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Is Science Committee correct and/or more accurate than Scientific Committee?

I'm in a committee at a science lab where we organize events to promote the research done in-house. The committee is a normal committee and doesn't follow scientific principles (e.g. hypothesis, test/experiment, etc...)

I'm the only native English speaker in the committee and have asked that we call ourselves the "Science committee" and not the "Scientific committee" since we only discuss science, without actively doing it during committee meetings. We could equally discuss finance ("Finance committee" and not "Financial committee") or operations ("Operations committee" and not "Operational committee"... although that last one is debatable for many committees... :)

I've read "science fiction" vs "scientific fiction" which seems to indicate both historical and noun-modifier reasons for that convention.

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    Unless the committee itself is 'scientific', it should be 'Science Committee'.
    – TrevorD
    Commented Apr 15, 2016 at 15:37
  • I don't know where you read "scientific fiction", but it's use relative to "science fiction" is completely insignificant. Myself, I don't recall ever encountering the term before.
    – PellMel
    Commented Apr 15, 2016 at 19:22
  • It sounds like your group should be the Publicity Committee (or Public Relations Committee) of the Science Lab.
    – Lawrence
    Commented Apr 16, 2016 at 8:57
  • @Laurence: That would be good if it was external facing, but it's too broad for this specific case which helps in-house scientists.
    – kevininspace
    Commented Apr 16, 2016 at 19:47

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Science is the specific category of what group you are while Scientific is a broad, impersonal descriptor as in "…A scientific committee was appointed to the accident…" The narrator in this case maybe an outsider while your statement is better with: "i'm part of the Science Committe…" its more personal and it functions better in the present tense.

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