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Amid stunning views of the city skyline provided by its new headquarters, the Academy welcomed a new chair and vice chair, and elected two new members to its Board of Governors at its 188th Annual Meeting on September 28. In addition, the winners of this year's Heinz R. Pagels Human Rights of Scientists Awards were announced and President Ellis Rubinstein reported on the Academy's plans for 2007.
The Annual Meeting marked the first event held at the Academy's new offices on the 40th floor at 7 World Trade Center. More than 300 Academy members and guests packed the spacious new auditorium and enjoyed its breathtaking views of the Hudson and lower Manhattan. Dr. Joseph Lao spoke for many of the members in noting that "the space offers great views and is modern and intelligently designed - I'm also impressed by the room's excellent sound and visual facilities, which will provide more options for the speakers." Bill Golden, honorary Life Governor, thought the view was "glorious" and felt privileged to "witness the rejuvenation of the Academy." The historic, emotion-filled evening featured remarks by Torsten Wiesel, the outgoing Chair of the Board of Governors; Ellis Rubinstein, Academy President; Peter Corr, the new Chair; Thomas Kelly, Academy CFO; and Eugene Chudnovsky, Chair of the Committee on the Human Rights of Scientists.
Farewell to Torsten Wiesel
Dr. Wiesel welcomed everyone to the Academy's new location and praised the auditorium's views. "Most of the space is open and full of light and gives a sense of rebirth and the future," he said. Noting that the Academy's bronze bust of Darwin had been moved from the Academy's former mansion to a prominent place in the auditorium, he reassured members that "the Academy's mission will not change, and the tradition of the Academy will continue, as it has for 188 years."
He added that the Academy is a "truly international organization, as we have members from many countries." Looking forward to the future, he emphasized that the Academy is entering "a new era that will bring together universities and intellectuals in the city and become part of a global enterprise." He hoped the Academy "would continue to assist in building bridges between countries and scientists and become instrumental in efforts for peace as well as science."
Wiesel, who became chair in 2001, announced that Peter Corr, Senior Vice President for Science and Technology at Pfizer, would take over as the new chair while John Sexton, President of NYU, would become the new Vice Chair. He praised Ellis Rubinstein for bringing energy and imagination to NYAS during his three-and-a-half-year tenure.
New Board Members
Dr. Corr announced that Karen E. Burke and John Niblack had been re-elected for their third terms as Board members and announced the election of two new members, physicists Brian Greene and Nobel laureate Frank Wilczek. As the new chair, Dr. Corr thanked his predecessor for guiding the Academy through six challenging years while simultaneously acting as President Emeritus of Rockefeller University and Secretary General of the Human Frontier Science Program. In recognition of Dr. Wiesel's contributions, Dr. Wiesel was named an honorary Life Governor of the Academy and became the third to receive this honor, after William T. Golden and Joshua Lederberg. Thomas Kelly, Academy CFO, extended the evening's theme of appreciation in thanking the engineers, architects, the Port Authority, Silverstein Properties and others for their hard work in making the Academy's transition to its new office smooth and successful.
Human Rights Award Winners
In an evening brimming with emotion, the most stirring for many members was when, Eugene Chudnovsky, the Chair of the Academy's Human Rights of Scientists, announced the two winners of this year's Heinz R. Pagels Human Rights of Scientists Award. Mesfin Wolde-Mariam, an Ethiopian geographer who has been in confinement since November 2005, received the award for his "leadership in advocating for the disadvantaged and in promoting human rights, civil society and a peaceful transition to democracy." Wolde-Mariam's daughter, Meqdes, accepted the award on his behalf. She lauded the Academy for supporting her father's efforts to highlight famine and government oppression in Ethiopia.  Joseph Birman, Distinguished Professor of Physics at the City College of the City University of New York, was given the award in recognition of his "lifelong efforts on behalf of repressed scientists throughout the world." Dr. Birman has served as the Chair on the Committee for Human Rights of Scientists for over 11 years.
Ellis Rubinstein concluded the meeting with his report on the Academy's progress and challenges. He noted that Academy membership is over 26,000 and continues to grow. He praised the new space for its environmentally-friendly innovations, which is "what science is all about." He announced that the Academy continues to form partnerships with international organizations such as the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Among the new programs being launched this year are the Science of Food series and the New Vistas series, in which a distinguished scientist converses with promising young scientists. Noting that a quarter of Academy membership consists of student members, Rubinstein praised young scientists for their "generation's volunteering spirit" and global outlook.
He closed with the announcement that the past President of NYAS, Dr. Herbert Kayden, and his spouse, Dr. Gabrielle H. Reem, have given a generous gift to the Academy and that the auditorium will be named in their honor.
By Jennifer Tang
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