Workshop on Advocacy in Science: Advocacy Initiatives

Scientific and Engineering Society Advocacy Initiatives

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Disciplinary societies not only represent the interests of individual members; they also have a broader role in promoting the advancement of science and its applications in service of society. Historically, these societies have acted as the custodian of the core values, accepted practices, and traditions of their disciplines. Societies are also an important source of professional norms, helping members navigate their interaction with each other and with society.

In the context of advocacy, the societies can eschew it entirely; they can advocate as an organization; and/or they can promote and facilitate advocacy among their members by providing practical and normative guidance. They may view themselves as objective sources of technical expertise to those who call on them, as well as “guardians” of the proper use of knowledge by society. They may be aggressive proponents of using science in societal decision-making, and be highly visible players in major policy debates. What they do, how, and why are undoubtedly the result of many factors.

For our work, we wanted to know what societies based in the U.S. were doing with regard to advocacy. Our preliminary research turned up a range of activities, or “initiatives,” from information about how to contact elected officials, to detailed talking points about research funding. Table 1 presents a short description of the advocacy initiatives of each society listed, while Table 2 presents web links to each society’s homepage and their advocacy initiatives. The lists are neither representative of the larger set of science and engineering societies in the U.S., nor comprehensive in describing their advocacy initiatives. Within the constraints of time and resources, we offer the lists simply as examples, without further generalization.

Table 1: List of Scientific Societies and their Advocacy Initiatives

Table 2: Links to Scientific Societies and their Advocacy Initiatives