In Washington, many protesters refused to share their names publicly for similar reasons. One woman, wearing a surgical mask and a long white lab coat with the word “crazy scientist” on her red lettering back, said she was “trying to move things forward in these challenging times” only as a federally funded researcher. Her field was planetary science, so her signature: “We are lucky to reach Mars without science.”
Elsewhere, three young women, all students, stood with a sign that read, “Science is non-political.” “I didn't tell my parents I was here,” and they all laughed. She added: “I should be at home, but I can't, because we may be paid back. It shouldn't be political, but we have no choice because they do that.”
The speech continued into the afternoon. Scientist Bill Nye. Fred Upton, former Republican leader in Michigan. Illinois Democrat and only PhD physicist for Representative Bill Foster Congress. (“It's not just science that's under attack, it's true,” he said behind the scenes.) Dr. Alison Agwu, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins University. Denali Kincaid, a doctoral student in geochemistry and a communicator for Tiktok. They reminded the audience (which unnecessarily acknowledged) the value of scientific expertise. To create a vaccine, accurate weather forecasting, and agriculture breakthroughs. Monitor more than 150 active volcanic systems in the United States alone.
From the bystanders, retired public health researcher Mary Doyle lamented the depth and seemingly indiscriminate nature of the work and funding cuts. The entire university division “is highly dependent on federal funding, so “it's going to go away,” she said. Her husband, engineer Scott Nynis, saw signs saying, “Science is most commonly done with scalpels and microscopes, not chainsaws.” ”
Both were present in March 2017. I felt this was different. “It's a dark feeling,” Doyle said.
