Professor Melissa Lane elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Congratulations to Melissa Lane, the Gresham College Professor of Rhetoric, who has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences – the U.S. equivalent of the British Academy.

She is one of more than 250 people in this year’s cohort of new members. Previous members include George Washington, Nelson Mandela, Albert Einstein, and Martin Luther King Jr.

The Academy is an honorary society founded in 1780 – during the American Revolution – by John Adams, John Hancock and 60 other scholars. It celebrates the excellence of members, and acts as an independent research centre, bringing together leaders from different disciplines, professions, and perspectives.

Its mission statement is that they work together to “cultivate every art and science which may tend to advance the interest, honour, dignity, and happiness of a free, independent, and virtuous people”. Its values include advancing the common good, upholding democratic ideals, embracing diversity and inclusivity, and elevating the use of evidence and knowledge.

"We are all delighted for Professor Lane. To be elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences is a great honour, and it indicates the excellence of Professor Lane's scholarship and the significance of her contribution to academia. Her Gresham College lectures have been a real highlight in the calendar, and we are looking forward to welcoming her back to Gresham College next month when we will celebrate this honour with her," said Professor Jane Shaw, Provost of Gresham College.

One of the Academy’s traditions sees members writing letters of acceptance, and they have these dating back to 1781 and the Academy's archives holds these. Unusual entrants include one written in emojis, another submitted on cookware, and a third by bioluminescent bacteria.

Professor Lane’s next lecture, Plato to Polybius on Constitutional Change, will be held at Barnard’s Inn Hall on Thursday, 28 May, at 6pm.