Data science and the road to sainthood

Sure, a lot of data scientists spend their days trying to optimize ads, but a growing number are spending their time tackling bigger causes. Thankfully, there’s a sweeping trend in the data science world right now around bringing their skills to bear on some really meaningful problems. Check this GigaOM article out http://gigaom.com/2013/06/01/first-they-gave-us-targeted-ads-now-data-scientists-think-they-can-change-the-world/. Do you know of organizations doing similar work?  Tell us about them.