Pennsylvania Academy of Science
The Pennsylvania Academy of Science was founded and organized on April 18, 1924, and is an independent non-profit organization that strives "to embrace all disciplines of science and help ensure the scholarly and ethical pursuit of all scientific endeavors." Today the Pennsylvania Academy of Science has members throughout the United States and in other countries. The current president is Matthew Wallace of East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania and the President-Elect is Andre Walther of Cedar Crest College. Amy Deigelman-Parente of Mercyhurst University serves as Immediate-Past President. History. During the American Association of  Academies of Science meeting in December 1923, a group led by E.M. Gress, C.R. Orton, and W.A. McCubbin was formed to determine interest in starting an Academy of Science in Pennsylvania. The efforts that included 2,000 questionnaires culminated in a meeting held on April 18, 1924, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and led by Frank D. Kern and S.H. Derickson. Officers including Otto E. Jennings (President), C.E. McClung (Vice-President), Joseph S. Illick (Secretary), T.L. Guyton (Assistant-Secretary), Frank D. Kern (Treasurer), George H. Ashley (Editor), and J.P. Kelley (Press Secretary) were elected and two committees were formed Nominating and Constitution. Later  that year, an Executive Meeting was held in the Senate Caucus Room in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on November 28, 1924, where Pennsylvania Governor Gifford Pinchot attended. The First Annual Meeting was held from April 10 to 11, 1925 in the Senate Caucus Room, and the Constitution of the Academy was adopted. The early members were prominent in Pennsylvania Science. Otto E. Jennings was a Curator of Botany at the Carnegie Museum and Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh. Frank D. Kern was a Professor at the then Pennsylvania State College and now has a graduate building named after  him. Gifford Pinchot, who at the time was Governor of Pennsylvania, was the first chief of the United States Forest Service and a forester to George Vanderbilt at his Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. Publications. Section::::"Proceedings of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science". The first volume of the Proceedings of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science was published in 1926 and covered the years 1924 to 1926. The Proceedings included meeting minutes and peer-reviewed papers of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science. The Proceedings was published until 1987 at which point the Journal of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science began. Section::::"Journal  of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science". The Journal of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science began with Volume 62 in 1988 and continues to the present. Section::::" Books published by the Pennsylvania Academy of Science". In 1981, The Pennsylvania Academy of Science published Energy, Environment, and Economy and has since published numerous books on various topics of interest to Pennsylvania Scientists. Programs. Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science. The Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science was formed in 1934 and includes students in grades 7-12 in Pennsylvania. Here students can participate in regional scientific meets and a statewide meet in State College , Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania Academy of Science Undergraduate and Graduate Research Grants. Every year the Pennsylvania Academy of Science gives research grants to undergraduate and graduate students. Awards. Darbaker Prize. The Darbaker Prize is awarded to the best paper each year in Microscopial Biology. Karl F. Orlein Award in Science. This award established by the first president of the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science goes to outstanding papers in the Junior Academy of Science. D.E. Zappa Engineering Endowment Fund. Honors two Junior Academy of Science State winners each year.