶ of Arts and Sciences gives me the feeling that my pursuit has not been in vain, as well as the encouragement to continue my exploration.

Perhaps this figure of a little girl traveling in the infinite hyperbolic world created by Joy Kim and the following poem by T.S. Eliot best express my mathematical pursuits in the past decade.

[Drawing of a small girl with a yellow flower in her hair, standing on a looping string]

We shall not cease from exploration. And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time - from “Little Gidding” Four Quartets by T.S. Eliot

Thank you very much!

Sincerely,
Hee Oh

Transcription:

Dear President Oxtoby and Chair Andrews,

It is with immense pride and humility that I celebrate my election to the prestigious American �����Ƶ of Arts and Sciences and thank the �����Ƶ for bestowing this honour reserved for men and women who have served the world with distinction on me. This honour truly represents a milestone, not just for me, but for all African women scientists who continue to work to make science work for the sustainable development of the continent. What an incredible honour!

This recognition also highlights the importance of diversity and inclusion in international diplomacy, academia and the sciences and a testimony to the strides that women, especially African women, are making as change agents in the world of education, research, and innovation.

My inclusion in the membership of this prestigious �����Ƶ along with notable and very distinguished scientists, policy makers and advocates reinvigorates me to work incessantly to help shape the direction of research and analysis and innovation for the future we want for Africa and beyond in various fields, from science and technology to social policy and the humanities. It is inspiring and humbling to be in the company of such esteemed individuals whose contributions have left a legacy and impacted society in the past and continue to shape the present and future.

I am excited to participate in the 2024 Induction and look forward to engaging with fellow members to exchange ideas, and network to forge alliances for addressing global challenges while seeking solutions and pursuing the science-policy-society nexus, and science diplomacy as models for equitable partnerships and global peace building for a brighter future for all.

A big thank you to all those who have walked this journey to international recognition with me: my family, with husband being my strongest advocate, my alma mater schools and universities in Ghana and Australia, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) with its 194 member states, the African �����Ƶ of Sciences, friends, colleagues, my nominators, and African quiet achievers.

My election to the American �����Ƶ of Arts and Sciences as an International Honorary Member, is not just a personal achievement but a symbol of hope and empowerment for aspiring African women scientists everywhere. Thank you again for this remarkable honour and visibility.

I humbly receive this accolade on behalf of all African women scientists, policy makers and educators.

With sincere gratitude

[signed]

Dr Peggy Oti-Boateng

Transcription:

Dear President Oxtoby,

Thank you very much for your letter announcing my election to the American �����Ƶ of Arts and Sciences. It is a great honor that must be shared with the many outstanding scientists that I have been so fortunate to have join me and Margaret McFall-Ngai on this 35 year adventure studying the symbiosis between the bioluminescent bacterium Vibrio fischeri and the Hawaiian bobtail squid. Without the dedication, enthusiasm and creativity of these remarkable students and colleagues, the wonderful discoveries that this association has provided to microbiome studies would not have been possible. However, before accepting your invitation to join the �����Ƶ, I felt I had to consult with the many billions of other, microscopic collaborators who so graciously revealed their many secrets of how to be such invaluable partners of their host. I am delighted to say that, when asked to share this honor with me, they assented en masse.

[Image of bioluminescent bacteria arranged in a Petri dish to spell out “We accept!!”]

Please receive this letter as verification of our acceptance of your invitation into the ranks of the �����Ƶ. I will be delighted to represent all my colleagues (large and small) at the induction ceremony in Boston.

With gratitude,

[signed]

Edward Ruby

Transcription:

Dear Justice Liu and Dr. Oxtoby:

It made my day, month, and year to receive your letter of April 22, 2024, announcing my election to the American �����Ƶ of Arts and Sciences. With or without my admission, this is a club that I would be honored to join. Now that you have offered membership, I gladly and gratefully accept.

I am especially touched thinking about three �����Ƶ members without whom I would not be here: Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr., who modeled modesty, civility, and respect for the principles of federalism; Justice Antonin Scalia, who taught me that while wit, reasoning, and history may carry the day, some things are more important than winning; and Justice Hans Arthur Linde of the Oregon Supreme Court, who paved the way for those seeking innovative, if imperfect, solutions in state constitutions. I wish that they could see what their mentorship has meant to me.

Thank you. I look forward to joining you for the induction ceremony this September.

All the best,

[signed]

Jeffrey S. Sutton

Transcription:

Dear President Oxtoby and Board Chair Liu,

I received your notice of my election with some shock. Joy and gratitude quickly began to compete for pride of emotional place. But shock initially won out, and continues to make a good showing.

This condition compromises my search for the right words of appreciation and excitement. When the words come there will be too many of them, or too few, and they will, in any event, take too long to arrive. (What also delays them: the fervent and fruitless wish that my parents, George and Johnnie, my grandmothers, Maggie and Julia, and my mother-in-law, Marialie, were here to share this honor with me.)

Better, then, to borrow some language. When I am invited to sign a book, I often begin by paraphrasing Emerson: the day belongs to those who work in it with serenity and great aims. Serenity is elusive, and I’m in no position to say whether my aims are great. But I have found this language instructive and empowering. Perhaps election to the �����Ƶ is evidence that the instruction has borne fruit.

I happily, and gratefully, accept.

Sincerely,

[signed]

Paul C. Taylor

Transcription:

Dear Drs. Oxtoby and Liu:

It is an honor, and gives me great pleasure, to accept your invitation to membership in the American �����Ƶ of Arts and Sciences. In perusing other letters of acceptance, I see a bit of biography attached to each. Since I have been living longer than most current members and have a habit of excessive verbal wandering, such an exercise would waste page space, and likely bore most future readers. Instead I attach two images reflecting the arc of my professional history from 1) my years as a “teenage herpetologist” to 2) my current status as theoretician, ant enthusiast, and collaborator with my colleague, comrade and wife, Ivette Perfecto (also a member of the academy). I hope this photo summary of a really long and convoluted story will save you (and future readers) from reading what is, in the end, a pretty mundane personal history.

[two color photographs: the left, labeled “1960,” shows the author as a teenager, wearing a cowboy hat but no shirt, holding a snake; the right, labeled “2024,” shows the author and his wife, �����Ƶ member Ivette Perfecto]

[photo caption provided by author]

For those interested, the snake is a Texas rat snake, the shiny object is a model of a tesseract, a rather complicated mathematical object, the ant is of no particular species, but I like to think of it as in the genus Azteca, and the person on my right is, indeed, the honorable Ivette Perfecto.

And let me repeat, it is an honor to accept your invitation and I enthusiastically look forward to the induction ceremony in September.

Sincerely yours,

John Vandermeer

[signed]

Transcription:

Dear Drs. Liu and Oxtoby:

It’s been a week since the notification and I am still positively giddy. I’m sure I’ll always remember the moment. I’d just received a costly estimate for HVAC repairs, and, feeling very grumpy, took out my computer to refocus my attention on work. Opening my inbox to see the subject heading “Your Election to the �����Ƶ” was quite possibly the best distraction imaginable! I don’t think my mood has ever done a more dramatic 180. (Those HVAC repairs are still looming, but they don’t seem quite as annoying now.)

It’s hard to put into words exactly what this membership means to me. I feel proud, excited, and so honored to join such an esteemed group. To be in the company of historical figures like Alexander Hamilton, luminaries like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., contemporary heroes like Patricia Hill Collins and Beverly Guy-Sheftall, and legendary artists like Denzel Washington and Martin Scorsese is an awe-inspiring feeling. It still hasn’t quite left me, and I hope to hold on to the weight and significance of this moment for as long as possible.

The �����Ƶ is full of members who, knowingly and unknowingly, have changed my life. Some are aware of the personal or professional impact they’ve had on me; others have no idea who I am and probably never will. But for my part, when I reflect on the broad swath of figures who constitute the �����Ƶ, I see people who have changed the world—and in doing so, shaped my world. I have admired their leadership up close and from afar, trusted their reporting on current events, gained new insights from their research, and felt profoundly moved by their art. I am so delighted to be counted among these members and look forward to participating in and advancing the �����Ƶ’s mission.

With greatest respect,

[signed]

Adia Harvey Wingfield