Founded in 1945 by scientists involved in the Manhattan Project to create the atom bomb, the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) is a nonprofit organization of more than 2,000 scientists, engineers, and other citizens dedicated to the responsible use of science and technology. Originally known as the Federation of Atomic Scientists, FAS continues to focus much of its efforts on nuclear arms control and security, but it also addresses issues involving information technologies, science policy, and the environment. To achieve its goals of informed debate and the application of science and engineering to national problems, FAS utilizes several strategies including research, advocacy, outreach, and grassroots organizing.

Membership and Finances

The composition of FAS, originally dominated by physicists, has slowly diversified. A 2002 in-house survey found that nearly thirty percent of the respondents identified themselves as physicists. The next largest fields represented were medicine (18%), biology (15%), engineering...