science

From June 22-25, 2025, Aspen Ideas: Health will explore the big ideas shaping the future of health, medicine, and science with visionary leaders, innovators, and advocates. Register now to join the conversation!

Only a society that trusts its scientists can act quickly to tackle public problems.

Few people understand the critical role of science in our daily lives.

Our report on pure science, in collaboration with the 13 other countries where the Aspen Institute has international partners, assesses the current state of basic science around the world, creates a forum for discussion among scientific leaders, and provides guidance on how basic science can be supported and advanced internationally.

By valuing the contributions of myriad fields that explain the interconnectedness of relationships among humans, animals, and the environment, we will further our understanding of current and new strategies toward improving human health—and facilitate and inform new research and funding priorities.

Gitanjali Rao is an inventor, aspiring scientist, and author who will speak at Aspen Ideas: Health in June.

We need more people who understand the science and technology underpinning climate change at the table as big decisions are made. And we need diverse voices to highlight unexpected consequences of our decisions, so that groupthink does not lead us to ignore climate change’s effects on underserved communities. Until science and policy can talk to each other, we are unlikely to make adequate progress.

Trust is a key part of messaging during a crisis.

Community science provides a complementary and novel approach to thorny problems at the intersection between the human and natural worlds.

In May 2021, we hosted a workshop is to build a vibrant, collaborative, international network of partners who are committed to community science. We are pleased to present the final report from our work, based on the group’s rich discussion.