In 1998, Jane Lubchenco’s AAAS presidential address introduced a “new social contract for science.” It held that researchers must address the most urgent needs of society, communicate their knowledge widely, and exercise good judgment and humility. Fifteen years later, social media has radically changed how information flows across the landscape and offers powerful new opportunities for reconsidering how each of these three charges might be fulfilled. The people formerly known as the audience can now be tapped as sources of data or co-producers of it, and they are actively engaged as funders and fans. This changing dynamic offers thrilling possibilities and challenges ingrained practices. What happens when the public engages in science not just as recipients, but as leaders and active participants? How can online science communities be catalyzed, connected, and sustained? What are the new frontiers in understanding the new information ecosystem? The answers to these questions evolve as quickly as the online conversation does. This session will highlight some of the most recent and innovative approaches in the way science is conducted and communicated in a digital world. More than a rehash of previous successes and examples, it will focus on making novel connections and exploring new opportunities for scientific connections online and in person.