Pittsburgh's March for Science

Pittsburgh's March for Science protest on Earth Day was definitely exciting. It was the first protest I'd participated in (I know, right?) and I couldn't have had a better time.

Before the march began there were a few tents (stalls? booths? tables? what do you call them?) set up with environment and science activism related issues in mind. I signed a few petitions, made myself a protest sign proudly proclaiming "This green (plants) should always over ride This Green (Money)!" and talked with a few people that I'd met there. People quickly started to flood in around noon.

The protest kicked off with a guest speaker (can't remember his name, but he was a scientist) and the march organizer laying out the rules. (No touching the police!) Then, a crowd of 1.5k or so marched around the Cathedral of Learning in downtown Oakland. I had a lot of fun-- even meeting a couple who spoke science nerd with me.

(Finally, someone who speaks my language!)

And then, just like that, it was over. There were a few more guest speakers after the march was over but I had other places to be, so I didn't stick around long.

I know this blog wasn't very long, but there wasn't much for me to talk about. Science, especially genetics, is a field I wan to work in. I love science, and seeing it disregarded and not taken as hard fact makes my heart hurt.

Scientists like Bill Nye and Neil de Grasse Tyson dedicate their entire lives to discovering why something is the way it is and to say that their work is fake is to say that their years of dedication to the common good doesn't matter. But their work does matter. That's why I marched. That's why I'll continue to march.

Because science is the future.