Philadelphia, PA – To advocate for continued public support for, as well as transparency and non-partisanship in scientific research, the March for Science will be held on Earth Day, April 22. The event will take place in Washington D.C. along with hundreds of cities worldwide hosting satellite marches. Philadelphia will join these cities on April 22 and showcase the region's breadth of the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) community. Organizers are still working with the City of Philadelphia to determine the March's time and final route but anticipate a midmorning gathering followed by a march through downtown Philadelphia. A rally with speakers and entertainment will follow.
The March for Science originated as a response of concerned science supporters to recent shifts in public policy and changes in the public discourse, which many feel suggest a need to more clearly communicate the scientific process and the importance of publicly funded research to those outside the scientific community. A diverse group of scientists, science communicators, and science supporters plans to take to the streets in April to celebrate the scientific process and to call for continued support for science that upholds the common good, open accessibility and communication of data, and the observation of scientific findings by political leaders and lawmakers to form evidence-based policies in the public interest.
Major partners of the nationwide movement include the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest general scientific organization and a leading publisher of cutting-edge research through its Science family of journals; Sigma Xi, the first scientific organization to partner with the march, and one of the oldest and largest international scientific research honor societies in the world; the Entomological Society of America, the largest organization in the world serving the professional and scientific needs of entomologists and individuals in related disciplines; NextGen Climate America, a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to advancing policies to prevent climate disaster, promoting prosperity, and protecting fundamental rights for every American; and ScienceDebate.org, which organized a blue-ribbon coalition of 56 leading U.S. non-partisan organizations, representing more than 10 million scientists and engineers, to solicit responses to science-related questions from presidential candidates.
Other national partners include the American Anthropological Association, the American Association of University Professors, the American Geophysical Union, the Center for Biological Diversity, the Consortium of Social Science Associations, the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers AFL-CIO, the New York Academy of Sciences, Research!America, the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science, and the Union of Concerned Scientists. Please see below for the full list of partners.
In Philadelphia, the March for Science is a grassroots effort being coordinated in partnership with the Freethought Society. The Franklin Institute has already announced its endorsement of the March for Science and the march organizers anticipate adding many more partners in the coming weeks. In affirmation of the March's goals, Franklin Institute President and CEO said “The Franklin Institute supports the March for Science, and it’s exciting to see the greater Philadelphia community come together to celebrate science. Our mission is to inspire a passion for learning about science and technology, and we provide opportunities for students, families, and adults to do that all year long. We will continue to be a resource for science education for our community, and to stand up for science, as we have done for 193 years.”
Specific details of the Philadelphia march, including the exact time and route, are currently being considered and will be released soon. Organizers encourage interested individuals to follow the official March for Science social media pages and website (@marchforsciencephl and http://philadelphia.marchesfor.science) for the most up-to-date information.
If you would like to receive more information on this topic or to schedule an interview, please contact Gina Lavery, Outreach Coordinator for the March for Science PHL at Outreach.PhilaMarch4Sci@gmail.com or 215-869-9823.
