Nearly five years ago, Representative Vernon Ehlers, in his report to Congress on a House of Representatives study entitled “Unlocking Our Future: Toward a New National Science Policy,” noted that the American public does not understand science and its practice. A major recommendation that emerged trom this study was the need to “make scientists socially responsible.“ This sentiment was echoed in a National Research Council's report, “Materials in a New Era,”, where Neal Lane, former Director of the National Science Foundation, was quoted as saying, “It is necessary to involve material scientists in a new role, undoubtedly an awkward one for many, that might be called the ‘civic scientist’.” Why the concern? The answer is clear. “Our prosperity, security, and health depend directly on the educational achievement of all students, not only those who will become scientists and engineers, but all workers, voters, parents, and consumers.”