Union of Concerned Scientists

The Union of Concerned Scientists was started by a group of individuals who were looking to challenge the scientific climate of their time. This organization was started in 1969 during a time when scientific resources were being poured into making war instead of focusing on progressing human development. This is the mission statement drafted 50 faculty members at MIT in 1969,

Misuse of scientific and technical knowledge presents a major threat to the existence of mankind. Through its actions in Vietnam our government has shaken our confidence in its ability to make wise and humane decisions. There is also disquieting evidence of an intention to enlarge further our immense destructive capability. The response of the scientific community to these developments has been hopelessly fragmented. There is a small group that helps to conceive these policies, and a handful of eminent men who have tried but largely failed to stem the tide from within the government. The concerned majority has been on the sidelines and ineffective. We feel that it is no longer possible to remain uninvolved. We therefore call on scientists and engineers at MIT, and throughout the country, to unite for concerted action and leadership: Action against dangers already unleashed and leadership toward a more responsible exploitation of scientific knowledge. 

The mission statement goes on to outline the five main tenants of the formation of such an organization, but the preceding statement largely sums up their intentions in creating the group. Unlike many other scientific organizations, the Union of Concerned Scientists is privately funded to ensure that its research isn't tainted by those that back it financially. The Union of Concerned Scientists has a variety of interests including: clean energy, clean vehicles, food and agriculture, global warming, nuclear power, nuclear weapons.

There are a number of ways in which students can interact with the UCS. The UCS has various projects that it is working on that require the help of many many participants to succeed. At their website, the UCS has a "take action" tab that outlines a number of projects that people can get involved with. One such project is a letter writing campaign to Exxon Mobil which asks writers to request that Exxon stop funding climate research that is misleading the public.

The majority of work that the group opens up to the public comes in the form of participating in various forms of raising a strong public voice. Projects that students could adapt to their classrooms could work to promote this work. Letter writing campaigns, public protests, social media projects, and many other projects like these all would help to promote this message. As far as directly working with the UCS, it seems that would be rather difficult. Since the organization spends most of its time producing peer-reviewed scientific research, it would be difficult for students to partake in that. This does not mean that its members are not accessible and I think it would be beneficial to reach out to one of the many thousands of engineers and scientists working for the UCS.

The UCS and its work is exemplary of what good scientific work looks like. The UCS is the culmination of the best and brightest scientific minds working in the United States and its work is free from the corrupt corporate and political worlds in which it actively works to distance itself from. Only once its work has been thoroughly vetted and scrutinized will the UCS publish findings and use that work for political means. The United States would be smart to follow this model and invest in the STEM fields that are growing so quickly in order to remain the preeminent scientific incubator in the world.