The National Academy of Sciences (NAS), the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), the Institute of Medicine (IOM)--along with our "operating arm," the National Research Council (NRC)--are private, independent nonprofit organizations. Most of the work that we do is funded by the federal government in our role as science advisers to the nation. This tradition of service reaches back to our 1863 charter, and providing independent advice to our government remains the central role of the NAS, NAE, IOM, and NRC today.
There is also a lesser-known side to the work of the National Academies that has taken on increasing urgency and importance. It is work such as:
No federal agency asked us to do this work. But the thanks that we have received from science teachers and school principals nationwide assures us that they desperately needed help in making the case for teaching evolution. The early-1980s initiation of a nationwide--indeed, ...
