The ECS community—made up of our members, volunteers, supporters, and staff—is uniquely positioned to use its voice and expertise to ensure that the contributions science makes to society are understood and valued, that policy decisions are grounded in scientific fact, and that our government funds scientific research.
“ECS sees its mission as not only representing our members’ interests, but also promoting the advancement of science and its applications in the service of society. Scientists must do more than just work in a lab and publish research results; they play a pivotal role in solving global problems in many domains. We must advocate on a personal and professional level, locally and globally, for the importance of research-based science—and support science advocacy organizations,” said Stefan De Gendt, President, The Electrochemical Society.
“At ECS, we encourage all our members to become science advocates. Whether it is by encouraging students to explore science as an educational and career path, writing to politicians in support of research funding, ensuring public awareness of critical research initiatives, supporting science advocacy initiatives, or by joining science associations, today, perhaps more than ever before, science needs to be a driving force behind designing and implementing meaningful public policy efforts,” said Chris Jannuzzi, ECS Executive Director and CEO.
Mission | Vision | Position Statements
Science advocacy partners
These organizations advocate for science, providing education, information resources, communication tools, fellowships, outreach to local and federal government, and more.
ECS is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest multidisciplinary science society with science advocacy and communication making up a significant part of its mission. Among its many resources: science communication workshops and seminars, training fellowships for public engagement, and information resources for science policy advocacy.
ECS is an affiliated institution of the Science History Institute. The Institute’s mission is to preserve and celebrate our scientific and technological culture and to make it accessible for investigation and knowledge creation. The history of chemistry, chemical engineering, and the life sciences are made available to the scientifically curious public and scientists through the museum, library, Distillations Program, Center for Oral History, and Beckman Center for the History of Chemistry.
ECS is a signatory of the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) which is dedicated to improving the ways in which the outputs of scholarly research are evaluated. This worldwide initiative covers all scholarly disciplines and key stakeholders including funders, publishers, professional societies, institutions, and researchers who are interested in developing and promoting best practices in the assessment of scholarly research.
Science advocacy resources
These organizations provide resources for advocating for science, including education, information resources, communication tools, fellowships, volunteer opportunities, outreach to local and federal government, and more.
The American Chemical Society’s Act4Chemistry is a legislative network that offers programs and tools for advocating for chemistry at state and federal levels. ACS also offers public policy fellowships and guidance for arranging visits to lawmakers.
March for Science is the world’s largest grassroots community of science advocates organizing for a more sustainable and just future. They fight for science-informed public policies around the world. The Science not Silence campaign advocates for support of the United Nations’ IPCC 1.5° Report.
The Science Coalition is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization focused on supporting federal funding for science. It provides a toolkit with guidance on how to talk about why federal funding is important and guidance for contacting representatives, hosting local showcases of federally funded research, and engaging with the public and the media, as well as informational resources.
The Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics Advocacy Institute (also known as SAi or Science Advocacy Institute) is a hybrid think-tank/incubator community of scientists, artists, engineers, teachers, and entrepreneurs that is building science education, engagement, and communication tools/programs that expand pathways of access between science and society.
