The 2024 class of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation fellows brings a rich diversity of talent, featuring more writers, artists, and storytellers than seen in previous years. However, the prestigious “genius grants” also include multiple scientists among the 22 recipients announced Tuesday. Each winner receives a $800,000 grant, disbursed over five years, to use at their discretion. This year’s fellows include fiction writer Ling Ma, poet and writer Juan Felipe Herrera, cabaret performer Justin Vivian Bond, and visual artist Ebony G. Patterson.
Nominees are selected over several years through a rigorous process involving recommendations from peers, vetting by the foundation, and reviews by an evolving independent advisory board. While the themes of each class aren’t directly tied to specific moments, trends often emerge. Marlies Carruth, director of the MacArthur Fellows Program, notes that the increased representation of literary artists may reflect a societal yearning to tell and resurrect untold stories.
The award process is shrouded in secrecy, with the foundation instructing nominators to keep their recommendations confidential. Carruth explains this secrecy promotes honesty among nominators, though it sometimes makes it challenging to reach the winners.
Children’s and young adult writer Jason Reynolds, a recipient and former National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, expressed being overwhelmed upon receiving the call from the foundation. He shared his experience of balancing real-life pressures, such as caring for his mother, with the life-changing news of his award. Reynolds is currently pondering the impact the award will have on his diverse body of work, including the “Track” series, comic books, and his upcoming young adult novel “Twenty-Four Seconds from Now…,” which explores a Black boy’s first sexual relationship.
The foundation seeks out individuals who have both a proven track record and the potential to produce more extraordinary work. They are also keen to support those who collaborate beyond their specific disciplines. Nicola Dell, a computer and information scientist at Cornell Tech, credited her collaborators, students, and community groups for their collective efforts in researching technology abuse and developing tools to aid survivors of such abuse. She co-founded the Clinic to End Tech Abuse, which assists individuals victimized by cyberstalking or harassment by intimate partners.
Astronomer Keivan G. Stassun of Vanderbilt University, another recipient, has made significant contributions to both the scientific community and inclusivity in STEM. He co-founded a program to recruit and prepare diverse students for advanced degrees in science at Vanderbilt and Fisk University. More recently, he established a center to assist neurodiverse individuals in finding employment and helping companies hire them. Inspired by his autistic child, Stassun is dedicated to making science accessible and promoting the inclusion of neurodiverse talent.
Stassun emphasized that the progress in astrophysical research and the cultivation of a diverse scientific workforce are intertwined. He expressed pride in the success of the Fisk-Vanderbilt Master’s-to-PhD Bridge Program, which has become a leading producer of Black, Hispanic, and Native American doctoral graduates in the physical sciences.
“Science depends on access to the full human diversity of mind to make the mysteries of the cosmos understandable and knowable,” Stassun remarked, highlighting the essential connection between scientific discovery and diverse human talent.
