Public Can Help Send Free American Scientist  Subscriptions to High Schools

On Giving Tuesday – December 1, 2020 – Sigma Xi is asking its membership and the public for help to send free, one-year digital subscriptions of American Scientist to 700 high schools.

We’ve set a goal to raise $15,000 by the end of the day on Giving Tuesday! If our campaign surpasses that goal, the extra funds will be used to send subscriptions to more schools. Please visit our page to learn more and donate today! 

What Is American Scientist?

The award-winning American Scientist is an illustrated bi-monthly publication (six issues per year) about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It has been published by Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society since 1913. It is written by researchers. 

Which Schools Are Eligible?

High schools are eligible if they are located in the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. 

These states continue to face laws or proposals that would negatively influence how science is taught in the classroom. The list of states and schools will be expanded should Sigma Xi surpass its Giving Tuesday fundraising goal.

Sigma Xi's mission includes a commitment to promote the public understanding of science. The Society is giving subscriptions of American Scientist to high schools to provide a credible source of scientific information in classrooms. Sigma Xi will also provide participating schools with opportunities to engage virtually with American Scientist authors and scientific experts throughout the 2021 year.

How to Help

1. Donate to Sigma Xi's Fundraiser

Please visit our Giving Tuesday campaign page and consider making a gift to help protect science education in schools. Donate Today! 

2. Nominate Schools

Any teacher, school administrator, parent, or resident can request a subscription for a school. The public may recommend as many schools as they wish. Nominate schools now!

If more school recommendations are received than the fundraiser results allow for, priority will be granted to public or charter schools that are in under-resourced areas or that serve students from groups that are underrepresented in science professions. 

What is Asked of the Schools That Receive American Scientist?

Schools will receive a digital subscription of American Scientist for the 2021 calendar year free of charge with a request that they share stories and photos with Sigma Xi of how the magazine is used. The subscription will not automatically renew. Sigma Xi plans to continue raising money each year to keep the subscriptions free for as many schools as possible. 


More about Sigma Xi: Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society is the world’s largest multidisciplinary honor society for scientists and engineers. Its mission is to enhance the health of the research enterprise, foster integrity in science and engineering, and promote the public understanding of science for the purpose of improving the human condition. Sigma Xi chapters can be found at colleges and universities, government laboratories, and industry research centers around the world. More than 200 Nobel Prize winners have been members. The Society is based in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. On Twitter: @SigmaXiSociety.