It’s hard to imagine a world without science and science education. For many years Shape of Life has been dedicated to providing FREE quality resources for teaching science. Our support and championing of science has never been more important than now.
As the Stand Up For Science website says, “Science is for everyone – and benefits everyone. When the government invests our tax dollars to support scientific research, it creates jobs, fuels innovation, and sustains and improves our world. From clean water to the polio vaccine to the cell phone you might be reading this on, science impacts our lives every day in countless ways.”
Under Siege
Now science is under siege. It’s hard to believe, but the Trump administration has signed executive orders that impose censorship on key areas of scientific research, fire government scientists, and reduce federal funding for all realms of science. The Department of Government Efficiency is dismantling federal agencies – National Science Foundation (NSF), National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Centers for Disease Prevention (CDC), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), United States Forest Service (USFS), and others so they can’t do the work they were created to do.
Trump is dismantling decades of science-based public health and environmental protections.
The Countless Ways We Benefit from Investments in Science
There is so much that the federal government supports that we citizens aren’t even aware of. Can you imagine not even knowing that a force five hurricane is approaching the coast where you live? Farmers rely on weather forecasts to know what and when to plant crops. Every one of us depends on safe drinking water in our homes. And what if we had no knowledge of the harmful chemicals we are exposed to in our everyday lives? All those federal agencies exist to protect us. And it all depends on science.
Imagine cuts at the CDC and NIH means for health research, understanding diseases, and protecting us from a new pandemic. According to epidemiologists, at the CDC these divisions and programs are gutted or eliminated: “HIV prevention? Gone. Asthma and air quality team? Gone. Environmental hazard response? Gone. Gun violence prevention? Gutted. Worker safety? Gone. Reproductive health? Gone. Birth defects? Gone. Disability health? Gone. TB prevention? Gone. Blood disorder programs? Gone. National survey on drug use and mental health? Gone. Lead poisoning prevention? Gone. Water safety? Gone.”
Federal agencies such as the NIH and the NSF are ending hundreds of active research grants and the administration has also proposed a dramatic reduction in federal funds that support critical infrastructure that keeps labs open and running. The discovery of new medicines happens in these labs before coming to market by pharmaceutical companies. Vaccines against COVID-19 were developed with unprecedented speed and saved millions of lives. “Numerous scientists and health professionals have noted that changes will have “far-reaching, harmful outcomes to the American people.”
What do they mean for the efforts to limit and mitigate climate change, and protect the ocean and critical fisheries at NOAA? The US has withdrawn from the Paris Agreement, rolled back efforts to curb heat-trapping emissions, and even taken steps to fire or censor federal scientists working on climate change. What will this mean for the planet that we leave to our children and grandchildren?
Fighting for Our Lives
Scientists are mobilizing to fight back in support of science funding, research and science for all. These are the policy goals of Standing Up For Science, the group that organized the March 7, 2025 demonstrations. The organizers wrote a paper in the journal Nature saying, “From funding cuts to government censorship of scientific research to mass terminations of public servants, it is undeniably clear that the anti-science sentiments of the past several decades have finally come to a head.” We are “at risk of losing a generation of scientists” due to all of these cuts. The organizers are early-career scientists who note that we “…are often told that we should stay in our lane, rather than engage in advocacy work or speak out about issues of public importance. We are organizing Stand Up for Science because that is simply not true. Science affects everyone, and every social issue has a scientific angle. This is every scientist’s lane.” It’s OUR LANE!
The writers continue, “We call on leaders at every level, regardless of political affiliation, to champion and protect scientific research, education, and communication—for the progress, prosperity, and well-being of all. Defend science and ensure a sustainable future… Save science, save lives.”
We at Shape of Life completely agree. Science is for everyone. Science keeps us safe, and enables us to live longer, healthier lives. It keeps the planet and its ecosystems healthy. We will fight for our lives.
