For example, the proposed budget removed around US billion from science programs and in January the Trump administration instituted a media blackout at the Environmental Protection Agency and barred staff from awarding any new contracts or grants.
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For the upcoming “March for Science” on April 22, scientists will leave their labs and university lecture halls to fight for the recognition of their scientific and technological achievements. On Saturday, April 22, the party will be held in conjunction with the “March for Science” protests happening all around the country.
Christopher Kahler, professor of behavioral and social sciences, said that the objective of this march is to advocate for policies in government and funding that would benefit science and to show the value of science to society as a whole. In Boston, an academic and research hub, that sentiment has garnered strong support.
“We want our local march to give people the opportunity to celebrate the impact of science in our community, to meet local scientists and learn about their work, and to show our politicians exactly how much we care”, Souza said.
Clearly aware of the potential criticism, the march’s website addresses the issue: “The march is explicitly a political movement, aimed at holding leaders in politics and science accountable”, though it stresses that it is meant to be non-partisan. Instead, scientists hope that politicians and the public at large will take note of the importance of scientific findings and its methodologies in solving numerous issues we face today.
Get free real-time news alerts from the Seattle Patch. This year, scientists who say the Trump administration has disregarded or devalued scientific research are joining the effort – a rare position for the typically apolitical field of science. Wilson will be attending the March for Science in Washington, D.C. Numerous marches outside DC also offer the opportunity to participate as a volunteer, or participate in outreach. “So the concern here is very high”. In the past, he said, funding and support for research have gotten support from both sides of the aisle, and he’s hoping that the demonstration helps to ensure that the trend continues. Political turmoil has given rise to the “post-truth” era, she said, in which people ignore facts that undermine their own beliefs.
In the wake of protests against the Vietnam War, there was a movement to make science answerable not just to elite scientists but to ordinary people. “The benefits to humanity are so important and worth fighting for”. One look at the history of toxins such as lead or asbestos can demonstrate the gap between what we know scientifically about their health impacts and what we advocate for in regulatory protections.
While many organizations support marches, there have been concerns raised nationally about the politicization of science through these events.
And March for Science Merced will run from 10 to noon, beginning at Court House Square Park, West 21st Street between M and O streets. Of all the many solutions to global warming and other environmental problems, none is as powerful as people getting together to demand change. The March for Science is a family-friendly event with speakers, musicians and a cleanup of the Veterans Riverwalk after the rally.
Sabrina Solouki, a Cornell University doctoral student in the field of immunology and infectious disease, is organizing a contingent of almost 150 graduate students and postdocs to attend the march.
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In Coimbatore, the organisation for science education, School of Science, is organising the satellite march around the city’s race course. According to its Facebook event page, 4,600 people said they will attend. Thousands of people are expected to attend in numerous participating cities, marching to show their solidarity and respect for science, according to the event’s organizers.
