The Western Mass chapter of Science for the People (SftP) is compiling information on local examples of science FOR and AGAINST the people. We define science for the people as research explicitly committed to addressing problems of social, political, economic, and/or environmental injustice. We are especially interested in examples where scientists and scholars have worked in collaborative partnership with community-based organizations. We define science against the people as research that contributes to problems of social, political, economic, and/or environmental injustice. We are especially concerned about examples where scientists and scholars have received funding from corporate or military sources that influenced the trajectory of the research in a negative direction.

Our primary goal is to bring scientists, scholars, and local communities together in creative synergy and organized solidarity to transform conditions of oppression and injustice. To this end, we seek examples of past or ongoing projects that can inspire new work. We plan to showcase such examples on our website, and in some cases perhaps also to organize events related to them.

At the same time, we cannot ignore that corporations and military organizations have often enlisted the support of scientists in ways that contribute significantly to injustice in the US and around the world. If you know of such examples in our region, please share them with us so that we may better understand what is happening in our neighborhood and where we might effectively focus our energy.