October 5, 2011

Please Help AiP Support the Social Sciences

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This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American

It's October—baseball is in its final throes for the season, football frenzy is fast upon us, the holiday season is peeking at us, and the kids are back in school.

I was fortunate to have some excellent teachers growing up, but I also remember having to use scrappy, dog eared copies of books, having to copy worksheets by hand to save them for subsequent classes to use, and seeing my parents sigh when I brought home a letter asking for money for Weekly News subscriptions—but they always found the money for me.

Now more than ever, schools and parents are struggling to meet the needs of students. My passion for anthropology grew from those Weekly News articles, which gave me an appreciation for the wider world and the ways we are connected. I'd love to help inspire some children similarly, which is why Anthropology in Practice is joining other SciAm bloggers in the Science Writers for Students DonorsChoose Drive.

On supporting science journalism

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I've selected a series of social science requests from classrooms in New York that could use funding—including a request for copies of Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel. Please help if you can—and spread the word.

The funding drive will run from Oct. 2 through Oct. 22. Here's how it works: when you donate to a project, the funds are held until the project is fully funded. Then DonorsChoose purchases the materials and delivers them to a classroom. If the project isn't funded by the deadline, the funds are returned to you so you can reallocate. Sometimes, projects qualify for bonuses and companies will match your offer—these projects are marked so you can identify them.

Visit Anthropology in Practice Supports Social Sciences and support social science today!

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If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.

I’ve been a Scientific American subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.

If you subscribe to Scientific American, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.

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Thank you,

David M. Ewalt, Editor in Chief, Scientific American