Biology students organize March for Science – Maryville Daily Forum

Google the phrase war on science and youll come up with an almost endless list of links.

Yes, science by definition that most non-political of pursuits is a glowing political hot button these days, with a reported majority of scientists weighing in on one side of issues like climate change, stem cell research and creationism and Republicans and social conservatives weighing in on the other.

By many accounts, scientists are in a state of alarm caused by Trump administration efforts to drastically cut funds for research of all kinds, and especially research funded by federal agencies like NASA, the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Institutes of Health.

So if there is a war on science, the time has come to march, right?

Thats what many scientists, and students of science, now believe, including members of the Marine Biology Society at Northwest Missouri State University.

The group, which is advised by Assistant Professor of Biology Peter Adam, will hold a local edition of the March for Science beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 22. The procession will begin at the Memorial Bell Tower on the Northwest campus.

Plans call for participants to walk north from the tower, east on Seventh Street and then south on Main to the Nodaway County Courthouse.

Adam said other details about the event, including speakers, are still in the planning stage.

The Northwest March for Science is being held in conjunction with a planned demonstration in Washington, D.C., along with similar marches in more than 500 cities worldwide.

April 22 is also Earth Day.

According to organizers, the marches are part of a non-partisan movement to celebrate science and the role it plays in everyday lives.

The demonstrations are also meant to illustrate the value of scientific institutions and traditions that uphold the common good and lead to evidence-based policy in the public's best interest.

Adam said the Maryville march is non-partisan, and that the aim is to create awareness about the importance of science with regard to what many Americans view as ordinary experience.

I think there are a lot of people who are aware of science, but they are also naive about it, Adam said. They dont understand that the technology they have in their pockets, their medicines, their cellphones, their twitter accounts, are all because of science.

Asked if the Northwest march was a response to the Trump administrations views on global warming and other environmental issues, Adam said not specifically, but that current events have motivated the events student organizers.

The people making these (political) decisions are certainly part of the target audience, he said. If youll forgive the pun, the climate surrounding science right now is pretty dim.

The national March for Science website describes the upcoming demonstrations in blunter terms.

Science, scientists and evidence-based policymaking are under attack, the site reads. Budget cuts, censorship of researchers, disappearing datasets and threats to dismantle government agencies harm us all, putting our health, food, air, water, climate and jobs at risk.

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Biology students organize March for Science - Maryville Daily Forum