On Friday, April 27, Paul Silver was elected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Over 1,100 candidates were nominated with 227 elected. Along with Silver, this year’s new Fellows include former Vice President Al Gore; former Supreme Court Associate Justice Sandra Day O’Connor; New York Mayor and businessman Michael Bloomberg; and Google Chairman and CEO Eric Schmidt. The new members will be inducted into the Academy on October 6 at the Academy’s headquarters in Cambridge, MA.

Founded in 1780 by John Adams, James Bowdoin, John Hancock, and other scholar-patriots, the Academy has elected the most influential leaders from each generation as Fellows and Foreign Honorary Members. Current members include more than 170 Nobel laureates and 50 Pulitzer Prize winners. The Academy serves as an independent policy research center focusing on science and global security, social policy, the humanities and culture, and education.

For a full list of this year’s newly elected Fellows and Foreign Honorary Members, see the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Web site.