ISAS was founded in 1907, with its organizational meeting held in Springfield, IL on December 7, 1907. Every year since an annual meeting of the Illinois State Academy of Science has been held at varying locations around the state. Likewise, the Academy’s refereed journal, Transactions, has been published continuously since its inaugural first volume in 1908.

At that opening meeting, Professor T. C. Chamberlin spoke on The Advantages of a State Academy of Science. Documentation of the opening address is showcased in the first volume of Transactions, the peer-reviewed journal of the Illinois State Academy of Science.

Professor Chamberlin’s address began with a brief history of the preceding 50 years that led to the emergence of ISAS and its journal. As Professor Chamberlin noted, one of the primary values of a scientific academy was the publication of research, with our journal Transactions beginning in 1908. Yet a venue for published research was only one of the advantages, with Professor Chamberlin noting also the importance of having an annual meeting where fellow scientists could mean, present work, and share ideas. That initial meeting of the Illinois State Academy of Science in 1907 has continued on an annual basis since, continuing Professor Chamberin’s emphasis of a “means of disseminating the spirit, the method, and the love of science among the people of the State.”  Professor Chamberlin closed his address “with an earnest advocacy of the value of the spirit and method of science to the state and nation as an essential element” in solving problems and creating solutions with an ending note that “more than anything else … the intellectual and moral methods of science are a protection against current evils and a guarantee of safety in the future.”

We welcome you to explore our website, search our article database, currently from 1932 to current, learn more about us, and find value in joining our organization, publishing in our refereed journal, and presenting at our annual meeting.