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Jared Lipworth Honored for Advancing Science Comms

Jared Lipworth, Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and head of HHMI Tangled Bank Studios, was recently recognized by The New York Academy of Sciences (the Academy) for outstanding contributions to science.

Published May 8, 2025

By Nick Fetty
Digital Content Manager

Jared Lipworth

Creating scientific programming that engages general audiences is an art form. One skilled practitioner of that art form is Jared Lipworth, head of HHMI Tangled Bank Studios, who was recently recognized for his accomplishments with The New York Academy of Sciences 2025 Communicating Science Award.

Lipworth was presented with the award at the Academy’s recent Spring Soirée, hosted at the University Club of New York.  He was recognized for his career-long efforts to demystify science and help audiences understand and appreciate how it shapes the world.

“Tangled Bank Studios continues to lead impact beyond the screen with innovative outreach in education spaces to reach the next generation,” said Amy Entelis, Executive Vice President of Talent, CNN Originals, and Creative Development at CNN Worldwide, during the award ceremony at the Soirée. “We are living in a time of heightened scrutiny and antagonism towards science, and the work that [Jared does] to increase trust is important now more than ever.”

A Career in Science Communication

HHMI Tangled Bank Studios is a mission-driven impact studio dedicated to using the power of visual storytelling and innovative outreach to inspire curiosity about science and our natural world. It is part of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Recent films on critical science topics include Race for the Vaccine, Ending HIV in America, and The Battle to Beat Malaria. In his role as head of the studio, Lipworth oversees documentary production and distribution, as well as public engagement and educational outreach. He guides the studio’s mission, strategy, and editorial focus, using captivating content to make scientific discovery engaging and relatable for general audiences.

Jared Lipworth (center) visits with other attendees during the Academy’s Spring Soirée.

Previously, Lipworth headed up specials for National Geographic Studios, where he produced science films for worldwide audiences on topics ranging from paleontology and paleoanthropology to biology, ecology and natural history.

Prior to that he served as director of science programming for WNET, the New York PBS affiliate. There, he oversaw such projects as Naturally Obsessed: The Making of a Scientist, Innovation: Life Inspired, Big Ideas and the forensic history series Secrets of the Dead.

Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, Lipworth holds a bachelor’s degree in business from Cornell University and a master’s degree in broadcast journalism from New York University. In addition to winning  Emmy Awards for his work on The Mysterious Human Heart, DNA, and The Serengeti Rules, he won the AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Award for Wild Hope, and for The Human Sparkwith Alan Alda. (Alda was the first recipient of the Academy’s Communicating Science Award and has been featured on the Academy’s blog for his work in science communications.)

The Power of Storytelling

Jared Lipworth gives remarks while accepting the 2025 Communicating Science Award during the Academy’s Spring Soirée.

An accomplished science communicator with more than 250 film projects to his name, Lipworth was appreciative of the Academy’s formal recognition of his work advancing public appreciation of science.

“My sense of admiration, and intimidation, and curiosity has driven my career in science communication. I’ve always had an interest in science and a desire to understand it, even though I wasn’t an expert. And eventually a desire to make others, especially nonscientists, as curious and inspired as I am. I’ve found that the best way to do that is through the power of storytelling,” Lipworth said when accepting the award. “Not only does the science community need to continue doing great work, but you need to think of science communication as a critical component of the work you do. Engage with us as much as possible so that together, we can build a more scientifically literate and enthusiastic public.”

From Battling “Deep Sea Monsters” to Conserving Them

“Battling Deep Sea Monsters” sounds like a synopsis of the classic novel by French writer Jules Verne, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas. Instead, it’s something that could have been listed on the resume of Robert Cushman Murphy, a fellow of The New York Academy of Sciences (the Academy) more than a century ago.

Published May 6, 2025

By Nick Fetty
Digital Content Manager

Robert Cushman Murphy was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1887 to a family that had lived in the city for four generations. His father was a school principal, likely influencing his passion of learning. He frequented the Brooklyn Museum and got involved in his first bird study at the age of seven, when he studied a nest of chickadees. He eventually befriended the naturalist and explorer George K. Cherrie. An Iowa-born mechanical engineer by training, Cherrie later became a museum curator and was part of Theodore Roosevelt’s South American expedition in 1913-14.

“I have always been interested in natural science,” Murphy said in a 1925 article in the Brooklyn Eagle newspaper. “The first naturalist I ever knew well was George K. Cherrie. That was when I was only nine or ten years old and he will always remain a very great hero to me. I used to spend all my spare time at the Brooklyn Museum, and Mr. Cherrie’s friendship did much to stimulate me.”

An Expedition to the Subantarctic

Murphy went on to earn an undergraduate degree from Brown University. Upon graduating in 1911, he was appointed curator of birds and mammals at the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences. The following year he worked as a naturalist on a whaling ship for an expedition to the subantarctic.

“During its stop of almost four months for elephant seals on South Georgia Island, he obtained specimens of penguins, other birds, marine mammals, and plants, which were all to be deposited in the American Museum of Natural History,” according to Stony Brook University’s Special Collections and University Archives.

While certain practices around whaling are considered unsustainable to today’s standards, Murphy detailed the thrill of doing battle with “sea beasts”. In particular, he found the methods on the “old-fashioned” clipper ships to be the most exciting.

“A harpoon was planted in the whale and a small boat tied to it. In spite of the fact that you have three hundred fathoms of line ready to let out, if the whale dives, which it almost invariably does, it gives you none too comfortable a feeling to find the nose of the small boat suddenly awash,” Murphy recounted in that 1925 Brooklyn Eagle article.

His reputation was, in part, based on his physique, described as “a good deal over six foot” and “with dark hair and expressive, deep-set eyes.”

 “He was dressed in tweed knickerbockers and looked much more like a college athlete than a scientist with an impressive list of degrees after his name,” the 1925 Brooklyn Eagle article reported. “Athletic qualification might be found quite as useful as scientific background in a profession which requires an ability to wrestle with recalcitrant whales and other deep-sea monsters.”

From the Caribbean to the Mediterranean

Many of Murphy’s scientific contributions are not well known, but nonetheless impactful. Upon returning from his whaling adventures, he went on to earn an advanced degree in zoology from Columbia University. He then became a curator for the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH). (The Academy and its affiliates at the time played a role in establishing the AMNH, which opened its doors in 1869.)

Murphy continued his globetrotting. In the coming years, he would take excursions to Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, Panama, and other parts of the Caribbean, as well as the western Mediterranean and New Zealand. He published his first book Bird Islands of Peru in 1925 and his second book The Oceanic Birds of South America in 1936. The latter would win the John Burroughs Medal for excellence in natural history writing as well as the Brewster Medal from the American Ornithologists Union.

Murphy’s wife, Grace Emeline (Barstow) Murphy, was his partner in both his personal life and his professional pursuits. The duo worked together in the 1930s to catalog a collection of more than a quarter million bird specimens that had been accumulated by British zoologist Lionel Walter Rothschild. The collection was displayed at the AMNH.

During the 1912 whaling voyage, Robert sent frequent letters to his wife, which along with entries from his diary, served as the basis for his Logbook for Grace, published in 1947. Throughout his career, Robert Murphy published nearly 600 articles in both scientific journals and popular magazine press, including National Geographic and Scientific Monthly.

A Productive Retirement

Murphy formally retired from the AMNH in 1955 and remained active in an emeritus capacity. In 1960, he was part of a National Science Foundation-funded expedition through the Antarctic on “Glacier”, an icebreaker ship.  In 1970, he returned to South Georgia Island, the place that jumpstarted his scientific career nearly 60 years prior.

Murphy published Fish-Shape Paumanok: Nature and Man on Long Island in 1962, “a charming little volume on the Long Island he knew so intimately, having walked the length and breadth of it from his early years,” according to American ornithologist and AMNH curator Dean Amadon. The book borrowed its name from “Strating from Paumanok,” a poem by fellow Long Islander, Walt Whitman. In 1967, he published A Dead Whale or a Stove Boat, which included a series of whaling photos from his 1912 voyage.

Later in his life, Murphy understood the detrimental environmental impact of whaling, and alongside Grace became involved with various conservation and preservation efforts. Robert became the first president of the Long Island chapter of the Nature Conservancy, while Grace founded Conservationists United for Long Island. Though his lawsuit against the government to stop spraying the chemical pesticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDT) did not gain adequate traction, it did help to set the stage for later successful efforts, such as those led by Silent Spring author Rachel Carson.  

Despite holding degrees from two Ivy League universities, Murphy was perhaps most proud of his honorary doctorate from the University of San Marcos. The Lima, Peru-based university is the oldest in the western hemisphere.

A Lasting Legacy

Robert Cushman Murphy died in 1973, at the age of 85. With a strong work ethic until the day he died, he was known for “still driving sixty miles into New York City and back, over that terrifying Long Island Expressway,” wrote Dean Amadon, the American ornithologist and AMNH curator, in an in memoriam following Murphy’s death.

During his life, Murphy was a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Geographical Society, the American Philosophical Society, the Explorers’ Club, and the Long Island Biological Association. He was elected a fellow of The New York Academy of Sciences, meaning that he was selected by active members for his scientific achievement.

Murphy’s legacy has been memorialized in various ways. He lived to see Trachurus murphyi, a fish species also known as the Chilean jack mackerel, named in his honor. Furthermore, Robert Cushman Murphy Junior High School in Stony Brook was named after him in 1969. Posthumously, Robert Cushman Murphy Peconic River County Park was named in his honor in 1987. At the time, it was the largest park in Suffolk County. The Murphys were both also elected to the Long Island Hall of Fame.

Both Robert and Grace Murphy made crucial contributions in the realm of conservation specifically and biological science more broadly. Nearly two and a half decades after Robert’s passing, Steve Englebright, a former New York State Assembly member representing Long Island, reflected on the lasting impact of the explorer once known for “battling deep sea monsters.”

“Robert Cushman Murphy was the greatest scientist and naturalist Long Island ever produced,” Englebright told The New York Times in 1998. “We have our first national parks directly because of Robert Cushman Murphy’s leadership.”

Also read: One of Early America’s Engineering Marvels

Janet Tobias Recognized for Advancing Science Comms

Janet Tobias, winner of an Emmy and Peabody Award, was one of four Honorees recently recognized by The New York Academy of Sciences (the Academy) for outstanding contributions to science.

Published May 5, 2025

By Nick Fetty
Digital Content Manager

Janet Tobias

Tobias, well-respected by her colleagues for her curiosity, tenacity, and passion for educating audiences about science, was presented with the 2025 Communicating Science Award during the Academy’s recent Spring Soirée, hosted at the University Club of New York.  

“[Janet is] driven by [her] mission of demystifying science to help audiences understand how it shapes the world,” said Amy Entelis, Executive Vice President of Talent, CNN Originals, and Creative Development at CNN Worldwide, during the award ceremony at the Soirée. “We are living in a time of heightened scrutiny and antagonism towards science, and the work that [Janet does] to increase trust is important now more than ever.”

Tobias’s production career started at CBS where she served as an associate producer for 60 Minutes. She then had stints at NBC, ABC, and PBS, before making her theatrical debut with the 2012 release of No Place on Earth. The documentary, which debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival, was called a “substantial contribution to Holocaust cinema” by Variety.

A Strong Journalistic Sense

With a strong journalistic sense of storytelling across a range of issues, much of her work has focused on medicine and health. Her 2017 documentary, Unseen Enemy, explored “the 21st-century threat of pandemics” prior to the outbreak of COVID-19. It went on to be broadcast on five continents in nine languages. She was nominated for Writers Guild Awards for her work on both Unseen Enemy and No Place on Earth.

Memory Games, released in 2018, “offers a thrilling insight into the lives of four athletes…as they compete for the title of World Memory Champion.” Her most recent work, Fauci, a National Geographic Documentary Film, profiled Anthony S. Fauci, MD, the world renowned infectious disease specialist. His work on everything from HIV/AIDS and SARS to Ebola and COVID-19 has saved millions of lives, though he and his family have still been subject to threats from often anonymous adversaries. The film was produced in collaboration with National Geographic and was nominated for three Critics Choice Awards.

An Entrepreneurial Streak and Commitment to Service

In addition to Tobias’s award-winning production work, she also has an effective streak as an entrepreneur. In 2000 she co-founded Sierra/Tango Productions, which has produced more than 20 documentaries. She founded Ikana Health & Media in 2004, where she “focuses on how health content, technology, and social networks affect health behavior.” Then in 2019, she co-founded the Global Health Reporting Center, a nonprofit “dedicated to covering the key health issues of our time.”

Janet Tobias gives remarks while accepting the 2025 Communicating Science Award during the Academy’s Spring Soirée.

She has previously served on advisory boards for the East Harlem Health Outreach Partnership (the student-run free clinic of Mount Sinai), Healthbuilders, Healthright International, and The National Juvenile Defenders Center. Hailing from Indiana, with a degree in comparative literature from Yale University, Tobias has also previously served in adjunct faculty roles with NYU’s School of Global Public Health and Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.

The Importance of Science Communication

With a slew of accolades to her name, Tobias was appreciative of the recognition at the Soirée, particularly as it demonstrated her role in supporting the Academy’s mission of advancing science for the public good.

“This award means a lot to me personally. I think my father would be proud. He was a research scientist and professor in organic chemistry who died of cancer at 49 years old,” Tobias said when accepting the award. “It wasn’t until I was way into adulthood that I truly fell in love with science. And now I see how wonderful it is.”

Tobias closed her remarks by stressing the importance of science communication quoting William Osler, MD, one of the founders of Johns Hopkins Hospital: “In science, credit doesn’t go to the person who had the idea first, credit goes to the person who convinces the world.”  

2025 Laureates of the Prestigious Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in Israel Announced

Three scientists from Israeli universities will each be awarded US$100,000 for their groundbreaking scientific research.

Jerusalem, May 6, 2025 – The Blavatnik Family Foundation, the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, and The New York Academy of Sciences announced today the Laureates of the prestigious 2025 Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in Israel. This year’s Laureates, who will each receive US$100,000, are:


Yonatan Stelzer, PhD (Life Sciences)Weizmann Institute of Science – Recognized for breakthroughs in modeling the intricate process of mammalian embryonic development and for advancing our understanding of epigenetics, holding significant promise for regenerative and therapeutic medicine.


Benjamin Palmer, PhD (Chemical Sciences) Ben-Gurion University of the Negev – Recognized for pioneering research on how organisms create crystals, revealing the biological processes underlying their formation and the unique ways they interact with light, leading to the emerging field of organic biomineralization and inspiring sustainable optical materials.


Chaim Garfinkel, PhD (Physical Sciences & Engineering) The Hebrew University of Jerusalem – Recognized for advancing our ability to predict climate change on timescales from months to decades, improving weather forecast systems and providing critical insights for climate policy and adaptation strategies.

The Blavatnik Awards recognize outstanding, innovative scientists at the early stages of their careers for their extraordinary achievements as well as their potential for future discoveries. The prizes are awarded to researchers aged 42 and younger for groundbreaking work in Life Sciences, Chemical Sciences, and Physical Sciences & Engineering.

The 2025 Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in Israel will be conferred at a ceremony in June 2025 at the Peres Center for Peace & Innovation in Tel Aviv-Jaffa.

The Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists are the largest unrestricted prizes available to scientists in Israel aged 42 or younger. Since launching in 2017, scientists honored by the Blavatnik Awards in Israel have received US$2.7 million in prize money. Internationally recognized by the scientific community, the Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists are instrumental in expanding the engagement and recognition of young scientists and providing the support and encouragement needed to drive scientific innovation for the next generation. By the close of 2025, the Blavatnik Awards will have recognized 540 scientists from 120 international research institutions and awarded prizes totaling nearly $20 million.

“The brilliant, young minds we honor with these awards are examples of the enormous ingenuity and creativity that has made Israel a powerhouse of scientific progress,” said Len Blavatnik, Founder of Access Industries and Head of the Blavatnik Family Foundation.  “We are proud to celebrate their achievements and to support their continued success.”

Professor Nicholas B. Dirks, President and CEO of The New York Academy of Sciences, said, “We are excited to see international representation in this year’s Laureates with our first Blavatnik Awards Israel Laureate from the UK. This international dimension highlights the global nature of scientific pursuit and collaboration in highly promising and vitally important interdisciplinary fields including epigenetics, biomineralization, and atmospheric science.

Professor David Harel, President of The Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities said, “Today we honor the exceptional achievements of Israel’s very best scientists. This is especially important at the present time, with Israel going through one of its worst periods, exacerbated by unprecedented obstacles for science, both here in Israel and in the US. In this light, we are even more grateful to the Blavatnik Family Foundation and The New York Academy of Sciences for our continued partnership in this endeavor. Maintaining Israel’s position at the forefront of global science, which is crucial for its security and economic stability, relies upon supporting and encouraging its scientists. We are proud to honor this year’s Blavatnik Awards Laureates, and we celebrate their innovative breakthroughs with confidence in the far-reaching, positive impact of their achievements on society at large.”

During the nomination period for the 2025 Blavatnik Awards, 36 nominations were received from seven universities across Israel. Members of the Awards’ Scientific Advisory Council – which includes Nobel Laureates Professors Aaron Ciechanover, David Gross and Sir Richard Roberts, along with former Chairman of the Israel Space Agency, Professor Isaac Ben-Israel – were also invited to submit nominations. Three juries, composed of distinguished leading scientists representing the three disciplinary categories and led by Israel Academy members, selected the 2025 Laureates.

Blavatnik scholars are driving economic growth globally by embarking on new scientific trajectories to pursue high-risk, high-reward scientific research. To date, Blavatnik Awards honorees have founded 50 companies after receiving the award, six of which are publicly traded and collectively valued at over $12 billion.

About the Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists 

The Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists, established by the Blavatnik Family Foundation in 2007 and independently administered by The New York Academy of Sciences, began by identifying outstanding post-doctoral scientists in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. In 2014, the Blavatnik National Awards were created to recognize faculty-rank scientists throughout the United States. In 2017, the Awards were further expanded to honor faculty-rank scientists in the UK and Israel. For updates about the Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists, please visit www.blavatnikawards.org or follow us on X and Facebook @BlavatnikAwards.

About the Blavatnik Family Foundation 

The Blavatnik Family Foundation provides many of the world’s best researchers, scientists and future leaders with the support and funding needed to solve humankind’s greatest challenges. Led by Len Blavatnik, founder of Access Industries, the Foundation advances and promotes innovation, discovery and creativity to benefit the whole of society. Over the past decade, the Foundation has contributed over US$1 billion to more than 250 organizations. See more at www.blavatnikfoundation.org.

About The Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities

The Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities is Israel’s flagship scientific institution. It was established by law in 1961 and acts as a national focal point for Israeli scholarship in all branches of the sciences, social sciences and humanities. The Academy’s membership comprises 152 of Israel’s most distinguished scientists and scholars in its two divisions – the Natural Sciences Division and the Humanities Division. It is tasked with promoting Israeli scientific excellence, advising the government on scientific matters of national interest, publishing scholarly research of lasting merit and maintaining active contact with the broader international scientific and scholarly community. For more information about The Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, please visit www.academy.ac.il.

The Urgent Need for Attention Sanctuaries

The commodification of our attention in digital realms has been the focus of news reports, academic research, and even the hit Netflix series “Adolescence.” Researchers and activists are increasingly calling for spaces where we can escape the daily deluge of screen-based content.

Published April 11, 2025

By Brooke Elliott
Education Communications Intern

More than nine states have implemented rules about cell phone use in schools, and with good reason. Smartphones and digital platforms have become ubiquitous in our daily lives over the past several years. However, we are now beginning to observe some of the unforeseen effects this digital technology has on our wellbeing, particularly for young people.

As digital platforms continue to dominate our lives, the exploitation of human attention is changing how we engage with the world around us. With increased device usage correlating with mental health issues, there’s a growing movement that seeks to address and mitigate these challenges.

“Attention Sanctuaries: Social Practice Guidelines and Emergent Strategies in Attention Activism,” by D. Graham Burnett of Princeton University and Eve Mitchell of the Strother School of Radical Attention was published last month in Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. The article explores the concept of “attention activism,” a force promising to save human attention from the impact of what some are calling “human fracking” and reclaim spaces for human flourishing.

What is Human Fracking?

“Human fracking” refers to deep exploitation of human attention by digital platforms such as social media, video streaming services, and other screen-based environments. Like the process of hydraulic fracturing (fracking), which extracts valuable resources from the earth often at the cost of long-term environmental damage, human fracking involves the extraction of individuals’ mental and emotional resources, ultimately harming users, depleting their cognitive and emotional well-being while enriching corporations that profit from this exploitation.

The Emergence of Attention Activism

The concept of “attention activism” has gained traction as a movement against the misuse of human attention. It is driven by a coalition of researchers, advocates, and organizations dedicated to raising awareness about the societal and psychological consequences of the attention economy. Rather than framing these issues as problems of individual self-management, attention activism shifts the focus to empowered collective action. The goal is to build solidarity and organize resistance to the forces that seek to capture and monetize human attention.

“By explicitly and collaboratively engaging in conversation about attentional practices and commitments, and by achieving and promulgating shared norms for shared time and copresence, we can radically reshape what happens when we gather – and in doing so meaningfully mitigate some of the most prominent problems associated with the pervasively disruptive use of networked devices,” the authors write.

Attention Sanctuaries: Protecting Spaces for Flourishing

One of the central concepts emerging from attention activism is the idea of the “attention sanctuary”: a space that promotes the protection and cultivation of human attention, free from the disruptive effects of the attention economy. Examples of attention sanctuaries include libraries, churches, museums, and classrooms—places where individuals can focus, reflect, and engage in meaningful activities without the constant pull of digital distractions. As the authors write, “A true attention sanctuary cannot be imposed, it has to be created and maintained.”

The work of attention activists is to preserve and protect these sanctuaries, ensuring that they remain safe spaces where human attention can thrive. As society faces the disruptive effects of surveillance capitalism, data harvesting, and addictive screen-based environments, the importance of such sanctuaries has never been clearer.

Building a Culture of Collective Action

Attention activism is not just about resisting individual harm, it is also about creating a cultural shift toward collective responsibility. By reframing the problems of the attention economy, activists emphasize the importance of solidarity over individual self-regulation. This shift could result in actionable interventions that influence norms in social spaces such as schools, homes, and workplaces.

Ultimately, attention activism is about more than just digital detox. It is about fostering environments where human flourishing can take place. By promoting the creation and cultivation of attention sanctuaries, attention activists are laying the groundwork for a future where human well-being is prioritized over profit, and where collective action can lead to meaningful societal change.

“While, broadly speaking, we support the targeted and responsible application of such policies (together with digital detox rubrics for youth and adults alike), we believe that the participatory process of actively creating attention sanctuary guidelines presents a valuable component of any comprehensive strategy for addressing the public health dimensions of societal-scale digital platforms,” the authors write in their conclusion. “Such an approach is constructive, rather than privative, and promotes reflection, education, and solidarity. These are the central virtues of an attention-activist approach to the challenges of our rapidly shifting media ecosystem”

Full access to the Annals archive (which dates back to 1824) is one perk of being an Academy member. Not a member? Sign up today!

Academy’s Past – A New Name for a New Era

The Lyceum of Natural History in the City of New York was renamed The New York Academy of Sciences (the Academy) in 1876 to better encapsulate the work and mission of the organization during this era of broad scientific discovery.

Published April 8, 2025

By Nick Fetty
Digital Content Manager

Mott Memorial Hall. Image courtesy of the New York Public Library.

Mott Memorial Hall | 64 Madison Avenue | 1867-1878

The Lyceum of Natural History in the City of New York (the Lyceum), and its library, moved into Mott Memorial Hall at 64 Madison Avenue in 1867.

During this time, visions of what would become the American Museum of Natural History developed by Lyceum members and associates and other prominent members of the city, including American financier and investment banker J. P. Morgan as well as Theodore Roosevelt, Sr., the father of the future American president. The loss of the Lyceum’s priceless collection in the fire of 1866 added significant impetus for establishing a world-class history museum within the city.

As multiple stakeholders for the natural history museum competed for its design and scope, Lyceum members could refocus their efforts, such as “with keeping the organization intact.” In relatively short order, the museum organizers planned for the new institution to be located adjacent to and on the west side of the newly constructed Central Park, in addition to an art museum on the east side of the park (which would become the Metropolitan Museum of Art), a botanical garden, observatory, and zoo.

An Era of Broad Scientific Discovery

It was in 1876 that the institution’s name was changed from “The Lyceum of Natural History in the City of New York” to “The New York Academy of Sciences” (the Academy). Leading members felt that the term “sciences” better encapsulated the work and mission of the organization during this era of broad scientific discovery beyond natural history. This same year, the Academy voted to allow women to attend meetings and become members, keeping with its founding, egalitarian principles (though much later than by today’s expectations).

Hamilton Hall.

Historical records provide relatively little information about Mott Memorial Hall, though it was used by both The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society and the New York State Medical Association. According to the 1886 history account written by Lyceum Recording Secretary Herman Le Roy Fairchild, after ten years in Mott Memorial Hall, the Academy shared space in the New York Academy of Medicine’s West 31st Street facility and then moved to Columbia College’s Hamilton Hall.

A centennial history, penned by John Hendley Barnhart from the New York Botanical Garden and published in The Scientific Monthly in 1917, adds that the Academy also briefly utilized space in Columbia’s old library building, Columbia’s Schermerhorn Hall, in Cooper Union, at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers’ facility on West 31st Street, and in the Chemist Club’s assembly room on West 55th Street. In 1906, the Academy moved to the American Museum of Natural History, where it found a home for the next 44 years.

This is the seventh piece in an eleven-part series exploring the Academy’s past homes. Read:

2025 Ross Prize Symposium: Protein Misfolding and Aggregation in Disease

The Ross Prize in Molecular Medicine was established in conjunction with the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research and Molecular Medicine to recognize biomedical scientists whose discoveries have transformed how medicine is practiced.

The awardees are mid-career researchers who have significantly impacted the understanding of human disease pathogenesis and/or treatment. Moreover, it is anticipated that they will continue to make profound advances in the general field of molecular medicine.

The 2025 Ross Prize in Molecular Medicine will be awarded to Dr. Jeffrey W. Kelly, PhD for his contributions to the science of protein misfolding and aggregation in disease. His pioneering research has illuminated how proteins fold, misfold and clump in toxic quantities in the body, leading to progressive damage in the nervous and cardiovascular systems.

Dr. Kelly has translated basic understanding of protein folding to create therapeutics designed to prevent disease-causing protein aggregation, including the discovery of the first-in-class small molecule drug called tafamidis.. The Kelly lab is currently developing novel therapeutic strategies for degenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, and for loss-of-function diseases such as lysosomal storage diseases.

Join us in celebrating Dr. Kelly’s innovative, award-winning research on June 4th. The symposium will include an exciting presentation from Dr. Kelly on the integral facets of his work, other exciting lectures, and in-person networking opportunities. Register today to participate in this incredible celebration of scientific innovation.

Sponsors

This symposium is made possible by the generosity of Jack and Robin Ross with support from:

The UK’s Brightest Young Scientists Shine in London at the 2025 Blavatnik Awards

Three remarkable Laureates and six Finalists were recognized for their groundbreaking scientific discoveries during a gala at The Orangery, Kensington Palace, in London

Published April 3, 2025

By Kamala Murthy
Senior Manager, Communications

The 2025 Honorees of the Blavatnik Awards in the UK standing outside The Orangery at Kensington Palace.

Each year, the Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in the United Kingdom celebrate the brightest young scientific minds across the UK. In 2025, three remarkable Laureates and six Finalists were recognized for their groundbreaking contributions to Life Sciences, Chemical Sciences, and Physical Sciences & Engineering. Their achievements were celebrated at a black-tie gala on March 4, 2025, at The Orangery, Kensington Palace, in London.

Honoring Scientific Excellence

The awards, established by the Blavatnik Family Foundation and The New York Academy of Sciences, are the largest unrestricted prizes for UK scientists under 42. This year’s Laureates, each receiving £100,000 ($130,000) in funding, were selected from a distinguished group of nine finalists. Six Finalists each received £30,000 ($38,800). These visionary scientists are tackling some of the world’s most urgent challenges, from infant mortality to sustainable manufacturing and climate change prediction.

A Night of Celebration and Inspiration

The prestigious gala, hosted by Sir Leonard and Lady Emily Blavatnik, was attended by luminaries in research, academia, business, and the arts. Opening the ceremony, Prof. Shitij Kapur, Vice-Chancellor and President of King’s College London, reminded the honorees of their power to change the world, “As pioneers in your fields – your voices count.” Citing Bishop Desmond Tutu’s words: “‘you can change the world.’”

Nicholas B. Dirks, President and CEO of The New York Academy of Sciences, reflected on the impact of the awards: “Over these 18 years, the Blavatnik Awards have recognized 540 scientists from 120 research institutions [across the US, UK and Israel] a testament to the program’s growing international reach.”

The Legacy of the Blavatnik Awards

Since their inception, the Blavatnik Awards have provided more than £3.1 million (US$4 million) to UK research, supporting over 70 scientists from more than 100 institutions. With honorees founding over 50 companies – six of which are now publicly traded – the impact of the awards extends far beyond academia, influencing industries and economies worldwide.

Meet the 2025 Laureates

Life Sciences: Christopher Stewart, PhD (Newcastle University)

Prof. Stewart’s research is revolutionizing neonatal care with microbiome-based therapies to combat preterm infant mortality. His work sheds light on the critical role of human breast milk in shaping the gut microbiome of premature babies, leading to groundbreaking advancements in infant health worldwide.

Chemical Sciences: Liam T. Ball, PhD (University of Nottingham)

Prof. Ball is transforming chemical synthesis by developing safer, greener pharmaceutical and agrochemical production methods. His innovative use of bismuth has paved the way for more sustainable industrial manufacturing, reducing environmental impact while enhancing efficiency.

Physical Sciences & Engineering: Benjamin J.W. Mills, PhD (University of Leeds)

Prof. Mills is pioneering Earth Evolution Modeling, enabling scientists to simulate climate changes over billions of years. His work not only deepens our understanding of Earth’s past but also informs the search for habitable exoplanets, advancing both climate science and space exploration.

Meet the 2025 Finalists

Nicholas R. Casewell, PhD (Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine) – A toxinologist studying snake venom to develop better treatments for snakebite, a neglected tropical disease.

Brianna R. Heazlewood, PhD (University of Liverpool) – A physical chemist designing tools to study extreme-temperature chemical reactions, shedding light on space chemistry.

Hannah Price, PhD (University of Birmingham) – A theoretical physicist exploring extra dimensions through innovative experiments, deepening our understanding of higher-dimensional physics.

Filip Rindler, DPhil (The University of Warwick) – A mathematician creating new theories on how metals deform at a microscopic level, impacting materials science.

Andrew M. Saxe, PhD (UCL) – A neuroscientist using math to uncover how artificial and biological systems learn, advancing AI and memory disorder research.

Chunxiao Song, PhD (University of Oxford) – A chemical biologist developing advanced sequencing methods to detect DNA and RNA changes, aiding early cancer detection.

Looking to the Future

The day after the ceremony, the 2025 Laureates and Finalists presented their research to the public at the Blavatnik Science Symposium “Imagining the Impossible: UK Scientists Changing Our World,” held at the Royal Society of Medicine. This event offered science enthusiasts of all ages an opportunity to engage with these pioneering researchers and learn how their work is shaping the future.

The Blavatnik Awards continue to empower young scientists, fostering discoveries that redefine our understanding of the world and beyond. Stay connected and follow their journey at www.blavatnikawards.org.


The nomination window for the 2026 Blavatnik Awards UK opens on April 2 – May 28, 2025


One of Early America’s Engineering Marvels

One of the Academy’s earliest Honorary Members had an immense impact on transportation and economics in the United States during the 19th century.

Published March 26, 2025

By Nick Fetty
Digital Content Manager

DeWitt Clinton, one of The New York Academy of Sciences’ earliest Honorary Members, had a significant political, economic and social impact on New York City and state, though his contributions reverberated across the country.

Clinton was born in Ulster County, New York in 1769 to a father who served as a general during the Revolutionary War. He attended King’s College (now Columbia University) and upon graduation pursued a brief career in law. He eventually shifted his focus to politics.

Practicing Politics

Despite his first two political campaigns ending in defeat, Clinton persisted and was eventually elected to a seat in the New York State Assembly, the lower chamber in the state’s bicameral legislature. He moved up to the New York State Senate (the upper chamber) before being elected to the U.S. Senate, though this appointment was short-lived because months later he was elected mayor of New York City.

Clinton spent nearly 10 years as the city’s chief executive. During his tenure he advanced for public education and established various public-welfare institutions. He then rose to the governor’s office, serving as the state’s top executive for nearly another 10 years before his death in 1828.

Clinton’s political ambitions were strong but his attempt at reaching the highest office in the land, the presidency, fell short. Running on the “Fusion” party ticket, Clinton was defeated by James Madison 128 electoral votes to 89 electoral votes in the 1812 election. Much of Clinton’s support came from antiwar states in the North.

His Lasting Legacy

Perhaps the most impactful part of Clinton’s legacy was the role he played in the development of the Erie Canal. When construction on the canal began in 1817, the United States was relatively young. The transcontinental railroad had not yet been completed and much of the Midwest was considered the frontier.

The 363-mile canal route traversed from the New York Harbor up the Hudson River to Albany and then west to Buffalo. From there, ships could navigate through the Great Lakes, using a series of locks and dams, eventually reaching Chicago at the westernmost terminus. The canal was completed in 1825.

The Erie Canal was considered an engineering marvel and had an immeasurable economic impact on the burgeoning United States. It enabled development of the sparsely populated states in the Midwest and allowed crops and natural resources from the heartland to be transported faster and more efficiently than over land.

Much of the land was cleared with a combination of manpower, beasts of burden, and gun powder. The original canal was roughly four feet deep and 40 feet wide. Today, tourism is the main source of boat traffic along the canal.

An Appreciation for the Arts and Sciences

In addition to his involvement with the Erie Canal project, Clinton was also known for having a deep appreciation for the arts, sciences, and other educational matters. He led efforts to combat the spread of yellow fever and supported organizations like the Free School Society (which later became the city’s public school system), the American Academy of Fine Arts, the New-York Historical Society, and the Literary and Philosophical Society.

During his lifetime he “published many articles that were well received.” He was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1816 and was named an Honorary Member of The New York Academy of Sciences in the early 19th century.

Also read: A Pioneer in Pap Smears and Cancer Research

This is part of a series of articles featuring past Academy members across all eras.

A Pioneer in Pap Smears and Cancer Research

During her more than half century career, May Chinn, MD, MPH, advanced access to medical care for low-income residents in Harlem, with many of her contributions directly impacting healthcare for women and other disenfranchised populations.

Published March 19, 2025

By Brooke Elliott
Education Communications Intern

May Edward Chinn during her years at Teacher’s College, ca. 1917. Image courtesy of George B. Davis Ph.D./E.F. Foley via NIH.

May Edward Chinn was the first woman to graduate from the Bellevue Hospital Medical College, the first African American woman to intern at the Harlem Hospital, and the first woman of any race to ride with an ambulance crew. A trailblazer in cancer research and a member of The New York Academy of Sciences (the Academy), she also helped to develop the pap smear test to detect cervical cancer in women. Much of her success can be attributed to her upbringing and her tenacity at a time when women in general and particularly of color weren’t always afforded the opportunity for a career in STEM

From Daughter of a Slave to Suffragette

Born in 1896 in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, she moved to New York City at three years old. Her father, William Lafayette Chin, was a former slave who escaped from the Chinn plantation in Virginia in 1864 at eleven years old. May’s mother, Lulu Ann, was half African American and half Native American, and was raised on a Chickahominy reservation. When she was sixteen, she met the forty-year-old Chinn, and soon after the pair was married, they had their only child, May. 

Lulu’s hard work and resilience afforded May many educational opportunities. After contracting osteomyelitis in her lower right jaw, May left boarding school and lived on the estate of Charles Tiffany on the upper east side, where her mother was a live-in cook. The Tiffany family, the namesake for the prominent jewelry company, took her to Broadway shows on Sundays and inspired her with a lifelong appreciation for music.

When Charles died in 1902, the family left the estate and moved around the city for the next decade. Despite the lack of stability, Lulu always sought to make educational opportunities available to her daughter. Though May never received her high school diploma, a friend convinced her to take the entrance examination for the Teacher’s College at Columbia. Her outstanding score granted her admission as a full-time student. When William refused to pay her tuition, it was revealed that Lulu had started a savings fund. The family moved to Harlem so she could walk to her classes. 

May Edward Chinn (second from right) marching in a suffrage parade on 5th Avenue, 1919. Image courtesy of George B. Davis, Ph.D., via NIH.

It was at this time that May joined the growing suffragette movement, marching in parades and advocating for the Nineteenth Amendment. Once certified in 1920, this granted women the right to vote. 

The Harlem Renaissance

As a student at Columbia, May encountered many of the faces of the Harlem Renaissance. From Langston Hughes to Zora Neale Hurston, she was surrounded by prominent creatives, who often advocated for civil rights for African Americans. A musician herself, she often played the piano accompaniment to Paul Robeson, the esteemed musician and All-American football player from Rutgers.

Music was her first love, but her dreams of being a concert pianist were shattered when a professor at Columbia told her a Black woman could not be a serious musician. May changed her major to science, inspired by her childhood illness and the doctors who saved her life. At the time of her decision, only 65 Black women in the country were doctors.

May was the first African American woman to graduate from the Bellevue Hospital Medical College with a medical degree, earning her the title of “Doctor.” Despite these accomplishments, the primarily white, male doctors made her race and her gender an obstacle at every turn. 

Rockefeller Institute retracted a job offer after learning her race, but she soon found an internship at Harlem Hospital, where she was again the first Black woman to hold the position. There, she became “the first woman ever to ride the ambulance that raced out on emergency calls.”

Operating on Kitchen Tables

May Edward Chinn examining a young patient, 1930. Image courtesy of George B. Davis, Ph.D., via NIH.

In 1928, Dr. Chinn opened her own practice at the Edgecombe Sanatorium. The male doctors of Harlem were soon taking advantage of her commitment to the Hippocratic Oath, sending their own families to receive her medical care while actively taking away paying clients. With time, though, word of her excellence spread.

She found private patients among the white people she had previously attended at Harlem Hospital. Harlem was also home to a colony of Mohawk American Indians. The women of the tribe went to May to mix their tribal remedies with her modern medicine.

She attended everyone from nuns to prostitutes, never turning away a patient and putting her own life at risk to help those who needed it most. Dr. Chinn always kept a firearm on her while attending to patients. “Because black doctors were barred from private hospitals, Dr. Chinn often had to perform major operations in her patients’ homes, with a bed or an ironing board as an operating table,” according to a 1979 feature in The New York Times.

A Pioneer in Pap Smears

While attending Columbia for a second time to get her master’s in public health, Dr. Chinn set her sights on cancer research. Her parents passed away in the late 1930s, leading her to devote all her energies to the disease, at times sneaking into Memorial Hospital to conduct her research. In 1944 she was offered a staff position at Strang Clinic, one of the top facilities in the country for detecting cancer at its earliest stages. Dr. Chinn worked at the clinic for 26 years until her retirement in 1974. 

May Edward Chinn receiving the Our Lady of the Year award from Harriet Beecher Stowe Junior High School, New York City, 1960. Image courtesy of George B. Davis, Ph.D., via NIH.

At the Strang Clinic, Chinn worked with George Papanicolaou, the creator of the cervical cancer screening known as the Pap Smear. Dr. Chinn also conducted research into how family history can be connected with cancer probability predictions. She became a member of the Academy in 1954.

She was referenced by the New York City Cancer Committee of the American Cancer Society in 1957. May was also awarded an honorary doctorate of science from NYU, as well as an honorary doctorate from Columbia University, in 1980. She also helped to found the Susan Smith McKinney Steward Medical Fund. 

Though she never married, May was engaged several times throughout her life, and was godmother to 19 children. One of her many godchildren was Franklin H. William, former United States Ambassador to Ghana and President of the Phelps-Stokes Fund. In 1979, he appointed the 82-year-old as medical consultant to a hundred refugees from southern Africa who were in the United States for college. She passed away on December 1st, 1980, at the age of 84. Perhaps a testament to her career of selflessness, she passed away while attending a reception for a friend at Columbia University.

Also read: Leading the Fight Against Tuberculosis and Syphilis

This is part of a series of articles featuring past Academy members across all eras.