Richard Davidson named Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters Fellow The Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters has announced it's 2004 selections Wisconsin Academy Fellows. This is a formal recognition conferred upon men and women of extraordinary accomplishment in their fields. The Fellows will be formally inducted and celebrated in a ceremony on Sunday, July 11, 2 to 5 p.m. at Monona Terrace in Madison. Each of the new Fellows will speak about their work, and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Maraniss will give a talk about truth-telling and the literature of fact. A May 13th press release from the Academy cites Davidson's contribution as follows: Richard Davidson News flash: we can harness our emotions to improve our physical and mental well-being. For that powerful message we can thank Richard Davidson, a professor of psychology and psychiatry who was one of the first Western scientists to recognize the value of Eastern spiritual practices in physical and mental health. His research on brain function and the impact of meditation on emotional health has taken him to highest peak of the Himalayas to study the brain waves of Buddhist monks—work that has earned him the respect and friendship of the Dalai Lama, who has visited Davidson’s Madison laboratory along with a number of monks who participated in studies there—to the cubicles of ordinary Wisconsin employees to alleviate the damage of stress in their lives. Davidson was the youngest person ever to receive the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award from the American Psychological Association, one of the highest awards one can receive in psychology. His groundbreaking findings and prolific writings have won him numerous honors and placed him at the top of his field, and he has been profiled and widely quoted in such popular publications as Time, Newsweek, and the The New York Times. Wisconsin Academy Fellows are so named for their qualities of judgment, perceptiveness, and breadth of knowledge of how literature, art, and science contribute to the cultural life and welfare of the state. They also have a career marked by an unusually high order of discovery; technological accomplishments; creative productivity in literature, poetry, or the fine or practical arts; historical analysis; legal or judicial interpretation; or philosophical thinking. May 13, 2004 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters 1922 University Avenue Madison, WI 53726 www.wisconsinacademy.org For more information contact: Joan Fischer, 608/263-1692 ext. 16, or Gail Kohl, 608/263-1692 ext.14, gkohl@wisconsinacademy.org

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