March for Science 2017: Why Are Scientists Taking to the Streets on Saturday?

Protesters walk up Pennsylvania Avenue during the Women's March on Washington on Jan. 21, 2017, in Washington, D.C. The March for Science will take place in the nation's capital on April 22, 2017, to support scientists and emphasize the need to include science in crafting policies.

(Image credit: Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Scientists and science enthusiasts will hit the streets in cities across the globe on Saturday (April 22) to convey to the government and public alike how important science is to the health and safety of our planet's inhabitants.

"The March for Science is the first step of a global movement to defend the vital role science plays in our health, safety, economies, and governments," according to the march organizers.

"Our goals are engaging and empowering the world's citizens to have a real relationship with space exploration and science in general. We're a science organization. Anything that activates or gets people out there and excited to promote and think about this discipline that exists all around us but sometimes we take for granted is an opportunity to push for advancement and furthering our ultimate goals in science.

"I really think of myself as a scientist. It's such a big part of my identity, and I've been having such a hard time coping with the new administration and from a personal level, I thought it would be good for me to have the opportunity to get inspired by other folks that share the same value sets. Important policy decisions should be based on truth and science. And I thought it would help me stay motivated and keep fighting the good fight. Beyond that, I just think it's one thing I can do to show my resistance and hopefully by folks like me making these same decisions all across the country, we can hopefully have some influence over decision-makers.

"For me, the D.C. march is going to be influenced by the fact that I'm bringing my two kids — my daughter who is 9 and my son who is 11. And they will have never participated in a march of this magnitude. They've never been to D.C., and I really hope this is a formative experience for them, one that might someday inspire them to be an activist and to stand up and advocate for causes they believe in, and just to give them some insight into the work that I do and why it's important. On a personal level, it's about sharing this value set with my children and hoping it shapes who they become. I want to accomplish having people draw the connection between science and protecting the environment with the idea that climate change is not alternative facts, and that endangered wildlife need science to survive."

"It's an important event for me personally because as a scientist, I want to make sure that there is recognition in public debate and policymaking that science has a crucial role to play. Sometimes, I worry that in the public debate now there is increasing denial that there are such things as scientific facts. Policymakers will understandably and appropriately bring their values and opinions into the formation of policy, but those policies still should be informed by sound science," McDonald wrote in an email to Live Science.

"A crucial example is around the issue of climate change. The science onc limate change is clear. Ninety-seven percent of climate change scientists believe climate change is happening and is human-caused. Last year was the hottest year on record. And 16 of the 17 hottest years on record have occurred since 2000. So, while reasonable people can disagree about the appropriate policy response to climate change, debate about what the right policy is has to start with these basic facts.

"The kinds of issues that we have to deal with collectively are the things that will be brought out by the march. What we want to do is make sure people understand if we want our kids to understand what to do on these issues, from climate change to GMOs [genetically modified organisms], the kids in school now are going to be participating in making decisions on what we do, how we collectively live, and science education is critical in them being able to participate with that."

"One reason we're having this science march is because science is mangled at the political level. It's really easy for the message of science and the conclusion of science to get mangled when it comes down to the average person. To me, it has to do with the fact that the average person and the average congressman don't know how science works and what scientific consensus is, and what science is as a body of knowledge. Understanding that when you get to be called a theory — that's pretty much the strongest designation that you can get in science. But, that term in vernacular means something very different. That's the kind of science literacy that is a challenge when we're trying to communicate science results to the public.

"I think the whole crowd mentality when you're all working toward something is pretty wonderful. Day to day, being a scientist, you're so deep into the minutiae of these projects. When you get to do an outreach event where you get to talk to the community or you get to participate in a movement, it adds a component to your job that you don't get to do every day. It makes me reenergized as a scientist."

"The Field Museum is proud to be participating in the Chicago chapter of the nationwide March for Science this upcoming Saturday, April 22," the museum said in a statement. "The March is a non-partisan demonstration for supporters of science to voice their passion for and commitment to the pursuit of knowledge, facts, and discovery. With overwhelming support from our own staff, volunteers, and trustees, we'll be showing up 700 strong on Saturday, with bright green shirts, giant T. rex puppets, and lots of enthusiasm in tow."

"My participation is to protest the Trump administration's anti-science stance," Vandermeer said in a statement from the university. "Our world today is especially in need of rational thought to solve the urgent problems we face, and the most troubling challenge to the rational thought processes that we have relied upon since the Enlightenment is the apparent rejection of science by the Trump administration. I stand with the bulk of the world's scientists in opposing this sort of dangerous and ignorant policy."

Denise Chow was the assistant managing editor at Live Science before moving to NBC News as a science reporter, where she focuses on general science and climate change. Before joining the Live Science team in 2013, she spent two years as a staff writer for Space.com, writing about rocket launches and covering NASA's final three space shuttle missions. A Canadian transplant, Denise has a bachelor's degree from the University of Toronto, and a master's degree in journalism from New York University.