Kentucky Academy of Sciences
The Kentucky Academy of Sciences was founded in 1914. It is the largest scientific organization in the commonwealth, with more than 2500 members and it embraces some 20 different disciplines of science. Membership is open to anyone who has an interest in science here in Kentucky and beyond. The Academy is an affiliate of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the National Association of the Academies of Science.
The objectives of the Academy are to encourage scientific research, to promote the diffusion of scientific knowledge, and to unify the scientific interests of the Commonwealth. The Academy holds an annual meeting in which concurrent sectional meetings are held; there also is an annual business meeting, a banquet, and general sessions intended to stimulate the interests of all scientists. The Academy sponsors the Kentucky Junior Academy of Science (KJAS) that is conducted by and for students at the pre- college levels. KJAS sponsors a statewide spring symposium each year. KAS awards research funds generated by endowments, institutional or corporate affiliations and the Kentucky Academy of Science Foundation.
The Journal
The Transactions of the Kentucky Academy of Science, now the Journal of the Kentucky Academy of Science, is the official publication of the Academy. Published semiannually, it report the results of original research and serves as the official record of the Academy. All papers undergo a review process and conform to the high standards of nationally respected journals.
In the early years the journal was devoted primarily to Academy business along with transcripts of abstracts or presentations made at the meetings. Minutes of the annual Governing Board meeting still remain a component of each volume. By 1941 the Journal began its evolution into a modern scientific publication, moving to quarterly publishing with an attempt to get papers into print in a timely manner. It achieved its present look in 1948. Through 1974, the Journal had been published locally, primarily through the University of Kentucky Press, until Louis Krumholz took the Journal to Allen Press in 1974. In 1963, semiannual publication was adopted and continues to present. Their website contains all back issues of the Journal.
Anyone can submit an article to the Journal as long as the subject matter falls within the realms of the biological, physical or social sciences embraced by the Academy. There is no requirement that the author has to be a Kentucky Resident or an Academy Member. Historically about a third of authors did not or no longer lived in Kentucky at the time of their publications.
History of the Academy
Inspired by Academies in North Carolina, Tennessee, Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan, a call for organization was issued to all scientists in Kentucky in the spring of 1914. A meeting was held for the purpose of Organizing the Kentucky Academy of Science at the State University of Kentucky (now University of Kentucky) On April 10th and 11th, 1914. At this meeting Dr. P.P. Boyd of the State University was elected Chairman for the organizational meeting, and Dr. Charles Robinson of the University of Louisville was elected secretary. A committee was appointed to confer a constitution and by-laws. This committee included Messrs. Spahr, Ryland, Rainey, W.M. Anderson, and Lloyd. A constitution and by-laws were adopted, with Joseph H. Kastle, Experiment Station, as President, N.F. Smith, Central University, as Vice- President, Garnett Ryland, Georgetown College, as secretary, and W. M. Anderson, University of Louisville, as Treasurer.
In the original constitution there were three classes of members, Active, Corresponding, and Honorary. Active Members were residents of Kentucky who were interested in scientific work. Dues were one dollar per year. Corresponding members were persons who were actively engaged in scientific work but were not Kentucky residents. They had duties and privileges of active members but could not hold office. Honorary members were those who had acquired special prominence in science and were not residents of Kentucky.
For election to any class of membership, early candidates had to be nominated in writing by two members, one of whom must know the applicant personally, receive a majority vote of the Committee on Membership, and three fourths vote of the members of the Academy that are present at any session.
Presently, the requirements for membership are simply an interest in science and payment of annual dues. In the 1987 revision of the constitution the classes for membership were changed to regular, Life, Student, Honorary, Emeritus, Corporate Affiliate, and Institutional Affiliate. Regular membership is the same as active but was not restricted to the citizens of Kentucky.
In 1937, The Academy incorporated with its headquarters located in Lexington KY. Once incorporated, a Board of Directors was added to the officers of the Academy by an amendment to the constitution. Never sure of the role of the Board, many attempts were made to incorporate them into the running of the organization failed and the board was dissolved in the 1987 constitution.
At the either annual meeting in May 1921, KAS formally accepted affiliation with the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences (AAAS). The Affiliation as continued to this day. Over the years, KAS has maintained a representative to the AAAS and to the National Association of Academies of Science (NAAS).
Interest in the Teaching of Science and the Science Education Committee
The Famous Scopes trial concerning the teaching of evolution in the public schools brought an immediate reaction for the AAAS in January 1923 in the form of a resolution published in Science 26 January 1923. This resolution supported without reservation the teaching of evolution and argued vehemently against any state passing laws against the teaching of evolution. In the May meeting of 1923, the Academy passed a resolution strongly supporting the position of the AAAS, even though such a position was extremely unpopular in Kentucky at the time. This is the first indication of the long- term concern of the Academy for education in the public schools. In 1926, AAAS led in raising a scholarship fund for Mr. Scopes in view of his loyalty to the cause of science. A total of $47 was raised in the Academy for this cause and forwarded to AAAS.
Beyond the cause of teaching evolution in the schools. The Academy had supported regulation changes in teacher certifications, produced educational radiocasts at WHAS to promote scientific thought and understanding, developed the Visiting Scientist Program to provide speakers to Kentucky Schools, and promotes STEM programs.
Support of Research
Of course, the reason for being for the Academy is the advancement and enjoyment of Science. A prime occupation of the organizations members is engaging in scientific research. The academy has, over the years, aided in the publication of the research of its members and in later years, has sponsored some research, particularly the work of college students and its own members. In the early days, when the Academy did not have a journal, members were allowed to publish in Science, the official AAAS journal. When this was no longer possible. Willard Rouse Jillson published the academy’s papers, partially at his own expense. The quality and quantity of the published articles was not a steady progression of excellence. The Great Depression of the 1930s was a very difficult and troubling time. Very little money was available. Paydays were missed and salaries were reduced; therefore, there was virtually no money for research. The Second World War was also a severe setback. The home front was denuded of many able- bodied young men and women because of this mighty upheaval. It is instructive to compare activity in 1920 when 26 papers were presented at the meeting and were published in the first 10 years of Volume I with those presented in 1990 and 2013. In 1990, 285 papers were read at the meeting, 46 abstracts of those papers were in the Journal, one workshop was given at the meeting, 42 posters presentations were made, and 19 separate articles were printed in the Journal that were not read at the meeting. In 2013, 233 papers were presented orally and 245 presented posters. The practice of publishing the abstracts in the Journal (for a cost to each author of $5 each) was discontinued in 2013. The research presented at meetings and the membership by sections give an excellent picture of the increase and changes in scientific activity by discipline of the Academy form its early beginnings.
The Academy, never too flush with funds, made a rather slow start in making grants for the encouragement of scientific research. In 1925, at the twelfth Annual Meeting, W. R. Jillson proposed that a gold medal be frequently given for “first excellence in scientific investigation” to a member of the Academy. He found a donor who would pay for the medals. The project apparently fell through since there is no records of a medal ever being given to anyone.
The first mention of money to encourage research occurred on April 1939 at the 26th Annual Meeting at Murray State Teachers College. Mr. Fain W. King and Mrs. Blanch B. King of Wickliffe, Ky., announced that they were offering to the Academy an annual prize of $50 for five consecutive years. The prize was to be awarded by the Academy to the individual presenting the most meritorious paper of original research. The first award was given at that meeting to W.R. Allen of the University of Kentucky. His paper was entitled “Science and Human Mores.” Other awards were made over the next 4 years.
At the meeting in 1974 at Centre College, Joe Winstead of Western Kentucky University announced that “Though the generosity of an anonymous donor, the Kentucky Academy of Science is authorized to periodically award a cash grant for $500 to any student who is a member of the Kentucky Academy of Science and who is enrolled in a course of study with an emphasis in botanical sciences at any college or university in the Commonwealth.” In 1976, this same donor, Mr. Raymond L. Athey of Paducah, Kentucky, established an endowment fund of $10,000 to support students doing botanical research in Kentucky. He again donated, along with his late wife’s family in 1982, $50,000 for endowment, of the Marcia Athey Fund in honor of Mrs. Athey. In 1986, the Academy recognized Mr. Athey by according him a Citizen Scientist Award in recognition of his many achievement in the documentation of rare and unusual plants of Kentucky and for his support of botanical and scientific research in the mid- south.
The Academy and it’s members have been instrumental in ensuring that Kentucky received it fair share in Federal science research and development funds. They went to bat with the National Science Foundation in 1978 to get Kentucky included in the EPSCoR (Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) program. In 1986 Kentucky received from this program $3 million from NSF, $3 million by the state and $0.6 Million by various industries and $9,826, 262 from the state university in the form of faculty time and indirect costs. By 1990, Kentucky’s EPSCoR program was regarded as one of the most successful in the country. The latest NSF EPSCoR grant for $24 million was awarded to Kentucky in August 2014 for research to diversify Kentucky’s energy economy. The inclusion of Kentucky in to the EPSCoR program means that university faculty are conducting cutting edge research and students are learning to apply the basics of Science, Engineering and Math in laboratories and fields to solve health, energy, environmental, transportation, agricultural, technological security, as well as first world problems. It means that money is being provided to create jobs that implement these solutions. The Academy can take pride in that many of its members were instrumental in getting the process started and continue to be highly involved.
Kentucky Academy of Science Foundation
At the suggestion of Mr. Athey, a separate organization was established to keep the money that he and the Athey family had donated separate from the day to day operation of Academy affairs. Therefore, in 1980, the Kentucky Academy of Science foundation was established. A Board of Trustees was to address the affairs of the Foundation and the President of the Academy was the President of the Foundation. The officers of the Academy and the Board of Directors were automatically members of the Board of Trustees for the Foundation. With the new constitution of 1987, control of the Foundation was taken over by the Governing Board of the Academy.
Environment
The Academy has since its inception, been involved with working with Congress and the legislature to protect and conserve our environment. In 1972, the academy formed the Committee on Rare and Endangered Species to create a list for Kentucky. The list was updated again in 1986, and continues to be an important resource for Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission.
