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Q&A with Academy Board Member Katherine B. Forrest

Katherine B. Forrest is a Partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP and also a member of the Board of Governors for The New York Academy of Sciences. With an extensive background in law, government and social sciences, she brings unique insight to the Board. We interviewed her to learn more about her background, why she chose to get involved with the Academy, and why she’s passionate about artificial intelligence.

*some quotes have been edited for length and clarity

What does being a member of the Academy’s Board mean to you?

In 2023, I became a member of the Academy’s Board. It’s an extraordinary honor, as someone who has spent my professional life in areas that are considered to be essentially non-scientific. I was trained as a lawyer. I became a judge for a period of time and a government official. But my interests have tended towards technology, and particularly artificial intelligence (AI) and ethics.

Understanding that The New York Academy of Sciences had a broad enough tent to be able to take that in as part of its overall interest in terms of what it wanted represented on the Board of Governors was thrilling to me. For me, it’s one of my crowning achievements to be able to have an organization like The New York Academy of Sciences recognize the work that I have done by virtue of reaching out and suggesting that I have something to contribute to the Board of Governors.

When did you first become interested in the Academy’s work?

I became aware of the work of The New York Academy of Sciences through a number of people that I ran into in the field of AI, working with a variety of researchers where my work overlapped. I also felt like it was not something that many of my social science colleagues necessarily knew about. I became interested in the Academy’s work around 2007 or 2008 when the Internet was hot and heavy and there was a lot of work being done on Internet issues in the digital transformation.

The Academy was involved in a variety of conferences relating to that. And then, of course, my dear friend, David Mordecai is on the Board of Governors. We teach a class together at NYU Law School on quantitative methods, and so he was the one who actually introduced me to the Board of Governors.

How does your personal or professional background inform your commitment to the Academy?

My professional background today is focused on artificial intelligence strategic and advisory work for a broad array of clients. What I am passionate about is staying on top of the technology, and what I try to bring to my clients is not just a newsletter with legal or strategic advice, but an understanding of the technology, in particular, how some of the technological advances in AI can raise ethical issues, compliance issues, governance issues, strategic concerns, and things of that nature.

What I like to do is to have my personal work, which is now oriented towards science, but also with the law in there, which informs what I do every day. My commitment is to bring to the Board of Governors a different perspective. The kind of perspective of someone who is both a lawyer but working in the AI area and able to bring science and law together in a way that can hopefully be of help to the Board.

Is there one Academy program or initiative that gets you the most jazzed up?

It’s the umbrella of different kinds of AI initiatives that are occurring at the Academy that really gets me jazzed up. I think the Academy has an awful lot to offer in terms of speakers that we bring in. Yann LaCun presented about a week or so ago. We have all kinds of young thinkers and researchers whose work we support through programs, events, and other efforts related to AI.

New York City is the hub of some real research. It’s not just in Silicon Valley. In particular, downtown Manhattan is a hot spot for AI research. I think the Academy can lead the way when discussing and advancing the very complicated ethical issues that we’re going to be confronting in the years to come.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

One of the extraordinary things about the Academy, and being on the Board of Governors, is to see the array of talent both through our leadership at the Academy itself, and on the Board of Governors. It’s incredible to see the number of highly accomplished individuals in science or science-adjacent areas, like the social sciences, who bring a lot of these issues that we’re working on to the forefront. The Academy has an unparalleled array of talent, and I am just very honored to be able to be a part of that.

“New York City is the hub of some real research. It’s not just in Silicon Valley. In particular, downtown Manhattan is a hot spot for AI research. I think the Academy can lead the way when discussing and advancing the very complicated ethical issues that we’re going to be confronting in the years to come.”

-KATHERINE B. FORREST
PARTNER, PAUL, WEISS, RIFKIND, WHARTON & GARRISON LLP
BOARD OF GOVERNORS, THE NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

Q&A with Academy Board Member Peter Thorén

Peter Thorén is Executive Vice President of Access Industries and a member of the Board of Governors for The New York Academy of Sciences. With an extensive background in law and business, he brings a valuable perspective to the Board. We interviewed him to learn more about his background, what he’s learned from working with scientists, and why he chose to get involved with the Academy.

*some quotes have been edited for length and clarity

What does being a member of the Board of the Academy mean to you?

First and foremost, I’m extremely proud to be a member of the Board for The New York Academy of Sciences. I am not a scientist by training, but I have great respect and admiration for what talented scientists can do. The brilliance of science is producing solutions to problems and making the world better. Being a Board member for the Academy enables me to assist in that process in any way I can. This is both a privilege and an honor, and I appreciate the opportunity.

How did you first become interested in the Academy’s work?

I first became involved around 2004, when the Academy was still located up on East 63rd Street, on the Upper East Side, and Ellis Rubinstein was the President. At that time, the Academy was going through a bit of a financial issue and was considering selling their building.

Access Industries ended up buying the Academy building and, through the process of negotiating the deal, we got to know Ellis and the Academy well. Ellis, in turn, got to know Len Blavatnik, the Founder of Access Industries. In 2005, Ellis, Len, and I attended the Nobel Prize Ceremony in Stockholm with our wives. From there, the relationship with the Academy and the growth of the Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists took off. So that’s the genesis of my relationship with the Academy and I have been on the Board ever since. I marvel at the Academy’s growth and expansion over that time.

How does your personal and professional background inform your commitment to the Academy?

I’m a lawyer and a businessman by training and it’s what I’ve done for the last 45 years. Over the years, I’ve learned that the more interested you are in the world around you, the more creative you become, the more innovative you are in your thought process and the more successful you are in your career and life in general. This process applies to the way the Academy, and the many talented individuals we associate with at the Academy, think. It defines how they look at problems and identify solutions to seemingly insurmountable issues. This creative approach benefits everyone but particularly those of us who are on the periphery of science and who benefit from what is being done within the Academy and other scientific institutions.

Which is the one Academy program or initiative that excites you the most. And why?

Well, there are many wonderful initiatives and programs at the Academy. But clearly, the one nearest to my heart, given the fact that I was there from the beginning in 2007 and have watched it grow over the years, is the Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists. We started with the regional awards for postdocs in the tri-state area, then that grew into the national award for faculty-ranked scientists and engineers throughout the entire United States. Then, in 2017, we expanded the awards further to honor faculty-ranked researchers in Israel and the United Kingdom.

By the end of 2024, we’ll have recognized 470 young scientists from more than 35 different scientific and engineering disciplines and have provided over $17 million in unrestricted awards. Being able to support young scientists early in their career, and to give them the confidence, the recognition, and an extra push forward to do even greater things, is wonderful. Of all the different things I do on a philanthropic side as head of the Blavatnik Family Foundation, being part of the Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists is the most fun, the most interesting, and the most rewarding. I’m proud and honored to work alongside Len Blavatnik and the talented and enthusiastic people at the Academy who make this possible.

“I have great respect and admiration for what talented scientists can do. The brilliance of science is producing solutions to problems and making the world better. Being a Board member for the Academy enables me to assist in that process in any way I can.”

-Peter Thorén
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, ACCESS INDUSTRIES
BOARD MEMBER, THE NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

A History of the Academy’s Digital Presence

Take a trip down memory lane and look at some of the Academy’s previous website designs.

Published March 20, 2024

By Nick Fetty

1996

Screenshot courtesy of the Wayback Machine

The Academy joined the digital age when its first website launched around 1996. At that time, the Academy was based out of its facility on New York’s Upper East Side, as can be seen in the image in the screenshot. The website provided an opportunity to promote longtime Academy publications such as Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences and The Sciences magazine, but it also opened new opportunities to share news and other announcements in real time as well as a new vehicle for recruiting members and engaging aspiring scientists.

2001

Screenshot courtesy of the Wayback Machine.

Annals continued to have a strong presence when the Academy released the second iteration of its website around 2001. As web technology continued to develop with the turn of the century, the site was able to embrace new capabilities such as providing a live calendar of upcoming events as well as access to press releases and digital photos. News stories from this era are a snapshot in time when issues such as West Nile virus and the “Harbor Project” (an effort to remove contaminants from the Hudson River) were making headlines.

2007

Screenshot courtesy of the Wayback Machine.

Though still text heavy, the third iteration of the Academy’s website launched around 2007, continued to prominently feature Annals, events, and Academy news. The site served as both a promotional vehicle and an application repository for the Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists, which was first awarded in 2007. Also around this time, the Academy launched eBriefings, which provided an online recap of academic and scientific research presented during Academy events. Two years earlier, in 2005, the Academy moved its headquarters to 7 World Trade Center, as evidenced by the photos in the upper left and upper right sections of the screenshot.

2012

Screenshot courtesy of the Wayback Machine.

By the website’s fourth iteration in 2012, the Academy began refining its research focus in more specialized areas, including Life Sciences and Biomedical Research, Physical Sciences and Engineering, Science Education, and Nutrition Science. Some of these remain focus areas of the Academy today. The website showed more emphasis on fundraising, and also prominently placed press releases on the front page as a way to promote major Academy news and announcements.

2017

Screenshot courtesy of the Wayback Machine.

The fifth iteration of the Academy’s website was less text-heavy and more visual in nature, following the web design trends of the time. The interactive banner at the top of the page provided a prominent place to promote events, press releases, and other timely items. The Academy began putting more emphasis on its blog, which provided a platform to promote Academy happenings not covered by external media as well as a platform for Academy staff, Board members, and others to write thought-provoking pieces about their own areas of expertise. The e-newsletter and social media channels provided further avenues to stay up to date with the Academy.

2024

Screenshot courtesy of the Wayback Machine.

The Academy’s newest website, officially launched on March 11, 2024, features a clean layout with many visuals and shorter blocks of text. The design enables the embedding of video and other attractive visual elements on the homepage. The Academy continues to promote core programs such as Annals and events, but now also prominently features blog content as well as the Academy’s mission and global impact. The WordPress content management system is user-friendly for staff maintaining the website, and it also allows for greater customization compared to previous platforms. With this new vehicle, the Academy will continue to advance its mission of “science for the public good” by engaging new audiences and providing original multimedia content that showcases the work and accomplishments of the Academy, its members, and partners.

Learn more about the Academy’s history.

Q&A with Academy Board Member Grace Wang

Grace Wang is the President of Worcester Polytechnic Institute and also a member of the Board of Governors for The New York Academy of Sciences. With an extensive background in STEM, she brings a valuable perspective to the Board, helping to guide the Academy in its decision-making. We interviewed her to learn more about her background, what motivates her, and why she chose to get involved with the Academy.

*some quotes have been edited for length and clarity

What does being a member of the Board of the Academy mean to you?

I’m very proud of my association with The New York Academy of Sciences. I’m an engineer and have spent my whole career in STEM education and research in academia, industry, as well as government. The New York Academy of Sciences is one of the oldest institutions of its kind in the world. It’s had a tremendous legacy and a lasting impact, so I’m very proud to be part of this organization through being a board member. It’s personal and very meaningful to me.

The New York Academy of Sciences looks to the future and continues to empower the next generation of STEM professionals. As the science and technology landscape rapidly evolves, this is particularly an exciting time to be part of the Academy.

How did you first become interested in the Academy’s work?

I became a member in 2018 when I was working at the State University of New York (SUNY), and I’ve been familiar with what the Academy does. My former Chancellor at SUNY, Dr. Nancy Zimpher, was a previous member of the Academy’s Board. I learned some about the Academy’s mission through her — she was very enthusiastic about her involvement.

How did either your professional or your personal background inform your commitment to the Academy?

WPI is a STEM university and focuses on enabling not only the future STEM professionals, but also the future STEM leaders. We are very proud to provide distinctive STEM education through project-based learning. Today, over 85 percent of our students can have off-site project experience – they work on real-world problems in real-world settings – at one of our over 50 global project centers. Through this transformative experience, our students learn to be great team players, communicators, problem solvers, and value creators. They are prepared to be future STEM leaders. The Academy’s mission resonates strongly with what we do at WPI.

Of all the various things that the Academy does and the various programs, is there a particular program or initiative that excites you more than the others? Why is that?

I am excited about the Science Alliance program. It supports emerging STEM leaders and continues cultivating their passion in STEM fields.

I also like the Academy’s awards programs. They not only recognize star researchers, which of course is important; but beyond that, they also inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers to explore research frontiers and pursue their careers in STEM.

“The New York Academy of Sciences is one of the oldest institutions of its kind in the world. It’s had a tremendous legacy and also a lasting impact, so I’m very proud to be part of this organization through being a board member. It’s personal and very meaningful to me.”

DR. GRACE WANG
PRESIDENT, WORCHESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE
BOARD MEMBER, THE NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

James Marshall Hendrix

Guitarist

Jimi Hendrix Experience

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Fred Sanford

Sanitation Engineer
Sanford & Sons

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Paul Mayson

Assistant Scientist
ClearDev LLC

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205th Annual Meeting of The New York Academy of Sciences

We invite our Members to join us at the 205th Annual Meeting of the New York Academy of Sciences. Academy Chair of the Board Jerry Hultin, with President and CEO Nicholas Dirks, will kick off the event with a welcome address and share updates about new Academy initiatives.

Staff Spotlight: Sonya Dougal, PhD

A woman smiles for the camera.

Sonya Dougal, Senior Vice President of Scientific Programs and Awards, talks about her STEM journey.

A woman smiles for the camera.

Tell us what you do for the Academy.

When I first came to the Academy, I was a program manager on the conferences team. The very first conference that I planned from start to finish was on neural prosthetics, called Building Better Brains: Neural Prosthetics and Beyond, which was funded by the Aspen Brain Forum.

Now, 15 years later, I provide strategic oversight for the conference portfolio across life sciences, physical sciences and engineering and sustainability. I also oversee our international awards portfolio, which includes the Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists, as well as the Takeda Innovators in Science Award and the Tata Transformation Prize. Most recently, we have launched two new fellowship programs for postdoctoral scientists, which include the AI and Society Fellowship with Arizona State University, as well as the Leon Levy Scholarships in Neuroscience.

What has — so far — been your proudest accomplishment working for the Academy?

We surveyed our conference attendees about the impact our conference had on their research and career. I think it’s incredible that one-third of respondents changed the course of their research in response to what they learned from our speakers. I’m really proud that our conference programs are impacting the research enterprise in that way. I had the same experience at an Academy conference as a post-doc.

I’m also really proud of the opportunities that the Leon Levy scholarships are providing for neuroscience post-docs in NYC. They receive mentorship from an established scientist in addition to their research PI, they have financial support to care for children or other dependents, and they receive professional development opportunities that will be invaluable no matter what career path they choose. If they stay in academia, it’ll help them set up their lab. If they leave academia, it’s going to help them to find a new job because they’ve been properly prepared. So it’s just been so gratifying for me to be a part of launching this new partnership.

Why, in general, are you proud to work for the Academy?

Well, for one thing, the Academy is a very old and esteemed scientific institution. But it’s an institution that’s changed and grown to meet the challenges in society and in science over the past 200 years. I love that the Academy has risen to the challenge during really important times in history. For instance, we were one of the first organizations to hold a scientific conference on HIV in the 80s when there was a lot of stigma associated with HIV. During COVID, my team presented virtual programming that educated thousands of members of the public on key public health information.

I also think it’s important that we bring scientists together across sectors, disciplines, and stages in their careers. At one of my conferences, there was a line of postdocs and graduate students waiting to meet Jim Allison the year he won the Nobel Prize. There aren’t many venues where, as a young trainee, you can meet your heroes in real life and have a chat with them about a research question.

Tell us your STEM journey. How did you first become interested in science, and how did you pursue it to become who you are today?

I started college as a music major thinking that I would become a professional clarinet player. The thing was, I had performance anxiety—I just hated going on stage. And that made me think about how anxiety impacts performance from a psychological and physiological perspective. So I ended up studying psychology — which hooked me on thinking about the mind – and I found a research lab that was studying skilled memory. I learned that I loved applying the scientific method to pose research questions and collect data as opposed to the subjectivity of music.

I went to graduate school in Pittsburgh where I did behavioral research, and then when I came to NYU for my postdoc, I used brain imaging techniques to study how emotion influences memory formation.

Why do you think science is so important to society?

I believe that most major challenges in society can be addressed by science. And because science is the key to understanding our world from how the universe was formed to the experience of human consciousness.

Which scientist (or scientists) would you most like to have dinner with and why?

Rudy Tanzi, a neurologist at Mass General. He plays piano and I really enjoy talking with him about music, science, and consciousness.

Another person who would be great is Richie Davidson, the cognitive neuroscientist who studied the neural activity of Buddhist monks while they were meditating.

I’d also like to meet Marie Curie because she was the only female scientist to win the Nobel Prize twice. I’d like to trade stories on the challenges of being a female scientist.

What hobbies or interests do you have outside of work?

Spending time with my son Thomas and my cats Cleopatra and Claudius, going to the beach and gardening on Cape Cod. And I love reading. Nabokov is my favorite author. He was trained as a scientist—he studied butterflies before he became a writer—and his prose is so elegant.

I recently started playing the clarinet again after 20 years and that has brought back a lot of memories and joy.