Four faculty elected to AAAS

Four UW–Madison faculty have been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS), an honorary society devoted to scholarly work that addresses social problems and needs.

Elected in April were: Judith Leavitt, professor of women’s studies, history of medicine and history of science and associate dean of the Medical School; Emiko Ohnuki-Tierney, professor of anthropology; Elliott Sober, professor of philosophy; and David Ward, professor of geography and UW–Madison chancellor.

Leavitt was elected to the AAAS history and archaeology section. She is an internationally recognized scholar on the history of public health and women’s health in America, and one of the founders of the UW–Madison women’s studies program. She recently authored a scholarly historical book on Typhoid Mary.

Ohnuki-Tierney was elected the social relations section of AAAS. She is considered one of the world’s top specialists in Japanese culture and a leading theoretician in symbolic anthropology. She has conducted extensive research on the Ainu, a hunting-gathering people of Japan; and modern urban culture in Japan.

Sober was named to the philosophy and theology section. He is regarded as one of the world’s leading philosophers of biology and science, and has also made influential contributions to the philosophy of mind, psychology and the theory of rationality. He has studied group welfare as a powerful human motivation and other theories of human evolution.

Ward, who has been chancellor since 1993, was elected to the social relations section. He is a recognized authority on historical urban geography and has pioneered research and authored books on English and American cities during their rapid growth of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Chartered in 1780, AAAS recognizes achievement in the natural sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities and conducts a varied program of projects and studies responsive to the needs and problems of society. It has more than 3,300 fellows and 550 foreign honorary members.