Latest Guides

Education

Caltech Postdoctoral Students Plan March for Science to Counter “Mischaracterization of Science as a Partisan Issue”

Published on Thursday, March 30, 2017 | 5:41 am
 

With just about everyone protesting and marching for one cause or another, why not March for Science?

Postdoctoral students at Caltech in Pasadena are organizing a March for Science event for Earth Day, April 22, as part of a worldwide effort to counter a “mischaracterization of science as a partisan issue,” which the organizers say is a critical and urgent matter.

On Earth Day, the march will start with a rally at Caltech at about 7:30 a.m. where speakers are expected to emphasize the March for Science theme, “Science not Silence,” which sounds a call to support and safeguard the scientific community in the face of recent policy changes that have caused heightened worry among scientists.

After the rally, participants will march on to the Pasadena City Hall where the rally will continue, followed by an outreach event by the postdoc students and other interested organizations, with science booths for both adults and children.

Worldwide, over 287 marches have been organized across the globe for Earth Day, including a March for Science Rally and Teach-in at Washington, DC. Organizers say over 50,000 volunteers have indicated they will be joining marches in their countries and localities, and the number is growing every day.

“There’s been a lot of different groups around the world that has been organizing events for this Earth Day to celebrate science, and we wanted to do an event that’s similar,” said Dr. Tara Mastro, a member of the Caltech Postdoctoral Association organizing committee. “We are outreaching to our community here in the San Gabriel Valley, so our event is specifically tuned towards our community members and to let them know what the scientific activities are in their area and what we’re doing.”

Another organizing committee member, Dr. Jason Marshall, clarified the March for Science isn’t an official Caltech activity, although many in the Caltech community are joining.

“This is mostly led by Caltech postdocs but we’re reaching out to all of the institutions in the area, and so we’re having representations from JPL employees, and students, faculty, researchers in a large number of the universities in the local area,” Marshall said.

As of Wednesday, Caltech professors Jonas C. Peters, Director of the Resnick Sustainability Institute, and Mary Kennedy, Vice Chair of the Caltech Officers of the Faculty, have confirmed they will be speaking at the rally, according to a post on the Pasadena March for Science Facebook page.

The March will also welcome tech companies and other organizations that may want to share appropriate scientific information and technology.

“We’re going to be doing an outreach at the end of the walk, so these companies are welcome to set up an informational booth to showcase what they’re doing,” Mastro said. “They can email us or contact us through the Facebook page.”

The postdoc association at Caltech has opened a Facebook page for the event, www.facebook.com/MarchForSciencePasadena. Inquiries may also be sent through marchforsciencepasadena@gmail.com.

For more general information about March for Science, visit www.marchforscience.com. ?

Get our daily Pasadena newspaper in your email box. Free.

Get all the latest Pasadena news, more than 10 fresh stories daily, 7 days a week at 7 a.m.

Make a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

 

 

 

buy ivermectin online
buy modafinil online
buy clomid online
buy ivermectin online