How does the AAAS classify the sciences?

General Questions
#1

I’m a grad student in library sciences, and I’m working on a paper on the different ways in which the pure sciences are classified in the Dewey Decimal and Library of Congress systems. By comparison, I would like to look at the classification system, if any, used by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. But I cannot find any such thing on the AAAS website (www.aaas.org[/ur]). Does anybody know if such a thing exists? Or whether there is any scheme for classifying the sciences which might be regarded by “definitive” by the scientific community?

I would expect AAAS to have some kind of scheme, or at any rate a list of sciences, because at times past the association has had to make policy decisions on whether certain fields of study are recognized as “sciences” or not – e.g., whether to extend AAAS membership to political scientists. (I forget whether they ruled yea or nay on that point, but it was a matter of some controversy a few years back.)

#2

Sorry, here’s the link to the AAAS website: www.aaas.org

#3

Nobody knows?

#4

Well, the AAAS does have a list of membership sections that consist of various disciplines. I suppose that’s the closest thing to an official classification that you’ll get from them. The National Academy of Sciences has a similar listing here. I don’t know that there is such a thing as a “definitive” list of disciplines per se.

#5

The AAAS membership directory has members listed by discipline, which for some reason is a different breakdown from the one used for electorate sections as shown in sunfish’s link. Here’s how it goes (in the order found in the search drop-down box at the members-only directory search page, including a mysteriously redundant number 13):

01 Not applicable/None
10 Life Sciences: Agric. Sciences
13 Life Sciences: Biochemistry
40 Life Sciences: Biotechnology
41 Life Sciences: Botany
42 Life Sciences: Cell Biology
18 Life Sciences: Ecology
43 Life Sciences: Endocrinology
44 Life Sciences: Genetics
45 Life Sciences: Immunology
46 Life Sciences: Marine Biology
22 Life Sciences: Medicine
24 Life Sciences: Microbiology
25 Life Sciences: Molecular Biology
47 Life Sciences: Neuroscience
48 Life Sciences: Pharmacology
49 Life Sciences: Physiology
50 Life Sciences: Zoology
66 Life Sciences: Other
11 Chemistry: Analytical
13 Chemistry: Biochemistry
20 Chemistry: Inorganic
26 Chemistry: Nuclear
28 Chemistry: Organic
29 Chemistry: Physical
67 Chemistry: Other
51 Earth Sciences: Atmospheric
19 Earth Sciences: Geology/Soil Science/Geography
52 Earth Sciences: Oceanography
68 Earth Sciences: Other
09 Engineering: Aeronautical
54 Engineering: Biomedical
15 Engineering: Chemical
16 Engineering: Electric/Electronic
74 Engineering: Mechanical
27 Engineering: Nuclear
69 Engineering: Other
36 Computer Sciences
35 Mathematics
55 Statistics
12 Physics, Astronomy: Astron./Astrophys.
71 Physics, Astronomy: Atomic/Molecular
60 Physics, Astronomy: Cond. Matter
17 Physics, Astronomy: Nuclear
57 Physics, Astronomy: Optics Laser
58 Physics, Astronomy: Particle
59 Physics, Astronomy: Plasma
70 Physics, Astronomy: Other
61 Social & Behavioral Sci.: Anthro./Sociology
62 Social & Behavioral Sci.: Econ./Poli. Sci.
63 Social & Behavioral Sci.: Education
73 Social & Behavioral Sci.: Hist. & Phil of Sci.
34 Social & Behavioral Sci.: Psychology
64 Social & Behavioral Sci.: Science Policy
65 Social & Behavioral Sci.: Other