( MindFull )

The roles of science and technology in today’s society are crosscutting and complex. For example, environmental and health policy debates become mired in disputes over whose science is right. Social movements in the Middle East-North Africa region are using social media technologies in new ways to aid in revolutions. Crucial energy services come at high health and environmental cost, but the path forward for renewable energy is uncertain and complex.  With such a broad, but crucial, range of issues at stake, each with complex social and ethical dimensions, how can emerging leaders in science, technology, business, education, and other fields to make sense of it all?

Nonprofits and student campus organizations play a key role in meeting this educational and societal challenge, but our efforts are currently diffuse and do not serve all areas of the country.  Four organizations recently came together as a first step in building a network to nonprofits working in this field, including

• Student Pugwash, which has engaged students and young people on social responsibility in science and technology for over 30 years through chapters, conferences, and online resources
• the Forum on Science, Ethics, and Policy, which prepares emerging leaders to link science and technology with benefits to society
• the Graduation Pledge Alliance, which is building a community of socially and environmentally responsible graduates through a pledge to social responsibility signed at graduation
• the Science, Technology and Engineering Policy group, a University California, Berkeley student organization which engages students on science and technology policy issues through a variety of campus activities

Our organizations foster grassroots initiatives, which benefit from increased buy-in and dedication from students. We also facilitate ongoing dialogue and engagement outside of the classroom, increasing the amount of time students spend thinking deeply about these issues.  These programs reach students who do not have access to, or are not taking advantage of, formal educational opportunities. Through these programs, the views of young scientists become more nuanced through learning in a safe environment with their peers. It is important to invest in further developing nonprofit leadership in this area to expand access to science, technology, and society education and boost students’ participation from education to engagement.

However, the science, technology, and society nonprofit community has yet to develop the network and shared resources that other organizations working on similar issues (e.g. environmental degradation, nuclear nonproliferation) have formed.  In fact, it is not uncommon for the organizations working in this area to be unaware of the efforts or existence of other nonprofits and educational institutions. (View this map to see the breadth of organizations working in this area.)  Additionally, informal groups rarely partner with formal educators at academic institutions to create a broader educational platform, which is greatly needed to increase access and engagement. Further, funders often concentrate on a single issue area, making it difficult to gain the necessary financial resources to develop programs that cut across disciplines and other silos.  Therefore, the network to be built extends beyond 501(c)3 nonprofits to relevant academic institutions and funders as well.

As a first step in this effort, the organizations featured above recently convened for a panel at the SEI (social and ethical implications of science and technology) Congress at Arizona State University.  We began the conversation with a model of an individual’s journey of consciousness toward social responsibility in his/her career. First, an individual undergoing an internal change in consciousness is sparked to action through an external trigger, such as a formal or informal educational experience. This causes one to commit to oneself, one’s organization, and one’s world and later to develop leadership role.  Each SEI nonprofit offered examples of programs that provide both this spark to action and outlet for ongoing SEI leadership and education.  For example, STEP organizes a journal club, science policy seminar series, and white paper competition; FOSEP hosts discussion sessions and pairs students with mentors; and Student Pugwash guides a chapter network that fosters SEI leaders on their home campuses.  All of the nonprofits shared challenges relating to organizational development, maintaining a continuity of leadership as students graduate, recruiting and awareness raising, and gaining faculty support.  The nation-wide challenge is that students are highly motivated but lack sufficient access to an outlet as our programs are not entirely widespread.

We can meet these challenges by bridging boundaries to build a collaborative network of organizations working in this domain with the goal of increasing access to informal SEI education, providing both the spark to consciousness and outlet for participation. Our work at the SEI Congress was a first step in this effort, but there is much more to be done.  We ask for your support to further this network.  Please start by leaving your ideas and feedback on this post below and email me for more information about SPUSA’s efforts in SEI education and nonprofit networking at smoore@spusa.org.

- Sharlissa Moore is President of Student Pugwash USA and a PhD student in Human and Social Dimensions of Science and Technology at Arizona State University