The Texas Tech professor is being recognized for her leadership in public policy and climate science.
Katharine Hayhoe, a Paul Whitfield Horn Distinguished Professor and Endowed Chair in Public Policy and Public Law in the Public Administration program of the Department of Political Science at Texas Tech University, has been elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the organization announced Wednesday (April 19).
Hayhoe was recognized in the Public Affairs and Public Policy category. The induction ceremony is scheduled for Sept. 30 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
“I am deeply honored and grateful to be elected, along with many notable leaders in sciences, humanities and policy, to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences this year,” she said. “This recognition fuels my passion for contributing to my field, and the diversity of the people they recognize strengthens my commitment and that of our Climate Center at Texas Tech University to fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration and innovation for a brighter future.”
Approximately 270 new members were elected from academia, the arts, industry, policy, research, and science, according to a news release from the organization.
“In its earliest days, the academy sought members who would help address issues and opportunities confronting a young nation,” Nancy C. Andrews of Boston Children's Hospital and chair of the academy's board of directors said in the news release. “We feel a similar urgency and have elected a class that brings diverse expertise to meet the pressing challenges and possibilities that America and the world face today.”
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences was founded in 1780 and works “to cultivate every art and science which may tend to advance the interest, honor, dignity and happiness of a free, independent and virtuous people,” according to the organization's website.
Hayhoe was named chief scientist for the Nature Conservancy, a global conservation organization, two years ago. She is recognized as an authority and thought leader on climate science, having published more than 125 peer-reviewed papers, abstracts and other publications articulating the impacts and consequences of climate change.
The Academy's mission is to recognize and honor excellence in all fields of human achievement, electing more than 250 Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners to its membership through the years. Among its members are Benjamin Franklin, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Martin Luther King Jr., Georgia O'Keeffe and Colin Powell. International Honorary Members include Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill, Laurence Olivier and Nelson Mandela.
