The Academy

To access the Academy By-Laws, most recently updated in 2022, click this link: BYLAWS—Amended 9.06.2022.

To access the current Academy Operating Policies, click this link: Operating_Policies_Updated_11Nov2013.

The Indiana Academy of Science

Since 1885, the Indiana Academy of Science has supported the scientific research and science education of our state’s scientists and science students. It is one of the oldest scientific professional membership organizations in the United States, the only multidisciplinary scientific organization in the state of Indiana, and is dedicated to promoting scientific research, diffusing scientific information, improving education in the sciences, and encouraging communication and cooperation among scientists.

The Indiana Academy of Science accomplishes its mission by bringing together Indiana, Midwest, and national leading and emerging scientists, science educators and college and university science students at its annual meetings; engages its Academy members in activities and events specific to their science disciplines and of broad interest to scientists in general, conducts Bioblitz field studies throughout Indiana and the Midwest, engages the lay and professional Indiana community in science education and information events, awards Indiana Academy of Science research grants, community grants and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Grants; has an active Youth Activities Program, offers for purchase Books and Special Publications, and publishes the celebrated Proceedings-the journal of the Indiana Academy of Science.

The Academy accomplishes the above missions with a Council consisting of elected members, an Exective Director, Elected Committees, Appointed Committees, and Sections representing physical and life sciences. To learn more, click on one of the organizational entities and also read about our extensive history.

Please consider becoming a member of the Indiana Academy of Science today – Join Here!

Learn more about the Indiana Academy of Science from the video below. Click on the Full Screen arrows for the best viewing experience.

Anti-Racism Policy Statement:(adopted by the Council of the Indiana Academy of Science; June 5, 2020.). The Indiana Academy of Science strongly condemns all specific and systemic instances of racism.

Indiana Academy of Science Position on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Preamble. Despite the proclamation of equality for all in our nation’s founding documents, since our country’s inception, which began with atrocities against Indigenous Peoples and the violent enslavement of millions of Africans, our institutions and social structures have limited those who are full participating members in our national identity.1 Systems at every level, including those within science, have marginalized not only Black and Indigenous People of Color, but many other groups. Such systematic exclusion strips individuals of the humanity to which each of us is entitled, preventing full realization of the dignity and potential of every human being and diminishing the natural diversity of the human race. Thus, as a community of scientists, the Indiana Academy of Science recognizes first that we share a common humanity, the protection of which is our collective responsibility and a starting point for all other endeavors. It is with that recognition in mind that we seek to articulate our commitment to promoting a fully inclusive environment within the Academy.
1 D. Asai, Cell 2020

Position Statement. Integral to the Indiana Academy of Science mission is a commitment to fostering a culture of inclusion and equity within the Academy and to embracing diversity, in all its forms. This commitment is founded on the belief that meaningful scientific progress requires the contributions of divergent ideas and points of view that are possible only when all voices are valued. Our goal is to promote an environment in which all individuals share a sense of belonging, feel respected, are treated fairly, are provided opportunities to develop professionally, and can excel in their chosen career paths. We seek to remove barriers to this goal, including those grounded in the structural inequities within our own institutions, organizations, and society. To achieve this, we will share scientific ideas across the spectrum of our disciplinary perspectives and promote collaborative and interdisciplinary research and science education. In doing so, we will empower one another as we engage with a global network of scientists and our statewide community.

STATEMENT BY THE INDIANA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE REGARDING THE MURDER OF MR. GEORGE FLOYD AND OTHER AFRICAN AMERICAN VICTIMS OF SYSTEMIC RACISM INDIANAPOLIS, IN. (JUNE 4, 2020)

In recent weeks, we have, once again, witnessed violence against African Americans, a deplorable stain that has soiled the fabric of our country for hundreds of years. Mr. George Floyd in Minnesota and Ms. Breonna Taylor in Kentucky are but two of the many African Americans who have been killed by police, law enforcement officers who have taken an oath to support the Constitution and the laws of our country and to safeguard the communities they serve.

Beyond these specific acts of unspeakable aggression, we should all be concerned when the mere mention of race was used by a white woman to attempt to weaponize a police force against Christian Cooper (who was just birdwatching in Central Park in New York) as an imminent threat to her life. Ahmaud Arbery was shot and killed while jogging on a Georgia Street. While white neighbors have often passed through a local construction site, it was Arbery’s race that led to his being stopped, and ultimately to his death.

To our African American Academy members, please know that the Indiana Academy of Science recognizes how anguish and exhaustion could prevail in having to deal with the ugliness of racism and discrimination. And to all of our Academy members, it is understandable how these reprehensible events could give rise to feelings of injustice and anger. The Indiana Academy of Science shares the frustration of such repugnant and unconscionable acts.

As Academy members, we must commit ourselves to opposing racism in all its forms. We must not remain silent as our African American colleagues, friends, students, and mentors experience aggressions that threaten life, and are subjected to the day-to-day micro-aggressions that suppress the ability of African Americans to live freely and prosper. The Indiana Academy of Science strongly condemns all specific and systemic instances of racism.

Indiana Academy of Science members are encouraged to actively search for ways that we can identify, confront, and end systemic racism. The burden is on us all to do the work. You may find helpful resources that are a good place to start at websites such as this one.