No doubt most of the members of the Mississippi Academy of Sciences (MAS) know that one of the appointments made by its President with the advent of each new administration is that of Representative to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and Delegate to the National Association of Academies of Science (NAAS). Most if not all MAS members also know that MAS is an affiliate organization of AAAS, and have some idea of what AAAS is. But it is also likely that some, perhaps many, MAS members have no acquaintance with NAAS and have been mildly curious, but too polite to ask what the NAAS Delegate does. Briefly, each member academy may appoint up to two delegates to represent them in the Assembly of Delegates, which is the policy-making body of NAAS. There then occurs the question, "What is NAAS?" The following is a brief synopsis of the history of NAAS and of the current operation of the organization.

In the beginning there was AAAS--well, at least since 1848, and actually at least one state academy (The New York Academy of Sciences) preceded it. Between then and the early decades of our century academies of science had been formed in most states. Prior to 1919, state academies of science had a loose and informal association with AAAS, and were referred to officially as "associates." In 1919 the AAAS constitution was revised, giving the academies the right of representation on the AAAS Council, and they were then designated as "Affiliated Academies." There were eight affiliated academies in 1920. A meeting of academy representatives with the AAAS President in 1925 resulted in a move to organize a federation of affiliated academies, and at the 1926 meeting in Philadelphia, state academy representatives to AAAS assembled to discuss formation of such an organization. At the 1927 meeting in Nashville, Tennessee, the AAAS Council passed a resolution (on December 28--AAAS in earlier years met immediately after Christmas) expressing the desire of AAAS to ". . . have at the annual meeting each year a conference of the representatives of the academies of science . . .," and recognized as officers of the Conference (a Chairman and a Secretary) the individuals who had been elected at an organizational meeting of the academies two days earlier. The Conference was to meet every year as a part of the AAAS meeting, and indeed was to be, ". . . arranged by the Executive Committee of the Association."

The formation of yet another organization was not greeted fondly by all, the complaint being that, as one respondent put it, "We are organized to death and everyone in scientific circles as well as in other groups is impressed with the necessity of eliminating organizations rather than multiplying them," a not unheard of sentiment in our modern era. However, the prevailing view was that the academies needed the support that could be offered by AAAS, and that the academies as a group could be brought together ". . . under the guidance of AAAS very much as any other committee or section of the organization might function." The federation was called the Academy Conference. Thus, this Academy Conference was a creature of both AAAS and the state and local academies of science. It was to serve the purposes (among others, some implied, some expressed) of enabling state and local academies of science to provide AAAS with more coherent input and means of communication with affiliated academies, and thereby promote the AAAS goal of advancing science, and of providing the academies, on the other hand, with a source of funds and other support for accomplishing their goals. The Academy Conference met regularly at the Annual meetings of AAAS, giving affiliated academies of science a formal mechanism for interacting among themselves and with AAAS. AAAS was a constant and consistent partner in these interactions, having at least one and often up to three representatives attend the Academy Conference. In addition, AAAS encouraged and supported the Academy Conference by underwriting many of the expenses incurred. Over the years there have been other forms of support as well, e.g., in the form of research grants allotted to the academies and paying for meetings of the executive committee of NAAS.

The Academy Conference changed its name in 1970 to Association of Academies of Science (AAS). Also around this time, the loss of a large part of the financial support from AAAS necessitated a dues increase (from two to five cents per academy member--current dues are $10 plus 20 cents for each academy member) and the requirement that academy delegates finance all their own expenses at meetings. In 1973 the Association began the process of incorporation, which involved a rewriting of the constitution and by-laws and formal procedures of reorganization. In 1974, AAS was incorporated as National Association of Academies of Science, a non-profit organization under the laws of the District of Columbia. In 1976, NAAS was officially recognized by the IRS as a non-profit corporation.

Despite common interests, common goals, and shared governance, the NAAS/AAAS relationship has not always been smooth, perhaps because it has never really been sufficiently clearly defined. As the two organizations have evolved, and external influences (e.g., dwindling sources of financial support) have interceded, the definitions of their roles vis-à-vis one another have not changed appropriately. As the Academy Conference grew in size and became more organized (a constitution was adopted in 1952), it also tended to operate more independently of AAAS. AAAS actions reflected this ambivalent relationship with less participation in the Academy Conference (e.g., representatives were no longer consistently in attendance at Conference meetings; in 1973, AAAS adopted a new constitution which eliminated academy representation on the Council, but did provide for two representatives from AAS; with worsening financial conditions, AAAS withdrew all support for transportation expenses for academy delegates and for the AAS annual banquet). Nevertheless, the AAAS continued, until its budget crunch in the late 1980s, to provide logistical support for interim meetings of the executive council and some financial subsidy for the publication of proceedings. The ambivalence of the relationship was recognized by both organizations and there were repeated attempts to better define it at various meetings and informal discussions over the years, but adequate definition is still lacking. However, both AAAS and (what is now) NAAS apparently recognize the inherent value of association and working in concert, and continue to work together. AAAS formally designates two representatives as members of the NAAS Board of Directors, and continues to subsidize (through in house assistance with preparation and printing) publication of the Directory, Proceedings, and Handbook of NAAS. NAAS in turn continues to promote state and local academy affiliation and interaction with AAAS and, through the American Junior Academy of Science program, serves to give AAAS substantial outreach to youth throughout the country. It is noteworthy that NAAS is the only affiliate organization of AAAS that is permitted two representatives to Council. Furthermore, state and local academies have additional potential influence on AAAS operation and policy. NAAS, as an Affiliate, is a member of Section Y of AAAS (the section on General Interest in Science and Engineering). State and local academy affiliates which choose this as their primary section have a vote in the proceedings and for officers of the section. Individual members who choose this as one of their sections (one can belong to as many as three) can add to the influence of academies on section activities and recommendations to the governing structure of AAAS. AAAS tends to listen to what its sections say. Members who choose this as their primary section can vote for officers--another means of giving academies of science additional voice in AAAS.

The annual program of NAAS (originally Academy Conference, then AAS) has changed somewhat over the years, but the concerns expressed and the matters considered by the Board of Directors has changed little. Providing a forum for member academies, through their delegates, to describe their problems, express their concerns, evaluate their activities and better define their missions in reflective discussion with their peer academies has always been a paramount goal. Since the beginning, presentations and discussions, although covering a wide range of topics, have at some point included matters of finance, inter- and intra-academy communication (e.g., journals, newsletters), membership, communication of science to the public at large, contributions to the evaluation and execution of legislation through liaison with state legislatures and governors, and science education and the encouragement of the interest of young people in science. The annual meetings have always been in conjunction with that of AAAS. The earlier annual meetings were often day-long affairs which included formal presentations, discussions, and a business meeting in one plenary session. This was followed by a dinner (in the early decades underwritten by AAAS). This format was apparently characteristic until in the 1970s the plenary session was separated from the business session. (Arrangements for meeting spaces and meshing with the AAAS program have been and are taken care of by the AAAS meeting office.) Subsequently, the plenary session became devoted primarily to business matters, and sessions devoted to substantive or topical (as opposed to purely business matters) were held separately and listed in the program as sessions of NAAS or as AAAS sessions sponsored wholly or in part by NAAS.

Currently, the plenary session (the Assembly of Delegates required by the By-laws of NAAS) is a one to two hour session and is the mechanism by which the state academies establish the policies and procedures of NAAS. The Board of Directors meets separately. Its meetings usually stretch out for a whole day, and precede the meeting of the Assembly. The Board makes recommendations for policy decisions to the Assembly. The topical meetings and the periods of discussion and interaction by the Delegates have dwindled over the last decade or so, but there are current efforts to revive some of these activities. There was a three-hour workshop at the last (1995) meeting on program development and financing which was well attended by NAAS Delegates, and there is expected to be another (topic to be announced) at the meeting in Seattle in February, 1997. The topical sessions are a bit problematic, since they must be accepted as a part of the AAAS program, and in the past several years our submissions have been rejected by the program committee. (Current AAAS practice is to set themes for their program, and those suggestions considered least in keeping with these themes will be rejected. Also, planning must begin a year or more ahead, which is difficult in an all-volunteer organization whose members are widely dispersed and largely distracted by matters more immediately at hand for most of the year.)

Meanwhile, in the 1950s a new program had been undertaken--the Junior Science Assembly--which evolved into the current American Junior Academy of Science. This grew in size over the years, and with this addition, the annual meeting duration lengthened. The AJAS program proceeds concurrently with other NAAS and AAAS activities, and lasts for three days. (An idea of the activities enjoyed by the AJAS participants and their sponsors can be gained from my report in the last issue of the Journal of the MAS.)

Science education and awareness, and providing a means for youth interested in science to pursue these interests, has been a concern of NAAS since its inception as the Academy Conference, and is the accurate reflection of the concerns and goals of the member academies. Almost all member academies have, and have had, some sort of youth oriented activity. It was out of this interest and following many years of discussion that the Academy Conference in 1946 assumed from AAAS sponsorship of the Junior Scientists Assembly. This consisted mainly of young people living in the vicinity of the AAAS meeting who were interested in science or scientific careers. This was discontinued in 1968 because of conflicts with AAAS meeting events. In 1958 and 1959 there were conferences of academy personnel concerned directly with junior academies, and specific proposals were made for the Academy Conference to pursue organization of a Junior Academy Conference. In 1962 the American Junior Academy of Science was created as a program of the Academy Conference. It was designed to be an opportunity for senior level high school students who had done research to gain experience and present their work at a national level. At the first AJAS meeting, twenty-two papers were presented by high school students from eleven academies. AJAS has continued to grow. In 1995, over sixty papers were presented by students from twenty-six academies. It is currently a very strong program which contributes substantially to the missions of NAAS, its member academies, and AAAS alike.

There are currently 43 academies of science which are members of NAAS. These include academies from 43 states and two cities (Arizona /Nevada and Colorado/Wyoming form academies jointly). NAAS continues to strive to provide a means of intercommunication amongst the academies and between them and AAAS. The annual Directory, Proceedings, and Handbook includes considerable information about all member academies and their officers, and reprints of AJAS abstracts as well as the minutes of the previous year's meetings and the Constitution and By-laws of NAAS. The NAAS Newsletter carries information about and of interest to member academies. The effort is to publish the Newsletter quarterly, but the target is not always met. NAAS faces the same problems in doing this as its member academies face in accomplishing their purposes: insufficient financial resources, total dependence upon volunteers for staffing, no central office or permanent address, etc. Nevertheless, I am encouraged by the ability, dedication and perseverance of the individuals who do the work of NAAS, and I anticipate a future of enhanced service to its member academies by NAAS.