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Nonprofit Overview
Causes: Astronomy, Technology
Mission: Over the years, advances in scientific knowledge made possible through basic research have had a definite impact on the average citizen, but the magnitude of this impact is difficult to predict at the time the research is proposed. As a result, much of the basic research funded by the public often sounds ridiculous to the majority of those who pay for it. Gradually, this has led to a growing reluctance by the public to fund basic research, and the annual budget of the National Science Foundation has stagnated as a consequence. To combat this trend in our own field, we formed a non-profit organization in July 1999 to serve as a direct link between the public and the leading researchers who study white dwarf stars. Our mission is to approach this problem through public education efforts in our local communities, as well as through our website.