Vision
We envision a future where wise science and technology policy will help every American live in a safe and clean environment, enjoy good health and education, and benefit from a strong system of national defense. Scientists and Engineers for America is the only national organization dedicated exclusively to advancing these goals through the electoral process.
Mission
SEA is a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization with 501(c)(3) status. Our mission is to renew respect for evidence-based debate and decision-making in politics and at all levels of government.
SEA’s mission incorporates four main elements: educating the public about science policy issues, educating members of the scientific community about the political process and ways in which they can effectively participate in elections, influencing elected officials, and ultimately holding politicians accountable through the dissemination of accurate and timely information about the positions they take on science issues.
Beliefs
The scientists, engineers, and concerned citizens who comprise SEA are united by shared values and beliefs that guide all of SEA’s work. SEA believes in:
- Good Government
- Scientists know how to test theories, how to tell fact from fiction, and how to hold one another accountable. Smart leadership and policy should depend on similar processes.
- Open Debate
- Vigorous and evidence-based debate improves government policies, just as it improves scientific theories. Excessive secrecy protects ideologues and incompetence.
- Competent Leadership
- Public officials serve their communities well when their own deeply held convictions are informed by and tested against objective data and when their personal convictions do not distort their obligations to their constituents.
- Political Participation
- An educated, questioning, and engaged citizenry is essential for successful democracy.
The principal role of the science and technology community is to advance human understanding. But there are times when this is not enough. Scientists and engineers have a right, indeed an obligation, to enter the political debate when the nation’s leaders systematically ignore scientific evidence and analysis, put ideological interests ahead of scientific truths, suppress valid scientific evidence, and harass and threaten scientists for speaking honestly about their research.
–Dr. Henry Kelly, Board Chair & President of the Federation of American Scientists
