This past weekend, several Marches for Science were held around the world. I attended the March for Science in Philadelphia with a group of students and professors from Muhlenberg. Here’s how my day went.
12:00 am
I realized I needed to make a sign for the march, because what self-respecting March attendee would I be without a sign? I was devoid of creativity, so I turned to the internet for good, punchy ideas. However, I wanted to incorporate my research model organism, the nematode C. elegans, into my sign. So, several iterations later, I came up with a punny sign: “Science is (C.) Elegant.”
2:00 am
Set my alarm for 7:00 am, as the bus left sharply at 7:30. I couldn’t sleep because of the excitement of the March, but I forced myself to because I knew I’d be exhausted if I didn’t sleep at least a little bit.
7:30 am
The bus departed Muhlenberg, full of students, professors, and the families of some professors. I was told by one of my Biology professors that it was too early in the morning for puns (she was referring to my sign). I promptly fell asleep as the bus started moving.
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Okay, so the rest of the timeline gets fuzzy here. At some point, I woke up on the bus and we were basically there. We stood in line with all the other March attendees, and laughed at the more creative signs. Among my favorites:
“Save Barry” with a picture of Barry B Benson.
“What do we want? Evidence based research. When do we want it? After peer review.”
“At least this orange guy speaks for the trees” with a picture of the Lorax.
After what seemed like forever, we finally began to March. People found other people they knew who were marching. People walked at different paces, so most of the group separated into pairs/trios/quartets. We marched from City Hall to Penn’s Landing, shouting that we’d defend science, and that the current policy makers were no good for our cause. Once we got to Penn’s Landing, we listened to speakers, and then it started pouring. My friend Brooke, who I had marched with, and I decided to peace out at that point because we were soaking wet and couldn’t hear, so we navigated our way to the Reading Terminal Market. All in all, it was a fantastic day, and so incredibly satisfying to march for something I care so deeply about.
So, why did I march?
Well, for starters, I’m a scientist who loves what they do. I find nothing more exciting than asking questions about how things work, and then figuring out ways to figure out how to answer those questions. I love figuring out new ways to answer questions creatively. And, when things don’t work, I try again, with new ways, because I need to answer those questions.
Not only do I love what I do, but I love what I stand for. I love being one in a long line of women in STEM fields. At the March I went to, one of the speakers started his speech saying “Thank you for being here… Scientists, supporters of scientists, wives of scientists…” I’m not the wife of a scientist, I am the scientist, and I marched to show just how strong the women in STEM are.
Not only that, but as an avid gardener and as an educated human being, I care about the earth. I care about the bees, and the trees, and everything else that keeps ecosystems in check. The proposed cuts to the EPA doesn’t support a healthy earth, and so I don’t suppose those budget cuts.
Those are only a handful of the reasons, but I can say that, despite being sore for days after the March, I don’t regret my involvement at all.
