"Certainly the arms control, federal government, and academic communities know about us, but our name recognition with the public is low," says academy executive officer Joel Orlen. "When I mention where I work, most people confuse the organization with the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the group that gives out the Academy Awards."
The academy recognizes accomplishment in mathematics, the physical and biological sciences, med- icine, the social sciences and humanities, business, government, public affairs, and the arts. And while its scientific roster includes such luminaries as National Institutes of Health director Harold Varmus, Harvard paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould, and vaccine pioneer Jonas Salk, the academy is much more than simply another notation on already-distinguished resumes. Though it carries no official government seal, its participation in domestic and international public affairs and its wide range of influential projects and publications make the academy unique among honor societies.
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