# Stand Up for Science 2025

Stand Up for Science 2025, or simply Stand Up for Science, refers to organized demonstrations of scientific communities throughout the United States in response to threats to scientific research under the Trump administration. The central event took place at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. on March 7, 2025, with approximately 2,000 participants in attendance. According to organizers, parallel demonstrations occurred in more than 30 additional U.S. cities, with international solidarity events reported in several countries, including over 30 locations in France.

## Background

The protests emerged following concerns within scientific and medical communities about policy changes during the first 47 days of Donald Trump's presidency following his January 2025 inauguration. Among these included the termination of grants related to transgender research and diversity initiatives at the National Institutes of Health, the review of thousands of National Science Foundation grants containing keywords such as "women" and "diversity", the dismissal of hundreds of probationary employees at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Weather Service, a proposed indirect cost cap at the National Institute of Health, attempted closure of facilities housing the Alaska and Hawaii Volcano Observatories, as well as the United States withdrawal from several climate initiatives.

## Organization

The demonstrations were primarily coordinated by early-career scientists and graduate students. In early February 2025, co-organizer and Bioinformatics doctoral student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill JP Flores met with former organizer Jonathan Berman of the March for Science, with the hopes of organizing a protest inspired by the 2017 event. Shortly after, co-organizer Colette Delawalla posted on Bluesky expressing frustration at the lack of organized response to administration policies affecting scientific research, and announced her intention to organize a protest in Washington D.C. Other lead organizers included Emma Courtney of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Samantha Goldstein of The University of Florida, and Leslie Berntsen.
The five-member team of organizers drafted several key objectives beyond broadly opposing the Trump administration's specific policy decisions. These included the opposition of freezes on scientific grants and the dismissal of government scientists, the advocating for expanded funding for scientific research, calling for the reinstatement of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility initiatives within government-funded science, and ultimately demanding an end to political interference in scientific processes.

## Protests

The Washington, D.C. demonstration held on March 7, 2025, at the Lincoln Memorial featured numerous high-profile speakers including former Director of the National Institutes of Health and human genome researcher Francis Collins, astronomer Phil Plait, Nobel Prize-winning biologist Victor Ambros, former NASA administrator Bill Nelson, and scientific television personality Bill Nye. Cancer survivor Emily Whitehead shared her experience as the first recipient of CAR T-cell therapy that saved her life when she was five years old. Several speakers addressed the attacks on institutions like the Environmental Protection Agency and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration including Congressman Bill Foster, Dr. Gretchen Goldman from the Union of Concerned Scientists, and volcanic researcher Denali Kincaid who highlighted the threat against multiple of the nations volcano observatories and other natural disaster related programs.
Outside of Washington, D.C., significant protests occurred in other cities with strong scientific communities. Scientists unable to attend these events were encouraged by organizers to walkout of their workplaces. Philadelphia hosted a demonstration centered around City Hall, consisting of members of the city's medical institutions and healthcare education systems. University of Pennsylvania infectious disease specialist Dr. Cedric Bien-Gund articulated his concern about impacts on transgender and nonbinary patients. Similarly, thousands of protesters gathered at the Horiuchi Mural at Seattle Center in Seattle, WA , where Washington State Governor Bob Ferguson confirmed his support for science. Further protests were held at the Michigan State Capitol, Hamilton College in Kirkland, New York, the Boston Common, and Schenley Plaza in Pittsburgh, PA.
Many protestors carried signs with scientific themes and criticisms of specific public figures including President Donald Trump, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Elon Musk, which included slogans such as "science is the vaccine for ignorance," "Edit Elon out of USA's DNA," and "In evidence we trust."
Scientific communities across France hosted over 30 related events mobilized under the name "Stand up for Science France" in solidarity with their American counterparts. Many French scientists who were part of the demonstrations expressed concerns at the United States' policy changes that would restrict international scientific communication, data sharing, budgets, and climate change-related findings. The French initiative included numerous demonstrations and academic conferences throughout the country.