AIBS: Advancing Research and Education in the Biological Sciences

(16pp, 2.3MB pdf)

The American Institute of Biological Sciences is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) scientific association dedicated to advancing biological research and education for the welfare of society. Founded in 1947 as a part of the National Academy of Sciences, AIBS became an independent, member-governed organization in the 1950s. Today, with headquarters in Washington, DC, and a staff of approximately 50, AIBS is sustained by a robust membership of some 5,000 biologists and 200 professional societies and scientific organizations; the combined individual membership of the latter exceeds 250,000. AIBS advances its mission through coalition activities in research, education, and public policy; publishing the peer-reviewed journal BioScience and the education website ActionBioscience.org; providing scientific peer review and advisory services to government agencies and other clients; convening meetings; and managing scientific programs. Website: www.aibs.org.

AIBS programs meet critical needs by

• promoting biological research nationally and internationally
• disseminating up-to-date biological science to a broad audience
• providing scientific support services to governmental and private research and education programs
• improving formal and informal biological science education for all ages and professions
• helping train the next generation of biologists
• providing information about biological science to policy-makers for better-informed decisions

For more information, see a 25th Anniversary historical review of AIBS (1.1MB pdf) written in 1972; a 50th Anniversary historical review of AIBS (1MB pdf) written in 1997 (BioScience, 47:10), and the 2004 booklet on current AIBS operations (2.3MB pdf).

Our Membership

As an umbrella organization for professional scientific societies and organizations, it's our responsibility to provide services, support, and a voice for a variety of disciplines that are united nonetheless by their dedication to research and education in biology. Members' interests span all of biology basic to applied, from molecular to organismal, from agronomy to zoology. Today, AIBS continues to experience considerable growth in the number of member societies and our aggregate membership. For a current count and more information please see our society and organization membership section.

We also offer individual memberships, and there are some great reasons to join—starting with the AIBS journal, BioScience, provided to all members in print and online. For additional information please see our individual membership section.

Our Leadership

In accordance with the AIBS Constitution and Bylaws, we are governed by a Board of Directors elected by the membership each year. The Board is advised by programmatic committees and a Council of representatives from AIBS's many member societies and organizations. We are fortunate to have had many accomplished scientists serve as AIBS President over the years.

The People at AIBS

We have almost 50 staff working in three offices: AIBS headquarters in Washington, DC, which houses our executive office as well as the publications, public policy, education, and science offices; our office in Reston, Virginia, which houses our IT operations and Scientific Peer Advisory and Review Services (SPARS) division; and our business office, in McLean, Virginia. Satellite offices in Florida and North Carolina house additional AIBS staff for membership, community, and education programs.

If you've got questions about our organization, please don't hesitate to let us know. We hope to hear from you soon!