On Friday, March 7, 2025, Stand Up for Science, a volunteer-based operation designed to protest perceived threats to scientific research and funding, gathered outside the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. The demonstration, which drew approximately 2,000 participants — including Hopkins students, lab groups and over 30 speakers from academia, hospitals and government — highlighted concerns over frozen research grants, the dismissal of government scientists and rollbacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
The event featured various speakers, including NIH Intramural Research Training Award postdoctoral fellow Haley Chatelaine, University of Pennsylvania student and cancer survivor Emily Whitehead, former NIH Director Francis Collins and science communicator Bill Nye. Each shared personal experiences regarding the impact of funding cuts, workforce reductions and the broader consequences of Trump-era policies on scientific progress.
Chatelaine reflected on the shift from pride in serving the country through science to facing threats against DEI initiatives.
“I was so proud [since] I was setting up to do science in the best place in the world [...] for my country,“ she said. “If we want to find more efficient treatments for diseases, then we need diverse and inclusive scientists.”
As the first pediatric patient to receive CAR T-Cell therapy, Whitehead credited scientific research for saving her life. Meanwhile, Collins emphasized the critical role of scientists in driving economic growth.
Government officials, including Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL.), reassured attendees that their voices would be heard while condemning the administration’s policies.
Many demonstrators carried signs criticizing attacks on science and the actions of prominent public figures, including President Donald J. Trump, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Elon Musk.
Numerous Hopkins groups and students showed up for the event and represented the Hopkins community. In an interview with The News-Letter, sophomores William Mariscal and Ja’niya Baptiste, currently studying in the Hopkins D.C. Abroad program, reflected on their motivations for attending the protest.
“Seeing how Hopkins had their funding cut, we felt motivated to attend for the cause since we stand with [the University],” Mariscal noted.
“[Funding cuts and diversity limitations] do not allow for multiple voices being included and for newer generations to step up and do research for future generations,” Baptiste added.
Recent graduate Gavin Cressy expressed concerns about how the cuts could affect his career.
“I’m going to be a new employee at the School of Medicine, so what has been happening recently with the funding cuts could directly impact my line of work,“ he said.
Nye — science communicator, author and host of children’s show Bill Nye the Science Guy — stressed the importance of science and innovation to the national interest; promoting science and engineering, he established, will stimulate the economy and reinforce U.S. power on the global stage.
“Science is in the national interest, censoring science is not,” he said. “I encourage those on the other side to break ranks, become leaders and oppose the suppression of science. [...] Together, we can and must stand up for science.”
Kendall Reid, a bioinformatics master’s student at the School of Public Health, helped organize the local D.C. event and promoted the protest at Hopkins and neighboring institutions. In an interview with The News-Letter, he explained the rationale for organizing the event and the uncertainty surrounding the future of scientific research.
“There’s great uncertainty as to what the future is actually going to look like. I was planning to apply to PhD programs in December, but many of those programs have either paused admissions or cut the size of their classes,“ he said. “We’re doing fantastic [research] that needs to be funded.”
He then spoke about his own research on HIV at the School of Public Health, stressing the risks posed by budget cuts. He noted that this research has contributed to alleviating the burden of HIV over the past two decades and that budget cuts threaten this work and progress.
Reid also highlighted the overall goal for this protest: a message to politicians and the community.
“There are people from all walks of life that benefit from scientific discovery and the application of the scientific method. The more we’ll stray away from it, the unhealthier we become,“ he said.
In an interview with The News-Letter, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Psychiatry and Pharmacology at the School of Medicine Kristin Bigos described her reasons for attending the rally, which included the recent cuts in research funding that directly impact her work at Hopkins. Her lab depends on funding by the NIH.
“I have one NIH funded clinical trial and kids with ADHD. I have another grant that has a fundable score that should have gone to council in February, but they haven't held council since this administration took office,” she said. “And so, I know firsthand how important it is to fund clinical research and translation research and basic research. I just wanted to lend my support to the people who are up here fighting and appreciate the Congress people who come today and everybody else who's here to tell their stories.”
Bigos went on to describe the potential impacts of further funding cuts on her lab and work. As she is expected to fund most of the salaries of the people working in her lab, including her own, she stressed that more Research Project (RO1) grants are required to maintain the efficiency, productivity and development of her lab’s work. She currently has only one RO1 grant for her lab, and the second year of its direct funding has been cut by 15%. Without additional funding, she said the effects could be “catastrophic.”
