Weaving Data and Community
There are big, open questions about the changing relationship between science and society: How should the public fund science, and what kind of science should it fund? What should society expect in return for its support? What is the role of research universities in the scientific ecosystem? And the relationship between science and society looks very different at the local, or even personal, level—and the questions are different too: How can research improve the quality of life in my community? Should I be worried about the refinery in my neighborhood? Is my town able to assist the most vulnerable when the power goes out during a storm? The essays in the Spring 2026 Issues explore all these questions to better understand how the social contract with science is evolving.
Editor's Journal
Mohole Moments
Coming Soon
Forum
Changing the Perception of Technical Careers
Coming Soon
What’s Missing in Animal Welfare Efforts?
Read MoreWhat’s Possible When a State Invests in Science-Informed Policymaking
Read More
Perspectives
A Vision for America’s Next Era in Space
Read MoreMaintaining the United States’ leadership in space requires discipline, continuity, and a clear division of responsibilities between government and industry.
Merton Redux: Re-Confronting the Norms of Science in Democracy
Coming Soon
A New Science Diplomacy in Latin America Embeds Knowledge in Public Institutions
Coming Soon
Interview
“The Key Lever for Increasing the Productivity of our Workforce Is Learning.”
Poetry
Our Gilled Forebear
Coming Soon
Real Numbers
Who Will Keep Research Data Infrastructure Open and Running?
Coming Soon
Features
Reauthorizing the Small Business Innovation Research Program Isn’t Enough
Read MoreReforms to America’s seed fund should be a catalyst for policies that help more small businesses bring new technologies to market.
Constructing a New Knowledge Infrastructure
Coming Soon
We Created a Survey to Measure Community Well-Being and Activated a “Messy Middle”
Coming Soon
A Science Funding System Beyond the Linear Model
Coming Soon
How the American Research University Survives
Read MoreDespite their focus on institutional research excellence, US research universities are well down a path of eroding public value and research prowess. University leadership needs to shift attention from chasing prestige to crafting strategies for long-term success.
Building Pluralistic Intelligence Into the American Research University
Read MoreTo respond to challenges in society, sustainability, and governance, universities must first deal with the mismatch between how knowledge is actually generated and what academia recognizes and teaches.
Charting a Course for AI in Science
Coming Soon
What Do We Want From AI?
Coming Soon
When Sixth Graders Study Neuroscience
Coming Soon
The Future of Public Data Lies in the States, But It’s Complicated
Coming Soon
Spam Policy and the Myth of the Ungovernable Internet
Coming Soon
Book Reviews
Roving the Prairies
Read MoreCharles N. Herrick navigates the science and art of American grassland restoration in his review of George Frazier’s Riverine Dream.
Same Storm, Different Boats
Coming Soon
Dinomania
Coming Soon