New York Academy of Sciences

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Since 1817, the New York Academy of Sciences has been bringing together scientists of different disciplines from around the world. Their purpose is to advance the understanding of science, technology, and medicine, and to stimulate new ways to think about how their research is applied in society and the world.

An independent, nonprofit, membership-based organization, the Academy has always relied on the generous support of its members and partnering institutions for its vitality. Today the Academy is widely recognized as one of the world's foremost organizers of scientific conferences and symposia. Over time its mission has evolved considerably beyond convener to include the roles of communicator, mentor, and gadfly.

Convener: Every year the Academy hosts six to eight major conferences on the most pressing current scientific issues. Additionally, several times a week scientists from the tri-state area's foremost research institutions come to the Academy's historic building on East 63rd Street to discuss a colleague's recent work in one of the twenty or more sections or discussion groups the Academy has made famous. In public policy the Academy initiated the Harbor Project, a consortium of 40 groups dedicated to developing pollution prevention strategies for the New York-New Jersey harbor.

Communicator: Since 1823 the Academy has published its celebrated Annals series of proceedings of scientific conferences. Annals volumes are among the most highly cited of scientific research publications. Members of the Academy have online access to the complete text of hundreds of volumes at Annals Online. Reports of the Academy's conferences and meetings are also posted on its web site as eBriefings for the benefit of those not able to attend, including the Academy's many foreign members.

Mentor: Taking seriously its responsibility for preparing the next generation of scientists, the Academy has initiated several programs: Science Alliance is an initiative launched in 2003 to offer career mentoring to some 5,000 graduate and post-graduate students from 14 institutions in the greater New York-New Jersey area. Since 1948 the Academy has organized the New York Science and Engineering Fair for metropolitan area high school students. The Science Research Training program enables high school students to work alongside area scientists as summer interns.

Gadfly: Since 1978 the Academy's Committee on the Human Rights of Scientists has worked tirelessly to promote the rights of scientists, health professionals, engineers, and educators around the world.

These initiatives enable the Academy to advance the impact of science on several fronts and build on the distinguished legacy of its membership. Since its early days, the Academy has attracted prominent members, including U.S. Presidents Jefferson and Monroe, Charles Darwin and John James Audubon, and Albert Einstein, among many others. Its current President's Council includes 16 Nobel Prize winners and its membership numbers around 20,000 in some 150 countries.

The Academy is located at 2 E. 63rd Street, New York, in a neo-Italian Renaissance building built in 1919 and donated to the organization in 1949.

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