Seven faculty members inducted into academy

Recognized for their achievements in academic research, seven UCLA faculty members were elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the country’s most esteemed honor societies and independent policy research centers.

The academy annually selects new fellows through a highly competitive process in which potential candidates are nominated and voted on by current academy members.

“Individuals are selected on the basis of their significant contributions to both their profession, as well as to society at large,” said Paul Karoff, the chief communications officer for the academy.

The 2008 class includes 190 new fellows and 22 new foreign honorary members who are leaders in the sciences, arts and humanities, business, public affairs, and the nonprofit sector.

Many of the UCLA professors learned about their membership rather unexpectedly.

“I’m delighted and surprised, to say the least. I literally had no idea whatsoever,” said Calvin Normore, a professor of philosophy, whose research includes the history of thinking about choice and freedom. “I’m a Canadian. It would never have occurred to me that the American Academy of Arts and Sciences would elect me as a fellow.”

Established in 1760, the academy’s past members include important historical figures such as Benjamin Franklin, Ralph Waldo Emerson and George Washington. Membership into the academy is one of the highest forms of recognition a scholar can receive.

“The people that I know that are in the academy I have reverence and respect for. I’m very humbled to be in their company,” said Debora Silverman, a professor of history who has worked at UCLA for 27 years. Silverman studies a range of fields, from 19th century art to politics and social change.

As members, fellows are able to participate in long-term interdisciplinary projects and public policy research. They also receive and can contribute to Daedalus, the academy’s quarterly scholastic journal.

Joining the academy can open up opportunities for academic research, but many professors remain committed to their work at UCLA.

“A position that gives me the time and the resources to do my work, and at the same time to communicate that to smart students, is very satisfying,” said Theodore Porter, a professor of history, whose research involves the history of genetics in relation to probability and statistics.

Besides providing financial funding and support, UCLA offers faculty members a multitude of resources to pursue their passions.

“Certainly the diversity of colleagues and students that you have here challenges you to clarify your ideas and keep them grounded,” Silverman said.

Many professors attribute their ability to pursue their passion to the university’s support through funding, resources and accomplished faculty.

An induction ceremony for the 2008 fellows will be held in Cambridge, Mass., later this year. For several of the elected UCLA faculty members, such as Debora Silverman, membership in the academy has been an honor, but it has not altered their perspectives on teaching and pursuing their academic research at UCLA.

“It doesn’t change what you do; it’s more the idea that you have a wider impact than you thought,” she said.

To see a complete list of faculty members elected to the academy, please visit our Web site at dailybruin.com.

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