The world is more polarized than ever. Science—especially when applied to the environment, medical interventions, and new technologies—has become a splinter between people and between communities. To overcome these divides, the Aspen Institute launched the Science & Society Program in 2019 with seed support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and Johnson & Johnson.

Housed within HMS and led by a core staff of trained scientists, Science & Society serves as a laboratory to test ideas and approaches that help explain, connect, and maximize the benefits of science for public good. By providing accessible and digestible information and building bridges among the primary audiences for its work—community leaders, science communicators, current and future scientists, and the general public—the program highlights critical issues at the intersection of science and society, helps to combat misinformation, and is on the pulse of critical issues at the intersection of science and society.