March for Science: Academics and Researchers Speak Out

More than 600 March for Science demonstrations and rallies took place this past Saturday on April 22nd, Earth Day. The central event took place in Washington DC with ‘Bill Nye, the Science Guy’ headlining. Scientists and non-scientists alike came out in full force carrying signs such as, “There is No Planet B,” “Less Invasions, More Equations,” “Got the Plague? Me Neither. Thank Science,” and more.

Here in Los Angeles, where this program is produced, organizers used aerial photos to estimate that 50,000 people came out, despite the 90-degree weather, making it potentially the largest such march in the nation. My producer Anna Buss and I spent the day in downtown LA talking to dozens of people about who they were and why they felt compelled to march. Today we’ll bring you their voices. We’ll begin with a collection of people who deal with science every day, including space science researchers, computational scientists, a pediatrician, and even a science teacher.