2015 Annual Report

2015 ANNUAL REPORT | LETTER FROM MAYA AJMERA

Science News | MARCH 7, 2015 ICEBERG FLIPS OVER

I am pleased to present our 2015 Annual Report—Expanding Horizons—which represents my first full year as President & CEO of the Society for Science & the Public and Publisher of Science News . It has been an exciting year at the Society. We awarded more than $6 million to deserving middle and high school students from the United States and around the world. In 2015, we expanded our partnership with the Broadcom Foundation through the Soci- ety’s 100th anniversary in 2021, ensuring that BroadcomMASTERS remains the premier national STEM competition for sixth, seventh and eighth graders. We certainly expanded our horizons by adding new programming to intentionally ensure that more students and underserved communities would be impacted by our work by piloting the Science News in High Schools program and Advocate Grant Program in 2015, along with running the Society’s first ever Science Talent Search Research Teachers Confer- ence. This new emphasis on outreach and equity has already impacted thousands of teachers and hundreds of thousands of students in the United States and around the world. We did more than ever to reach out to our talented alumni, holding nine events in eight cities, including our first ever Alumni Signature Event that took place in Boston. With these events, the Society had the opportunity to personally meet more than 600 alumni. Throughout the pages of this annual report, you will see incredible images from Science News and Science News for Students stories from 2015. These pictures illustrate how scientific discoveries continue to expand our understanding of the world around us. They show how, more than ever, it is important that the Society bring accurate scientific coverage to the world. I want to personally thank our thousands of judges and volunteers who support the work of the Society with their extraordinary commitment to our science competitions. The depth and breadth of the Society’s work is only possible due to its exceptional team, who bring to life our vision every day. Additionally, I am grateful to the Board of Trustees for their steadfast stewardship of our storied institution. Just as science is ever changing and expanding, we will continue to find ways to reach additional audiences with accurate scientific news and to support new generations of talented students at the beginning of their scientific careers. None of this would be possible without your generous support. We look forward to continuing to connect with you in 2016. Thank you for all that you do to ensure the Society’s success and impact.

What looks like a glassy blue mountain rising out of the ocean is actually an upside-down iceberg. About 90 percent of an iceberg’s bulk stays hidden beneath the water. But every once in a while, after calving off a gla- cier or melting unevenly, an iceberg topples over, exposing its pristine underbelly. This stunning photograph, taken off the coast of Antarctica, was featured in a Science News story about the rare event.

With best wishes,

Maya Ajmera President & CEO Publisher, Science News 1985 Science Talent Search

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