IEET Director James Hughes and IEET Fellow Ramez Naam have been elected Fellows of the World Academy of Arts and Sciences.

The World Academy is a network of approximately 500 individuals from diverse cultures, nationalities, and intellectual disciplines, chosen for eminence in art, the natural and social sciences, and the humanities. Its focus is on the social consequences and policy implications of knowledge, and the challenges confronting people in a rapidly changing global civilization. It has in several instances chosen to concentrate on cutting edge issues—such as biotechnology and genetic resources—well ahead of general public recognition of their importance.

The Academy was formally founded in 1960, and its first officers were: as President, Lord John Boyd Orr of Scotland; as Vice Presidents, Hermann Joseph Muller of the United States and Hugo Ostvald of Sweden; and, as Secretary General, Hugo Boyko of Israel.