Describing itself as “a champion of scholarship, civil dialogue, and useful knowledge,” the American Academy of Arts & Sciences was established in 1780 by John Adams, John Hancock, and other major figures of the era. Its members grew to include the likes of George Washington, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Albert Einstein, more than 200 Nobel Laureates, more than 100 Pulitzer Prize winners, and scores of Guggenheim Fellows. Election to membership in this organization is a singular honor.