I’m marching for science today because I’m mad. Yes, I’m a mad scientist. I became a scientist because I wanted to help people. In my career I’ve researched gene therapy, how to engineer new antibiotics and how to make better cancer drugs. But now what I do and care about has come under attack. I’m mad at politicians for hijacking science for their own selfish interests.

I know that many people just love debating whether science should be political or not. But personally I’m not really too interested in spinning my wheels in this pyrrhic war. Science has always been political ever since we first used it to show that the Earth orbits the sun. And right now, we haven’t any time to waste.

The real question is who does science serve? When politicians are left alone to attack science with impunity, the answer is that science serves only the most elite, and is obstructed from helping all of us. As a result, real people get hurt, particularly our most vulnerable and marginalized communities. Look at lead poisoning in Flint. Or Hurricane Katrina and Superstorm Sandy. Or the Dakota Access pipeline. Or the rising seas of Tuvalu. Or the Ebola outbreak in west Africa. Or the measles outbreak in Europe.

I’m marching because science needs to take a stand and fight for justice with the communities who are harmed by bad science policy.

And while we’re here marching, we scientists need to recognize that we are extremely late – science has been under attack for a long time, not just in 2017. Our scientific community has been sitting on the sidelines watching in horror, afraid to get involved and be called biased. This strategy of ceding the floor has failed us terribly, as those with private political interests have gone ahead and polarized scientific issues anyway.

I’m marching because democracy is not a spectator sport. Not even for scientists.

Young people get this. Many of my young scientist friends are reacting to the assault on science by leaving the lab to work in communications, policy and advocacy. And they’re organizing the March for Science. Our generation is standing up right now because we are the ones who will suffer the most from bad science policy decisions.

It’s our cities that will be wrecked by climate change, it’s our bodies that will suffer from the dismantling of public health, it’s our jobs that will be lost to automation. We’re leading the fight because our heads are on the chopping block.

It’s also significant that the science justice movement is being led by the people. The march was started by strangers connecting over social media and has bloomed into a global movement, 600 cities and hundreds of thousands of participants strong.

In the past, the institutional structure of science advocacy has created a conservative bystander culture that has failed science abysmally. We need grassroots activists unfettered by protocol, and not content to just do better “outreach”. We need science advocates who can speak truth to power, organize in our communities, and to challenge problematic power structures with action. Scientists in the streets is a sign that politics as usual cannot continue.

And as we march for science, we are also defending the people who do science, because they’re under attack. Scientists are being gagged from speaking about research like climate change online (at the National Park Service and Department of Energy), and being banned from the country because of their background. This is especially troubling given our history of erecting institutional barriers that prevent prevent certain groups from participating in science (see Hidden Figures, Rosalind Franklin, or Henrietta Lacks).

The attacks hit close to home for me because I was born in a refugee camp. I am only a scientist today because I benefited from pro-refugee policies – why doesn’t the future generation have the same chance I did? When scientists face barriers, they can’t do their work in service of the public good, so we all suffer. That’s why the fight to stand up for scientists and science itself are one and the same.



We’ve been speaking to many historians and seasoned scientists, and they all tell us: the March for Science is poised to be the largest science event in history. That’s poignant because, right now, changing history is absolutely what is required.

We need another scientific revolution. The first scientific revolution transformed our understanding of the natural world and changed civilization as we know it, making us healthier, happier and more productive. Today, we have huge scientific challenges ahead such as climate change, genetic engineering and automation. And yet we are stuck with the handbrake on and unable to act effectively as a society, because a few privileged people are blocking progress at the expense of the rest of us.

That’s why we urgently need to transform the relationship between science, politics and society: our collective futures depend on it. That’s why I’m marching, because we need to change history. It’s time to join the revolution.

Lucky Tran is a science communicator based in New York, and holds a PhD in molecular biology from the University of Cambridge. He is also on the steering committee of the March for Science. These words and views are his own.</s>WASHINGTON (WWJ/AP) — Scientists, students and research advocates marking Earth Day by conveying a global message about scientific freedom without political interference.

A March for Science, with events around the world, intended to promote the understanding of science and defend science from attacks such as proposed U.S. government budget cuts.

Those participating in science marches were also arguing for adequate spending for future breakthroughs and the value of scientific pursuits.

President Donald Trump issued an Earth Day statement, saying that “rigorous science depends not on ideology, but on a spirit of honest inquiry and robust debate.”

Locally, thousands of people rallied in downtown Detroit in the name of science.

Among the speakers at Hart Plaza was Flint resident Melissa Mays, who told the crowd science is essential when city and state leaders lie and say water is safe. Mays is one of the residents who was first to complain about the bad water in Flint.

One of the signs in the crowd read: Clean Air, Clean Water, Video Game Upgrades, Thank Science.

One of the organizers of the first Earth Day, Denis Hayes, says the crowd he saw on the National Mall in Washington appeared energized and “magical,” almost like what he saw that first day 47 years ago.</s>From planting trees to bike sales to drumming circles and potlucks, Montrealers participated in worldwide Earth Day celebrations on Saturday.

Despite the rain, about 100 people — from young children to senior citizens — gathered at Léo-Pariseau Park at the corner of Parc and Pine Aves. (and in neighbouring offices when the weather became too rough) to celebrate and raise awareness about different environmental issues.

“There’s no shortage of evidence showing how severe the ecological crisis is right now,” said organizer Nathan McDonnell. “For us, ecology is not an environmental problem, it’s a problem stemming from society and the economy. And the only way to genuinely change that is through mobilizing people and educating people.”

Hosted by the Milton Park Citizens’ Committee, the event was also to raise awareness about half of Léo-Pariseau Park still being zoned residential, meaning it could be another lost green space in the city if someone decides to develop it.

Coinciding with Earth Day was also the March for Science, held to rally in support of Americans who say they’re facing mounting attacks against science through proposed budget cuts.

Hundreds of scientists and science enthusiasts marched downtown on Saturday, holding signs that said “Science is life” and “Climate change is already here.”

“The main message is to celebrate science and underline the need to protect it, because it brings us prosperity, health and security,” organizer Jérémy Bouchez, a science writer at the Université de Montréal, told the Montreal Gazette earlier this week.

Similar marches were held on Parliament Hill and in dozens of other communities across Canada on Saturday.</s>People aren’t celebrating Earth Day just chilling in nature this year…they’re marching! Crowds are gathering with the Earth Day Network for the March for Science on the Washington Mall on Apr. 22 and you can watch the event live stream here!

Happy Earth Day, President Trump! There’s a March For Science going down at the National Mall in Washington D.C. for Earth Day, Saturday, Apr. 22. The organizers explained that the rally is “about the very real role that science plays in each of our lives.” The event organizers described science as “a pillar of human freedom and prosperity.” The Mall opened for the rally at 8am EST, but the march won’t get started until 2pm. You can live stream the historic rally along with its’ special lectures, activities, performances and speakers here from USA Today.

The bipartisan event’s goal was to show policy makers and politicians that science is important and the findings of researchers from around the world cannot be ignored. The march hoped to bring awareness to the danger that could come from cutting budgets for science programs and research. Marches will be happening around the world and not just in D.C.! The photos from the rallies in the UK, Germany, and, Australia have been so powerful and we cannot wait to see what great signs people come up with in the rest of the world.

March For Science — See Pics From The Protest

The D.C. rally definitely has one person we’re all super pumped to see and that’s Bill Nye! The beloved TV scientist and respected member of the scientific community will give a speech before the start of the march. That will totally get people fired up about showing their government how much they care about science!

The Nature Conservancy released a beautiful statement about the marches taking place around the world today. “We’re absolutely thrilled to see so much public support out on the streets for science and scientists,” it said. “My field of environmental science has probably never been more important as today – and yet it has never felt more insecure. It is environmental science that tells us that natural climate solutions – planting trees and using less fertilizer, for example – are as important as solar panels and electric cars in the fight against climate change.”

“The Earth Day Network’s mission to plant a tree for every person by 2020 is a good example and could have a massive impact,” the statement continued. “TNC is well on the way to support this goal with our own Plant a Billion Trees campaign. This is all based on a scientific understanding of how to address the world’s environmental challenges. Continuing to build that understanding could not be more important given the extent to which we are altering the natural world around us.”

HollywoodLifers, what do you think of the Earth Day March? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!</s>Without it, there would be no trains.

Niall was one of the thousands of children, students, educators and lovers of science who rallied at an Earth Day march around Lake Eola Saturday.

The march in Orlando was part of a worldwide effort to raise awareness and show support for science-related topics, such as climate change, rising sea levels and cuts in funding for STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programs and the Environmental Protection Agency.

More than 500 marches and rallies were held around the world, including 21 in Florida and one in Washington, D.C., that included four hours of speeches and musical performances on the grounds of the Washington Monument.

Marchers then trekked in the rain to the foot of Capitol Hill, chanting “Build labs, not walls!” and “Hey, Trump, have you heard, you can’t silence every nerd,” according to the Washington Post.

The Orlando rally began at the northeast corner of Lake Eola Park, where Mayor Buddy Dyer, joined by his dog Sammie, pledged his part to help to make Orlando “The City Sustainable.”

Some participants waved included homemade puppets depicting endangered species native to Florida. A dancing polar bear — a person in costume — also marched, urging people to use solar power.

Jaylah Angevine, 6, held a sign that declared her as a “future astrophysicist.”

The march ended at the Walt Disney Amphitheatre at Lake Eola Park, where supporters chanted, “Science, not silence” and “What do we want? Science! When do we want it? After peer review!”

Although several of the signs had a political theme, science is a topic that reaches across partisan lines, said Mitch Emerson, an organizer of the march and of the liberal political action committee For Our Future.

“Science is inherently apolitical. There are facts, and then you make decisions based on those facts,” Emerson, 31, said.

“Science isn’t about one side being good and one side being bad. Science is about one side being right and one side being wrong,” he added.

Marcher Violette Gibbs, who was hit by a car while running the Cross Seminole Trail in Winter Springs, held a sign that read, “Science saved my leg.”

“When something tragic happens in your life and you almost lose your leg, it’s the scientists and doctors who put you back together,” she said.

A prime focus of the march was inspiring the next generation of scientists.

Michael and Regina Dunn, former science teachers at DeLand High School, wore lab coats covered in scientific formulas and decorated with the faces of Albert Einstein, a German-born physicist who developed the theory of relativity, and Dmitri Mendeleev, a Russian chemist who created the periodic table of elements.

Michael Dunn, some of whose former pupils are now studying for doctoral degrees in physics, sad the students he taught in higher-level courses led him to believe the world is in good hands with the next generation of scientists.</s>The international “March for Science” appears to have re-branded Earth Day, casting “social justice” as “science.”

The Earth Day Network that owns the international rights to the annual hippie-fest — and celebration of Vladimir Lenin’s birth — artfully sought to rebrand its messaging by having protestors in 610 locations around the planet swap their tie-dyed shirts for the patina of scientific truth associated with white lab coats.

The festivities began in the wee hours of April 22 in New Zealand, then followed the sun to circumnavigate the globe. The event’s blog reported 50 celebrants showed up at Antarctic research stations, and 2 very intrepid souls showed up in minus-40 degree weather at the North Pole. Although it seemed that the media in many locations outnumbered the demonstrators, San Francisco and Washinton, D.C. both produced about 5,000 marchers.

The March for Science website in January trumpeted, under “Diversity and Inclusion Principles“: “Colonization, racism, native rights, sexism, ableism, queer-, trans-, intersex-phobia, & econ justice are scientific rights.”

But as the event neared, the scientific communism of Marx and Engle’s Das Capital morphed into Principals and Goals: “Our wealth of personal experiences and perspectives is our greatest strength. In putting the people who do science at the forefront of this discussion, we can show that scientists come from all cultural backgrounds, belief systems, orientations, genders, and abilities.”

Honorary Co-Chairman Bill Nye the Science Guy said, “We march forward to ensure a better world for people all over the world.” But he and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) made it clear in their February Facebook Live “Conversation on Climate Change” that they believe all skeptics of climate change are suffering from cognitive dissonance.

The most interesting coverage of the event came from Science magazine, which live-blogged the events with about 60 posts over 24 hours. Demonstrating the tenuous connection between the “March for Science” and actual scientists, the first April 22 speaker at the New Zealand event was leftist Green Party co-leader James Shaw, who is a former accountant with no science background.

Shaw said, “When politicians use their belief systems to override the facts, the scientific facts, we are all in for a whole world of hurt.” Shaw then droned on about his social justice belief system that New Zealanders needed to stand up against the U.S. political discourse questioning climate change.</s>NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – As groups across the country gather for science marches on Earth Day, a group locally also held a rally and march.

It was a celebration of science that filled The Plot in downtown Norfolk early Saturday morning.

“Science isn’t one thing for one person, science is for everybody,” said Elizabeth Gordon, one of the co-founders of the event. She and Charles Abadam decided to plan the local march after learning about the one in Washington, D.C.. They hoped something close by would encourage people to get outside and get involved.

Abadam said, “There are scientists everywhere. There are people who want to be included in this. They want to get out of the labs and into the street.”

The crowd, filled with both young and old, wore shirts and carried signs showing why they were there. Some signs made a political statement, but Gordon says fighting along party lines wasn’t their goal. She said, “I absolutely feel like Earth Day is becoming a partisan thing and that’s why we’re here. Because we really don’t think Earth Day should be something that one party supports and another party doesn’t support. We all live on the same planet, and we don’t have another chance to live on another planet.”

The crowd heard from five speakers, including professors from Old Dominion University and Hampton University, who all shared a passion for science.

“Science needs to be funded, and science needs to be supported by everyone and celebrated because science is everywhere,” said Abadam.

The group finished the day by marching up Granby Street. Their final stop was O’Connor Brewery.</s>President Donald Trump just released a statement for Earth Day, and it doesn't seem like he really loves the Earth?

Along with some faint praise of America's "abundant natural resources and awe-inspiring beauty," Trump used Earth Day to talk about jobs.

"Economic growth enhances environmental protection. We can and must protect our environment without harming America's working families. That is why my administration is reducing unnecessary burdens on American workers and American companies, while being mindful that our actions must also protect the environment," Trump said.

Are those vague allusions to the Trump administration's move to revive the Keystone pipeline? Or to slash federal funding for scientific research? Or gut the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) greenhouse gas emissions rules?

The White House statement didn't mention climate change, national parks, the EPA or anything else scientific that's been threatened or ignored by the Trump administration. Nor did it mention the many thousands of people who participated in the March for Science in Washington, D.C. and around the world on Saturday, many in direct response to the Trump administration's anti-science stances.

In fact, the statement also included a line frequently used by those who deny the overwhelming evidence showing that human emissions of greenhouse gases cause global warming.

"My Administration is committed to advancing scientific research that leads to a better understanding of our environment and of environmental risks," Trump said.

"As we do so, we should remember that rigorous science depends not on ideology, but on a spirit of honest inquiry and robust debate," Trump said.

Lost on the president are two actual mainstays of science, which are research and observation. To Trump and those in his administration, climate science and other extremely well-researched topics are counted as ideologies, and put up for debate.

"This April 22nd, as we observe Earth Day, I hope that our Nation can come together to give thanks for the land we all love and call home," Trump said.</s>Earth Day is an annual, globally celebrated event that asks people to think about and environmentally respect the world we live in.

To honor Earth Day, Saturday, April 22, Darien has several opportunities residents may participate in. There is a town cleanup on Saturday and a Darien Land Trust trails cleanup on Sunday. In addition, there’s an Earth Day celebration in Cherry Lawn Park on Saturday, and an All Things Green Fair at the Darien Library on Sunday.

The first Earth Day took place in 1970 and was organized by Gaylord Nelson, a former Wisconsin senator, in an effort to raise awareness about water and air pollution. On the first Earth Day, 20 million Americans participated in voicing their concerns and raising awareness about environmental concerns, including oil spills, toxic dumps and endangered animals.

The first international Earth Day took place in 1990, with 200 million people from 141 countries discussing the importance of preserving the environment and thinking of ways to actively protect the environment.

This year marks the 46th celebration of Earth Day, and since the establishment of Earth Day, people have put forth the effort to make sustainable and environmentally beneficial changes. In the United States, government officials enacted the Clean Air and Water acts as well as the Endangered Species Act. People are using cleaner alternatives to oil and are recycling.

To celebrate Earth Day this year, you can take many different steps to help protect the Earth we live on. You can involve yourself in one of the many Earth Day network campaigns by checking out earthday.org. You can do something as simple as utilizing a reusable water bottle or turning off the water while you brush your teeth, or even planting a tree.

Another important aspect of Earth Day is remembering we are not its only inhabitants — as Nina Miller pointed out this week. This is the time of year when many baby animals can be spotted — and sometimes mistaken for abandoned. Use caution and give these animal families their space.

Remember that you can do something to protect the environment every day of the year, not just on Earth Day.</s>The March for Science from around the world People in cities around the world take part in a global March for Science on Saturday, April 22, to show support of scientific research. Berlin, Germany, residents march behind a sign that reads, "There are no alternatives to facts."

The March for Science from around the world Marchers gathering in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. Similar marches are expected to draw people in more than 500 cities across the world.

The March for Science from around the world Marchers at the Paris March for Science holding signs. In addition to Paris and Berlin, marches will be taking place in Rio, Munich, San Francisco, Boston, Oklahoma City and Bratislava, Slovakia.

The March for Science from around the world Scientists at the Neumayer Station in Antarctica take part in the March for Science on April, 22.

The March for Science from around the world Marching in support of scientific research in Berlin, Germany. Many of the marches are featuring music and speeches.

The March for Science from around the world A woman in Vienna, Austria,attends the March for Science there. In the US, many marchers have been galvanized by President Donald Trump's proposed cuts to scientific research, including slashing $5.8 billion from the budget of the National Institutes of Health.

The March for Science from around the world Researchers and scientist protest against budget cuts during the March for Science in Madrid, Spain.

The March for Science from around the world People stand together in Martin Place, in Sydney, Australia,for the city's international March for Science.

The March for Science from around the world Scientists and science enthusiasts gather prior to the start of the March for Science in central London.
People around the world gather during Earth Day to bring awareness to science.