Advocates protest worldwide in support of scientific research By Associated Press, adapted by Newsela staff on 04.25.17 Word Count 921 Level 1130L With the White House in the background, participants gather for the March for Science in Washington, D.C., on April 22, 2017. Thousands of scientists worldwide left their labs to take to the streets along with students and research advocates in pushing back against what they say are mounting attacks on science. Photo by: AP Photo/Sait Serkan Gurbuz WASHINGTON, D.C. Scientists, students and research advocates rallied from Germany's Brandenburg Gate to the Washington Monument on Earth Day. They sent a global message for scientific freedom without political interference and for spending necessary to make future breakthroughs possible. "We didn't choose to be in this battle, but it has come to the point where we have to fight because the stakes are too great," said climate scientist Michael Mann. He regularly clashes with politicians. Standing on the National Mall with thousands soaked by rain on Saturday, Mann said that like other scientists, he would rather be in his lab, in the field conducting research or teaching students. But driving his advocacy are officials who deny his research that shows rising global temperatures. In Gainesville, Florida, more than 1,000 people stretched through the city's streets. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 1
Advocating For Continued Funding For Sciences "Most people don't know how much funding for the sciences supports them in their lives every day. Every medical breakthrough, their food, clothing, our cellphones, our computers, all that is science-based," said Pati Vitt, a plant scientist at the Chicago Botanic Garden. "So if we stop funding scientific discoveries now, in 10 years, whatever we might have had won't be, we just won't have it." At the event in Nashville, Tennessee, where marchers shouted "science, not silence," lawyer Jatin Shah brought his sons, a 5-year-old who wants to be a dentist and 6-year-old who plans to be a doctor. Shah worries about the boys' futures if scientific research gets less funding. "I fear that we're not going to have the planet that you and I grew up on unless we find new ways to make this Earth as livable as possible for as long as we can," Shah said. "And we're not going to have as intellectual a society as we should. We need as many people as possible to be educated in the sciences." Sign Reads "Climate Change Is Real" People at the march carried signs that said, "there is no planet B" and "make America think again." Another said, "climate change is real, ask any polar bear." Marchers around the world joined the event. In Geneva, Switzerland, signs read, "Science A Candle in the Dark" and "Science is the Answer." In Berlin, Germany, several thousand people participated in a march from one of the city's universities to the Brandenburg Gate. "'We need to make more of our decisions based on facts again and less on emotions," said Meike Weltin, a researcher at an environmental institute near the capital. Marches Held In London And Spain In London, physicists, astronomers, biologists and a number of celebrities gathered for a march past the city's most celebrated research institutions. Supporters carried signs showing images of DNA and chemical symbols. In Spain, hundreds assembled in Madrid, Barcelona and Seville. Organizers portrayed the march as political but not based on party, promoting the understanding of science as well as defending it from various attacks. The attacks include proposed U.S. government budget cuts under President Donald Trump. One proposal is to cut a 20 percent slice of the National Institute of Health. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 2
Boy's Sign Reads "Science Saved My Life" In Washington, the sign that 9-year-old Sam Klimas held was red, handmade and personal: "Science saved my life." He had a form of brain cancer but has been healthy for eight years now. His mother, grandmother and brother traveled with him from Parkersburg, West Virginia. "I have to do everything I can to oppose the policies of this administration," said his grandmother, Susan Sharp. Scientists generally shy away from advocacy and politics. After all, their work depends on objective experimentation. For a scientist's work to be credible, he or she must focus on facts and observations, not opinions and beliefs. The rallies set for more than 500 cities were putting scientists in a more public position. Scientists said they were anxious about political and public rejection of established science such as climate change and the safety of vaccine immunizations. Scientific Community Feels Under Attack Scientists are upset that evidence has been crowded out by political claims, said Rush Holt. He is a former physicist and Democratic congressman who now runs the American Association for the Advancement of Science. "It is not just about Donald Trump," Holt said, but he acknowledged that many of the people marching were upset by the Trump administration. Many feel that his policies have placed the scientific community under fire. Judy Twigg, a public health professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, directed of her signs at the president. The sign showed the periodic table of chemical elements and said, "You're out of your element Donny (Trump)." For Twigg, who was wearing a T-shirt that said "Science is not a liberal conspiracy," research is a matter of life and death on issues such as polio and child mortality. Inspired By Women's March Though he did not believe that the march was based on any one political party, Holt acknowledged it was only dreamed up at the Women's March on Washington, a day after Trump's January 20 inauguration. "It's not about the current administration. The truth is we should have been marching for science 30 years ago, 20 years, 10 years ago," said co-organizer and public health researcher Caroline Weinberg. "The current situation took us from kind of ignoring science to blatantly attacking it." She thinks this could explain why more scientists are becoming politically active. "The scientific method was developed to be nonpartisan and objective," Weinberg said. "It should be embraced by both parties." This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 3
Quiz 1 Each of the following selections supports the claim that scientists feel they can no longer afford to stand by and do nothing. Which is the STRONGEST piece of evidence to support this claim? "We didn't choose to be in this battle, but it has come to the point where we have to fight because the stakes are too great," said climate scientist Michael Mann. He regularly clashes with politicians. People at the march carried signs that said, "there is no planet B" and "make America think again." Another said, "climate change is real, ask any polar bear." In London, physicists, astronomers, biologists and a number of celebrities gathered for a march past the city's most celebrated research institutions. Supporters carried signs showing images of DNA and chemical symbols. Organizers portrayed the march as political but not based on party, promoting the understanding of science as well as defending it from various attacks. 2 Which answer choice BEST explains the author's purpose in this article? to encourage others to join in protest rallies and marches for science to explain how the policies of the new administration will affect science to describe why many people and scientists think it is necessary to march for science to detail the parts of daily life that will be affected by cutting funds for science 3 According to the article, what is the BEST way to represent the views of Susan Sharp and Judy Twigg? Both believe that the policies of the current administration will endanger those whose lives depend on scientific research. Both believe that officials who deny climate change are causing irreparable damage to the planet and making it unlivable. Both believe that the administration's ideas on science are flawed and the best way to protest is by making fun of President Trump. Both believe that science is a matter of life and death and more extreme methods of resistance to the administration are necessary. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 4
4 Read the paragraph from the section "Boy's Sign Reads Science Saved My Life." Scientists generally shy away from advocacy and politics. After all, their work depends on objective experimentation. For a scientist's work to be credible, he or she must focus on facts and observations, not opinions and beliefs. The rallies set for more than 500 cities were putting scientists in a more public position. Which idea is BEST supported by this paragraph? The work of scientists will no longer be credible after they participate in rallies. Ideas about the way scientists should stand up for their research are changing. Cities are forcing scientists to take part in marches they do not believe in. Opinions and beliefs will now be accepted as part of scientific experimentation. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 5