20th century (1896–1982) was a
science journalist for
Science Service in the 1920s and 1930s. Here she is visiting an
archaeological site in
Oaxaca, Mexico. 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. Science and journalism did not mesh well at first because scientists did not take the time to make sure journalist understood the science well enough to present the information, and journalists did not always make strides in understanding. Researcher in the 20th century were cautious when it came to journalist, and Service Science would be the aid to help bridge the gap between the two groups. Between 1930s and 1940s there was a boom in states starting Junior Academies, science clubs, and youth science education, and many organization that wanted to push science education. These academies, clubs, and general science education relied on the support of larger organization like Society for Science to aid in getting materials for educating the youth in the field of science. These organization used these clubs to seek out students who were talented in science and wanted to make sure they were getting educated well in the sciences.
21st century Society for Science is still active today and holds to it core values of education, and one of many ways it does this is through it outreach to younger kids by providing trustworthy resources and tools for educators and parents alike. Science News for Kids and Science News for Students covers a broad range of subjects in science including but not limited to nature, disease, and technology, and measuring tools, as well as provide teachers and parents with online resources. Children tend to be more interested in nature than adults, being fascinated by things like insects, fossils, and birds nest. These things adults tend to be less observant of parts of nature that kids notice, and Society for Science saw this, and wanted to grab on to this interest to cultivate a love for science. Technology in the same light also catches the eyes of children and Science News for Kids released a series of articles online to educate students but also provided kids with additional resources and suggested areas of research. Science News for kids and others like are beneficial because it allows parents and teachers to have sources to turn to that can be trustworthy. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic when scientists were trying to combat the virus and information was changing by the day it caused an issue for teacher and adults and general where not able to keep up or know what to and not trust. Publication like Science News for Kids was and is a helpful tool for these adults to go find information on a subject - not limited to COVID-19 - that they knew they could trust and also have students be well informed. 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. == See also ==