It is now generally known that English is used as an international language of science (EILS). Depending on one's perspective, English may be viewed as a neutral lingua franca or, more sinisterly, as a dominating and overpowering force. This essay examines these concurrent roles of EILS from a number of angles. It starts out by describing discussions about EILS that have been published in applied linguistics literature and in the scientific community. The research then shifts to the viewpoint of foreign graduate students attending an American university through a small-scale survey and focus group interview study that aims to comprehend these students' perspectives toward English and its function in scientific communication. The study's results and their significance for an EAP classroom that seeks to acknowledge the dual roles of English in scientific communication are examined in light of published discussions of EILS.