Last Friday, scientists from around the United States and France participated in the StandUp for Science rally. I wore my Albuquerque Isotopes jersey, celebrating the start of the baseball season and Triple A team for the Colorado Rockies, but mostly as a way to discuss the importance of isotopes and science in our daily lives. I’ve used isotopes in my hydrogeology career as explained in this IAEA fact sheet.
My friend Dave King joined me for the event in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina located on a grassy mall between NC General Assembly and state government education buildings. Abut 500 hundred people attended the peaceful rally with many joining from the big three universities: Duke, UNC, and NC State. Scientists are standing up, speaking out, and coming together from rival athletic programs. The majority of scientists appeared to represent medical students and researchers responding to NIH funding cuts. I met one of the local organizers, Noelle Muzzy, a toxicology fellow with EPA, shown here interviewed by WRAL news.
Some of the signs we saw people create include:
SCIENCE WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE - BUT ONLY IF FEDERAL RESEARCH FUNDING IS RESTORED FOR CANCER, INFECTIOUS DISEASES, ETC. (shown on cover photo)
PROTECT SCIENTIFIC FREEDOM
I’M ALIVE TODAY THANKS TO SCIENCE
THE EARTH IS NOT FLAT, VACCINES WORK, CLIMATE CHANGE IS REAL, THOM TILLIS UP FOR REELECTION
REFORM NOT RECKLESSNESS
DISCOVERY NEEDS DOLLARS
NO FUNDING NO RESEARCH
BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE (with a picture of the Earth on fire)
THERE IS SOMETHING YOU CAN DO: MAKE NOISE, TAKE UP SPACE, HELP SOMEONE
SCIENCE MATTERS: Saves Lives, Develops Medicines, Improves Health Care, Reduces Egg Prices, Develops Energy Sources, Keeps Water and Air Clean, Makes Safer Cars, Ensures Healthy Food, Protects National Security, Promotes Strong Economy, Prevents Measles Flu and More, Slows Climate Change, Stimulates Creativity
SCIENCE NOT SILENCE
We spoke to several people who shared how vaccines or other medical treatments saved their lives. One person told me that she needed six surgeries and specialized antibiotics to heal her from gangrene infections. We met Anna Buckalew who recently retired from EPA saying that most of the current or displaced federal government workers could not attend the rally as they would not want to be seen going against the administration in hopes to preserve their federal careers. Here’s a report by WUNC who interviewed Anna and others.
I met a Duke University genetics researcher who said the $200 million cut in federal funding (mentioned in my previous blog) was designated for buildings and salaries and does not cover other incidental costs like lab reagents. Her work on viruses is being shut down!
One familiar voice I previously met was Emily Sutton, Executive Director of the Haw River Assembly, who’s sounding the alarm on toxic pollution in river and drinking water! We all need to do more outreach to address these issues. See more about her speech and others as reported by NC Newsline.
The Raleigh News&Observer recorded Nyssa Tucker, a PhD candidate at UNC-Chapel Hill, speaking at the rally.
After about six speeches, the organizers directed everyone to form a line and march around the buildings chanting:
“Out of Labs and Into the Streets”
“When Science Is Under Attach What Do We Do? We Stand Up and Fight Back.”
“What Do We Want? Peer Review! When Do We Want It? Now!”
I’m grateful to all the participants for their activism and dedication to science which is making the world a better place for us all!