Scientists and Engineers for America has just launched the Science Health And Related Policies (SHARP) Network. The SHARP Network is a wiki-based system that will allow the public to track the positions their elected officials have taken on critical science and health issues. There are already over 500 web pages in the Network including one for every Senator, Congressman, and Presidential candidate. We have also launched pages with information on key science and health issues and for Senate and House committees. We will soon launch pages for candidates for office as well. Not sure what your congressman has said or done about global warming? Look it up on their SHARP page. If it’s not there, then you can help by adding it.

How to use the SHARP Network:
Enter the SHARP Network by clicking the map on the right. Then, simply type in your zip code or click on your state to find the views of your representatives. (You can also access the Presidential candidates with one click.) You can only edit the pages by registering for the SHARP. By helping us complete the entries you will play a vital role in informing the public about the stances the elected representatives and candidates have taken on the issues. You do not need to be a member of SEA to participate in the SHARP Network, but we hope you will consider joining (It’s free).

Like Wikipedia, we want the information to be factual, so if you see something that doesn’t belong, please help us edit the page. We want speeches, legislation they have supported, public statements and any other factual information that will clarify where elected representatives and candidates for office stand. If it isn’t clear where they stand, ask them and post their response. If you think someone is deliberately adding information that is incorrect, please edit their comments out and let us know. During the last election, Wikipedia had a lot of malicious entries for candidates. We are monitoring the site, but also rely on you to help keep the information accurate and up to date.

Need help editing the wiki? Click here for a few tips.

The SEA Action Fund Blog:
You will notice that this blog is run by SEA’s new partner organization, the SEA Action Fund. The blog will chronicle news and information on critical science and health issues as well as the opinions of SEA members and provide an opportunity for discussion and debate. We will also feature opinion pieces by leading authorities on the issues. We hope this will encourage scientists, engineers and concerned citizens to be more deeply involved in the political debate and will be a resource for candidates and policy makers.

We launched the SEA Action Fund to make sure that Scientists and Engineers for America’s activities are consistent with the tax code for nonprofit organizations whose donations are tax deductible (501(c)(3) for you tax nerds). There are strict limitations on what nonprofit organizations can do around elections including limitations on partisan statements and restrictions on endorsing candidates. While both SEA and SEA Action Fund are both strictly non-partisan, we recognize that you might not be. We made a decision early on that we do not want to restrict the free flow of opinions and views in our blog comments. To do this we had to set up the SEA Action Fund under a different tax code, which allows a wider range of activities (501(c)(4). Therefore, unlike SEA, contributions to the SEA Action fund are not tax deductible. (We still reserve the right not to publish inflammatory comments.) Enjoy the SHARP Network.