Science and Society

The American Cancer Society is a nationwide community-based voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy, and service. The goal of the American Cancer Society (ACS) is to prevent cancer, save lives, and diminish suffering from cancer.

The CGIAR is a strategic alliance of members, partners and international agricultural centers that mobilizes science to benefit the poor. Our mission is to achieve sustainable food security and reduce poverty in developing countries through scientific research and research-related activities in the fields of agriculture, forestry, fisheries, policy, and environment

Our mission is educating people to understand, to love and to protect the water systems of the planet, marin and fresh water, for the well-being of future generations.

Creative Commons is a nonprofit organization. We work to increase the amount of creativity (cultural, educational, and scientific content) in “the commons” — the body of work that is available to the public for free and legal sharing, use, repurposing, and remixing.

The Earth’s capacity to support the economy continues to deteriorate. The gap between what we need to do to arrest the deterioration of the Earth and what we are doing continues to widen. Somehow we have to turn the tide. The Earth Policy Institute was founded May 2001 by Lester Brown and Reah Janise Kauffman to provide a vision of a sustainable future and a plan for how to get from here to there.

The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) conducts research and development on technology, operations and the environment for the global electric power sector. EPRI, a non-profit organization, brings together its members, the institute’s scientists and engineers, along with experts from academia, industry and other research centers to meet challenges in electricity generation, delivery and use. EPRI supports multi-discipline research in emerging technologies, which drives long-range research and development planning. EPRI's members represent more than 90 percent of the electricity generated in the United States. International participation in its programs includes 40 countries.

Foresight is the leading think tank and public interest institute on nanotechnology. Founded in 1986, Foresight was the first organization to educate society about the benefits and risks of nanotechnology. At that time, nanotechnology was a little-known concept. Today, with the basic framework of public understanding in place, we are refocusing our efforts on guiding nanotechnology research, public policy and education to address the critical challenges facing humanity. Foresights new mission is to ensure the beneficial implementation of nanotechnology. Foresight is accomplishing this by providing balanced, accurate and timely information to help society understand and utilize nanotechnology through public policy activities, publications, guidelines, networking events, tutorials, conferences, roadmaps and prizes.

The GENI Initiative focuses on linking renewable energy resources around the world using international electricity transmission. Research shows that the premier global strategy is the interconnection of electric power networks between regions and continents into a global energy grid, with an emphasis on tapping abundant renewable energy resources — a world wide web of electricity.

The Institute for the Future (IFTF) is an independent nonprofit research group. We work with organizations of all kinds to help them make better, more informed decisions about the future. We provide the foresight to create insights that lead to action. We bring a combination of tools, methodologies, and a deep understanding of emerging trends and discontinuities to our work with companies, foundations, and government agencies. We take an explicitly global approach to strategic planning, linking macro trends to local issues.

The question is no longer whether global warming is upon us … but how we can rise to its challenge. MIT’s Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change is a world leader in this effort. Our many activities cohere around one strategy: science and policy have to work together.

The National Council for Science and the Environment is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the scientific basis for environmental decision-making. We envision a society where environmental decisions by everyone are based on an accurate understanding of the underlying science, its meaning and limitations, and the potential consequences of their action or inaction.

NRDC is the nation's most effective environmental action organization. We use law, science and the support of more than 1 million members and online activists to protect the planet's wildlife and wild places and to ensure a safe and healthy environment for all living things.

Today a group of scientists and concerned citizens launch a new organization, Scientists and Engineers for America, dedicated to electing public officials who respect evidence and understand the importance of using scientific and engineering advice in making public policy. The principal role of the science and technology community is to advance human understanding. But there are times when this is not enough. Scientists and engineers have a right, indeed an obligation, to enter the political debate when the nations leaders systematically ignore scientific evidence and analysis, put ideological interests ahead of scientific truths, suppress valid scientific evidence and harass and threaten scientists for speaking honestly about their research.

Sense About Science is an independent charitable trust responding to the misrepresentation of science and scientific evidence on issues that matter to society. We do this by promoting respect for evidence and by urging scientists to engage actively with a wide range of groups, particularly when debates are controversial or difficult. We also work proactively for a wider understanding of the nature of evidence and recognition of the value of scientific enquiry.

The Baker Institute Science and Technology Policy Program is designed to bring attention to and bridge the gap between science and public policy. The mission of the Science and Technology Policy Program is to address a broad range of policy issues which affect scientists and their research. Our goal is to have both scientists and policy makers work together to inform each other on important issues. By doing so, public policy will more accurately reflect current scientific research and be more consistent with scientific consensus. It will also give an opportunity for scientists to learn from the general public and respond to their concerns.