ASU professor elected to be a member of the American Academy for the Arts and Sciences

It’s not every day that a person becomes a member of a society whose ranks include Barak and Michelle Obama, Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso. Even for Jane Maienschein, whose career has been marked by accomplishments unique even among other academics, becoming a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences is a surprise — and an honor.

“This is kind of a big deal I guess,” she said, laughing.

Some of the first members of the Academy, founded in 1780, were the founding fathers of the United States, including Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. 

Membership has diversified since; Maienschein is being inducted alongside a number of other prestigious academics across disciplines, as well as painters, journalists, symphony directors, nonprofit leaders, and even author Barbara Kingsolver and actress Rita Moreno.

“It’s humbling; and I know that’s a cliché, but it’s kind of amazing and impressive to look at the roster of people who have been members before, going back to those founding fathers — who were all male. It’s a pretty amazing group,” she said.

Academy members work to influence how the United States should respond to major global challenges through hosting events, collaborating on projects and authoring reports together. By becoming an academy member, Maienschein will have the chance to be part of that influence.

“Being a member means being part of a larger group that is trusted, has a platform, and can articulate what matters and then do something about what ought to be done,” she said.

Maienschein was elected to the academy under the “Interdisciplinary” class of members in recognition of her career working at the intersection of history, philosophy and developmental biology. Her research has focused on studying the history of developmental biology, from looking at early studies of embryos to more modern research on stem cells and cell regeneration. 

Maienschein has also influenced science policy in the U.S. by serving as an expert witness in several court cases as well as an expert scientific consultant to Congressman Matt Salmon during the 105th U.S. Congress.

At ASU, though, many students know Maienschein as a dedicated educator and advisor. She created the degree program Biology and Society within the School of Life Sciences, which she continues to direct. She also founded the Embryo Project Encyclopedia, an online encyclopedia about the history of development, embryology and reproduction, which is written entirely by undergraduate and graduate students through intensive writing seminars that Maienschein has led for over 20 years.

The academy only created the ”interdisciplinary” class that Maienschein was elected to two years ago — a reflection, Maienschein hopes, that academia and society at large are beginning to recognize the value of following less traditional research paths. As part of the academy, she’s intent on “giving the message that you can be successful by not fitting in one silo and by doing things differently.”

At the core of Maienschein’s many pursuits is a drive to demonstrate the value of science to society, when appropriately understood. That’s pushed her to communicate about science accessibly in a number of ways beyond her classrooms, including publishing many public-facing articles on science, giving TEDx talks and even teaching Arizona church groups about evolution. 

“What excites me is looking at things that (the academy has) done and spoken out about at various points — spoken out about war, spoken out against injustices, sometimes cautiously, but still having a voice. So being part of something like that seems really promising,” Maienschein said. “Getting together in groups is so often more impactful than working as individuals alone.”