Society for Science

Society for Science, formerly known as Science Service and later Society for Science and the Public, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of science, through its science education programs and publications, including the bi-weekly Science News magazine and Science News Explores.

The organization is headquartered in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded as Science Service in 1921, the Society for Science has been dedicated to expanding scientific literacy, access to STEM education and scientific research for more than 100 years. In pursuit of this goal, it publishes two magazines: Science News and Science News Explores (formerly Science News for Students), and manages student science fair events including the International Science and Engineering Fair, the Regeneron Science Talent Search (previously known as the Westinghouse Science Talent Search, the oldest and longest running science fair competition in the US), and the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge (JIC) competition.

20th century


Society for Science was founded in 1921 by journalist Edward W. Scripps and zoologist William Emerson Ritter, under the name "Science Service", with the goal of informing the public of the latest scientific discoveries and achievements. The Science Service emerged from a reorganization of a group that Scripps and Ritter had originally founded in 1919 as the American Society for the Dissemination of Science.

Scripps and Ritter accomplished their goal by distributing the latest science research to the public through a news service for reporters. In 1922, due to interest from non-journalists, Science Service started distributing Science News-Letter, which became a magazine in 1926. It quickly became a prime source of science news for libraries, schools, and individuals. In 1942, Science Service launched the first of its prestigious education competitions, the Westinghouse Science Talent Search.

Between World War I and World War II, Science Service sponsored Science Clubs of America, founded by Watson Davis. It was a national organization to popularize science among amateur scientists. High school science clubs were encouraged to join.

From 1940 through 1989, Science Service sponsored the Things of Science Club. Subscribers received a monthly box containing some kind or material or artifact, along with an pamphlet describing experiments that could be done with it. Sometimes the kits contained parts that could be assembled into a scientific instrument.

21st century
Beginning in 2003, it published Science News for Kids, an online magazine aimed at students, teachers and parents. This became Science News for Students. In 2022, with the publication of a new magazine of the same name, SNS was rebranded as Science News Explores.

In 2008, Science Service was renamed as the Society for Science & the Public, in order to better reflect the mission of the organization to advocate for science in the public interest.

In 2021, the organization announced it had shortened its name from Society for Science & the Public to Society for Science.