Officials announced last month that the University joined a leading scientific research nonprofit as a “founding institutional member,” a move officials said will better connect GW researchers with scientists across the country. 

GW’s paid membership with the American Association for the Advancement of Science makes students, faculty and staff eligible for a free AAAS membership, which grants recipients exclusive access to AAAS programming, networking and honors, like the association’s fellowship program. Andrew Black, the chief of staff and chief public affairs officer at AAAS, said the partnership will strengthen the relationship between GW and the association at an institutional level and brings researchers together to network and collaborate. 

Provost Chris Bracey and Interim Vice Provost for Research Robert Miller said in an April announcement that the engagement “deepens” their relationship with AAAS, which previously consisted of faculty holding individual memberships and helps the University further recognize the “far-reaching” impact of its scholars.

“As an Institutional Member of AAAS, GW joins a global community that is advancing innovation and discovery, celebrating scientific excellence and advocating for science-informed decisions and actions,” they wrote in the email.

Black said the University pays AAAS for an annual membership that includes individual memberships for the GW community. An AAAS spokesperson declined to comment on how much GW paid for its membership and if membership costs vary by institution. 

A group of geologists and naturalists created AAAS in 1848 to bring scientists together at the national level, according to the AAAS website. AAAS publishes the academic journal Science and holds conferences and meetings that bring scientists, policymakers and industry leaders together.

The partnership comes as the University has taken steps to bolster its research capabilities and STEM programs in recent years. GW joined the research-focused Association of American Universities in 2023, and the University’s federal research funding reached a new high of $162.9 million in FY2023.

University spokesperson Claire Sabin said the University joined AAAS because it “reinforces” GW’s commitment to research and will help the GW community advance innovation and discovery on some of the world’s “most critical” issues. 

“The partnership will deepen the University’s relationship with AAAS and will help GW’s community of scholars connect with peers and collaborators in academia and industry,” she said. 

Sabin said nearly 200 individuals claimed their free AAAS membership at GW InnovationFest — a one-day event at the Smith Center, which showcased research by students and faculty — on May 1 and said a website for students, faculty, postdoctoral fellows and staff to claim their membership will launch “in the coming days.” Individual AAAS memberships start at $30 per year and go up to $230 per year.

“GW students, faculty, postdocs and staff can engage with AAAS to advance science diplomacy and public engagement, STEM education and evidence-based policymaking,” Sabin said.

Black said GW and the University of Mississippi are the first two universities to join AAAS and that officials from both schools approached the organization this year to discuss how to grow the relationship between universities and AAAS, as both institutions have faculty and staff who are individual members of the organization. He added that AAAS developed its plan for institutional memberships based on the interest of universities in having an institutional-level relationship with the association. 

“AAAS is a 177-year-old organization, that entire time it’s been based on a relationship of an individual scientist, whether that’s a student or a faculty member or someone in the industry with AAAS,” Black said. “So this is a really kind of new format of engagement.”

Black added that conversations about GW becoming a founding institutional member began in the last few months and that an additional “handful” of universities are in talks with AAAS to join. He said the organization wants to make University memberships “as accessible as we can” by making them available to community colleges and smaller minority-serving institutions. 

“As institutions are looking to become more research intensive, we really would think that AAAS plays an important part in allowing them to open those networks and those conversations and allow them to be recognized as an institution that is growing in research,” Black said.

GW was one of eight universities to sponsor AAAS’ annual conference this year in Boston, and professors Nathan Smith and Christopher Cahill were elected in 2022 as AAAS fellows, which nationally recognized their research in neuromodulators — chemicals like dopamine that regulate nerve cells — and how nuclear energy can use F-elements, the bottom two rows of the periodic table, respectively.

“Institutions are looking for ways to enable their people to be part of a larger community that goes beyond the boundaries of their campus,” Black said.

Black said the coalition of universities that join AAAS as institutional members can help AAAS identify what resources the institutions need to prepare for potential federal funding cuts by President Donald Trump’s administration. He said the new institutional memberships were not a reaction to possible federal research cuts as AAAS had discussed the idea for institutional memberships over “a couple year period.”

GW joined a lawsuit in February that challenged the legality of the National Institutes of Health’s move to cap reimbursements for indirect costs to 15 percent. Miller said in a February court filing that proposed cuts to indirect cost rates would “end or seriously jeopardize” NIH-funded research projects at GW and would result in staffing reductions “across the board.”

“We’re in a moment where kind of the future of science and of higher education in this country is in question,” Black said. “The next year is going to be critically important for the future of the enterprise.”

Caitlin Grady, a professor of engineering management and systems engineering, said she was “thrilled” when she heard about the partnership at InnovationFest earlier this month and plans to take advantage of AAAS resources.

She added that AAAS is “rare” because it is one of the only organizations that connects to her work, which explores the intersection between engineering and policy.

“Whether it’s connecting with other scholars at the AAAS annual meeting or staying plugged into national science policy debates through AAAS communications, there’s real value in what AAAS offers,” Grady said. 

Grady said GW joining AAAS sends “a clear signal” that GW is committed to connecting its research with the broader “public good.”

“Science doesn’t live in a vacuum — it shapes policy, strengthens communities and drives innovation,” she said. “Being part of AAAS helps us stay at the forefront of those conversations.”