APS elects four from Harvard

The American Philosophical Society, the oldest learned society in the United States, recently elected four new members from Harvard into this year’s class of scholars.

The society, founded in 1743 by Benjamin Franklin for the purpose of “promoting useful knowledge,” honors and engages distinguished scientists, humanists, social scientists, and leaders in civic and cultural affairs through elected membership and opportunities for interdisciplinary intellectual fellowship, particularly in the semiannual meetings in Philadelphia. Since 1900, more than 240 members have received the Nobel Prize.

This year’s elected members from Harvard follow:

Ben Heineman, senior fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs; distinguished senior fellow, Harvard Law School
Sarah Blaffer Hrdy, associate of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology
Robert Sampson, Henry Ford II Professor of the Social Sciences
Patrick Thaddeus, Robert Wheeler Willson Professor of Applied Astronomy