April 26, 2008Dr. Jorge G. CastañedaKing Juan Carlos I Center53 Washington Square SouthNew York UniversityNew York, NY 10012Dear Dr. Castañeda: This notification of your election today as a member of the American Philosophical Society may require an additional word or two. The American Philosophical Society, the oldest learned society in the United States, was founded in 1743 by Benjamin Franklin for the purpose of “promoting useful knowledge.” In the 21st century we sustain this mission in three principal ways. We honor and engage leading scholars, scientists and professionals through elected membership and opportunities for interdisciplinary, intellectual fellowship, particularly in our semi-annual meetings. We support research, discovery and education through grants and fellowships, lectures, publications, prizes and exhibitions. We serve scholars through a research library of manuscripts and other collections internationally recognized for their enduring historic value. The American Philosophical Society’s current activities reflect the founder’s spirit of inquiry, provide a forum for the free exchange of ideas, and convey our conviction that intellectual inquiry and critical thought are inherently in the best interest of the public. Members are especially encouraged to attend our semi-annual meetings, for which members and their spouses are provided with hotel accommodations and meals at the expense of the American Philosophical Society. These meetings express in the twenty-first century the universal spirit of the eighteenth century “Age of Reason” with the presentation and discussion of papers on such topics as privacy and the Constitution, regenerative medicine and tissue engineering, imaging the invisible universe, new tools for archaeological discovery, and the legacy of Franz Boas and its futures in anthropology, academe, and human rights. The next Autumn Meeting will be held November 13 – 15, 2008, and the next Spring Meeting will be April 23 – 25, 2009. I look forward to meeting you and to receiving from you your acceptance of membership. Sincerely yours, Mary Patterson McPherson Executive Officerpmcpherson@amphilsoc.org Phone 215-440-3438 Fax 215-440-3436