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American Association for the Advancement of Science

Abbreviation	AAAS
Pronunciation	Triple-A S
Founded	September 20, 1848 (176 years ago) (1848-09-20)
Focus	Science education and outreach
Location	William T. Golden Center for Science and Engineering Washington, D.C., U.S.
Members	120,000+
Formerly called	Association of American Geologists and Naturalists

Washington, D.C., office of the AAAS

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a big international group based in the United States. Its main goal is to help scientists work together. It also protects their freedom to explore new ideas. The AAAS encourages scientists to be responsible and supports science education for everyone. This helps make life better for all people.

The AAAS was the first group created to promote science and engineering across the whole country. It represents American researchers from all different science fields. It is the largest general science society in the world. More than 120,000 people are members. The AAAS also publishes a very famous science magazine called Science.

History of the AAAS
Science Areas Covered by AAAS
How AAAS is Run
AAAS Fellows
Meetings
Awards and Policy Fellowships
- Some Current Awards Include
SciLine
EurekAlert!
See also

History of the AAAS

How the AAAS Started

The American Association for the Advancement of Science began on September 20, 1848. This happened at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was formed from an older group called the Association of American Geologists and Naturalists. The new group had a bigger mission. It wanted to be the first lasting organization to support science and engineering across the nation. It also aimed to represent all American researchers.

The society chose William Charles Redfield as its first president. He had the best ideas for how the organization should work. The first rules of the group said its goal was to encourage scientific talks. This would help scientists work together more. By doing this, the AAAS hoped to use resources better. This would make science more efficient and help it grow faster. The group also wanted to get more resources for the science community. They did this by actively supporting science. When the AAAS first started, it had only 78 members. Matthew Fontaine Maury, a U.S. Navy officer, was one of the people at that first meeting in 1848.

At a meeting on September 22, 1848, President Redfield was in charge. Matthew Fontaine Maury gave a full report on his Wind and Current Charts. Maury said that hundreds of ship captains were sending their travel logs to the United States Naval Observatory. He noted, "Never before was such a corps of observers known."

William Barton Rogers, a professor and later founder of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, suggested a plan. He wanted a committee to ask the Secretary of the Navy for help. They wanted to get observations from European and other foreign sailors. This would help Maury make his wind and current charts even better. This plan was approved. This showed how scientists were working together. Maury returned to Washington with high hopes for the future.

In 1850, the first female members joined. They were Maria Mitchell, an astronomer, and Margaretta Morris, an entomologist. Science teacher Almira Hart Lincoln Phelps became a member in 1859.

Growth and Challenges

By 1860, the AAAS had grown to over 2,000 members. The group became inactive during the American Civil War (1861-1865). Their meeting in August 1861 was put off because of the war. But the association recovered after the fighting ended.

In 1866, Frederick Augustus Porter Barnard led the first meeting of the restarted AAAS in New York City. After its revival, the AAAS grew a lot. The AAAS allowed anyone to join, even if they didn't have special science degrees. However, the AAAS started giving the title of "Fellow of the AAAS" to highly respected scientists within the group.

At the same time, the AAAS faced competition. Several new learned societies were created. These included the United States National Academy of Sciences (1863) and the American Chemical Society (1876). These new groups attracted some AAAS members. Also, the AAAS's reputation was a bit damaged. Its third president, Alexander Dallas Bache, used the group to help his agency, the US Coast Survey. Some important scientists lost interest in the AAAS, and its influence became weaker.

The 1900s and Beyond

A big change for the AAAS happened in 1900. The journal Science became the official publication of the society. This brought in money for the AAAS through subscriptions and ads. The AAAS became the full owner of Science in 1946.

After World War II, science grew a lot. Big discoveries like space flight, nuclear power, and the discovery of DNA made people more interested in science. This led to more sales of the journal. Smart decisions by its editors, Dael Wolfle (1954-1970) and William D. Carey (1974-1985), also helped. Another important event was the start of its Congressional Fellowship program in 1973. This program helps scientists work with the government.

Speaking Up for Science

Alan I. Leshner, who was the AAAS CEO from 2001 to 2015, wrote many articles. He talked about how many people combine science and religion in their lives. He was against putting non-scientific ideas, like creationism, into school science lessons.

In December 2006, the AAAS made an official statement about climate change. They said, "The scientific evidence is clear: global climate change caused by human activities is occurring now, and it is a growing threat to society....The pace of change and the evidence of harm have increased markedly over the last five years. The time to control greenhouse gas emissions is now."

In February 2007, the AAAS used satellite images to show human rights problems in Burma. The next year, the AAAS started the Center for Science Diplomacy. This center helps science and builds better relationships between countries. It does this by promoting science diplomacy and international scientific teamwork.

In 2012, the AAAS warned about cuts to the U.S. federal research budget. They said these cuts would seriously harm scientific progress.

Science Areas Covered by AAAS

The AAAS covers many different areas of science and engineering. It has 24 sections, each with its own committee and leader. These committees also choose new Fellows each year. The sections include:

Agriculture, Food & Renewable Resources
Anthropology
Astronomy
Atmospheric and Hydrospheric Sciences
Biological Sciences
Chemistry
Dentistry and Oral Health Sciences
Education
Engineering
General Interest in Science and Engineering
Geology and Geography
History and Philosophy of Science
Industrial Science and Technology
Information, Computing, and Communication
Linguistics and Language Sciences
Mathematics
Medical Sciences
Neuroscience
Pharmaceutical Sciences
Physics
Psychology
Social, Economic, and Political Sciences
Societal Impacts of Science and Engineering
Statistics

How AAAS is Run

The AAAS has a set of rules, last updated on January 1, 1973. These rules say that the AAAS is run by four main parts: a President, a group of administrative officers, a Council, and a board of directors.

Presidents of AAAS

People chosen to be president of the AAAS serve for three years in a special way. The first year, they are the president-elect. The second year, they are the president. The third year, they become the chairperson of the board of directors. Presidents are usually named by the year they finished their term.

Some very important scientists have been presidents of the AAAS. These include explorer and geologist John Wesley Powell (1888), astronomer and physicist Edward Charles Pickering (1912), anthropologist Margaret Mead (1975), and biologist Stephen Jay Gould (2000).

Some Notable AAAS Presidents (1848–2005)

Administrative Officers

Three main high-level officers handle the daily work of the AAAS. These are the executive officer, the treasurer, and the secretary for each of the AAAS's sections. Sudip Parikh is the current CEO of AAAS and the executive publisher of Science magazine. Holden Thorp is the current Editor in Chief of Science magazine.

Affiliated Groups

The AAAS has 262 affiliated societies and academies of science. These groups serve more than 10 million members. They range from the Acoustical Society of America to the Wildlife Society.

The Council

The Council is made up of members from the Board of Directors, past section chairmen, and elected representatives. There are always at least two members from the National Academy of Sciences. The President of the AAAS leads the Council. Members serve for three years.

The Council meets once a year to talk about important AAAS matters. They can review all the group's activities. They also elect new Fellows and suggest changes to the AAAS rules. They can create new science sections and help local AAAS chapters. The Council has recently added younger members from different sections.

Board of Directors

The board of directors includes a chairperson, the president, and the president-elect. It also has eight elected directors and the executive officer. Up to two more directors can be chosen by the elected officers. Members usually serve for four years.

The board of directors has many powers and duties. It manages all the group's money and publishes a budget. It also appoints administrators and suggests rule changes. The board decides when and where national meetings will happen. The board can also speak publicly for the association. It must also regularly talk with the Council about its actions.

AAAS Fellows

Each year, the AAAS Council chooses members who are excellent scientists to be "Fellows" (FAAAS). Being elected a Fellow is a great honor given by other scientists. Fellows receive a certificate and a special pin. To make sure science stays fair and ethical, starting October 15, 2018, a Fellow's status can be taken away. This happens if there is proof of serious scientific wrongdoing, major breaks in professional ethics, or if the Fellow no longer deserves the title.

Meetings

The official meetings of the AAAS are numbered in order, starting from the first meeting in 1848. Meetings were not held from 1861 to 1865 during the American Civil War. They also did not happen in 1942 and 1943 during World War II. Since 1946, one meeting has taken place every year, usually in February.

Awards and Policy Fellowships

Every year, the AAAS gives out several awards. Most of these awards focus on how scientists share their work with the public. They also recognize good science journalism and outreach. These awards honor "scientists, journalists, and public servants for important contributions to science and to the public's understanding of science." The awards are given out at the association's annual meeting.

Besides the Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science program, the AAAS also offers AAAS Policy Fellowship Programs. These programs give scientists with advanced degrees (like Ph.D.s) and engineers with master's degrees chances to work in the federal government. These fellows spend one or two years working for different parts of the government.

Some Current Awards Include

Award for Science and Diplomacy
Early Career Award for Public Engagement with Science
The Eppendorf & Science Prize for Neurobiology
Kavli Science Journalism Awards (for Children's Science News, Magazine, Newspapers, Online, Radio, Television)
Leadership in Science Education Prize for High School Teachers
Marion Milligan Mason Award: Women in the Chemical Sciences
Mani L. Bhaumik Award for Public Engagement with Science
Mentor Award
Mentor Award for Lifetime Achievement
Newcomb Cleveland Prize
Philip Hauge Abelson Prize
Public Engagement with Science Award
Scientific Freedom and Responsibility Award
John McGovern Lecture
William D. Carey Lecture
Golden Goose Award

SciLine

SciLine is a service for journalists and scientists. It gets its money from donations and works independently. Its goal is to improve the amount and quality of science facts in news stories. It does this by connecting U.S. journalists with scientists and reliable scientific information.

Reporters in the United States can use SciLine's services. These include finding experts, attending media briefings, getting expert quotes, and quick fact sheets. As of July 2021, SciLine had helped about 2,000 requests from 650 journalists.

SciLine gets financial support from several foundations. The AAAS also provides support to SciLine.

EurekAlert!

In 1996, the AAAS launched the EurekAlert! website. This is a non-profit news service that shares science, medicine, and technology news. EurekAlert! provides news in many languages, including English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Japanese, and Chinese.

Journalists can get early access to the latest studies before they are published. They can also get information that is under a news embargo. By early 2018, over 14,000 reporters from more than 90 countries had signed up for free access. More than 5,000 public information officers from universities, journals, and government agencies use the system to send out news.

EurekAlert! has faced some criticism for not having strict rules for press releases. Some say it leads to news stories that are just rewritten press releases.