Around 400 students, staff, and faculty gathered for the Stand Up for Science protest in front of Geisel Library at 12 p.m. on March 7. The rally was part of a series of nationwide protests in opposition to the Trump administration’s recent actions impacting the scientific research community, including mass layoffs and funding freezes of institutions such as the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
At UC San Diego, these changes to federal funding for the NIH and the National Science Foundation threaten multiple research projects. In 2021, UCSD’s research projects received approximately $549 million in funding from the NIH. The NSF contributes another $141.4 million per year. Speakers at the rally expressed that this protest was to defend scientific research and academia, noting that UCSD is one of the few universities in the nation with a climate change requirement in its general education curriculum.
Researchers across the nation formed Stand Up for Science, a national advocacy organization, with the goal of responding to the Trump administration’s funding cuts. It focuses on “[defending] science as a public good and pillar of social, political, and economic progress.” It seeks to stop political interference and censorship in science, increase funding, and defend diversity, equity, and inclusion in the research and science community. On March 7, it organized 32 demonstrations across the country. UCSD’s chapter staged its rally in front of the Silent Tree.
Protestors held signs that read, “Science works for you,” and “Think while it is still legal.” In between speeches, rally goers chanted, “Hey hey, ho ho, Trump’s attacks have got to go,” and “What will we do? Stand up for science.”
Speakers included Ph.D. and graduate students, professors, UCSD Academic Senate representatives, and many others. They spoke about their concerns amid the funding cuts, including layoffs and threats to diversity and inclusion in the scientific community.
Rally organizers handed out a media statement explaining the intention behind the nationwide demonstrations.
“Faculty, staff, and students will come together to hold our institutions and our elected representatives accountable to fight against the illegal and unconstitutional actions of the Trump administration that are already seriously and permanently damaging the scientific enterprise, the livelihood of scientists, and the health and well-being of everyone in America,” the statement read.
The statement further detailed the protesters’ grievances.
“Federal support for science is being disrupted by 1) unlawful firings at national scientific centers and grant funding agencies, 2) cancellation of meetings that review and make funding decisions, 3) directives to censor language in scientific publications, types of research conducted, and access to data, 4) purging of federal programs and threats of withholding funding from institutions if they engage in efforts to train the next-generation of diverse scientists and ensure that the benefits of science are justly distributed, and 5) proposed cuts to overhead funding that would force layoffs of critical support staff and hobble scientific efforts for years to come,” the statement listed.
The flyer also included a QR code linked to an advocacy sheet, which includes a sample script to urge members of Congress to take action in support of federal funding for scientific research, along with contact information for local representatives.
United States representatives took action against the Trump administration prior to these rallies. On Feb. 11, 38 members of Congress, including California’s 50th Congressional District Rep. Scott Peters, addressed a letter to the Trump administration urging it to refrain from implementing the proposed cuts to NIH funding. The letter discusses how cutting federal funding endangers the stability of university research laboratories and specifically mentions vital biomedical research developments from labs at UCSD, UCLA, and UC San Francisco.
Ashley Morrison, a representative from Peters’ office, shared a statement from the congressman at the rally.
“Congressman Peters and our office, everyone in it, will continue to stand with you and fight to protect this critical funding,” Morrison said. “You are all on the front lines of this fight, and we thank you today for standing up for science. Please keep using your voices to make a difference. Let’s make sure Donald Trump, or anyone else, know we will not allow them to throw away your vital work.”
In a statement to The UCSD Guardian after the rally, professor of psychiatry Lisa Eyler shared her concerns about students’ future in science. Eyler stated that, unlike faculty members, students do not have a safety net of funding opportunities and that students will likely be the first people affected by the funding cuts.
“We’re worried we’re going to lose a whole generation of scientists from these cuts and delays because those are the kind of things to go,” she said. “One of the things I want to hold our administration accountable for is to [look] out for the most vulnerable and for that next generation, and make sure that any cuts that do come are going to be equally distributed.”
Toward the end of the rally, protesters led a series of chants calling for academic freedom, justice in science, and countering anti-DEI rhetoric. These chants directly called on California representatives and university leaders to act, naming Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff; Reps. Scott Peters, Sara Jacobs, Juan Vargas, and Darrell Issa; Governor Gavin Newsom; UCSD Chancellor Pradeep Khosla; and UC President Dr. Michael Drake.
At 2 p.m., Stand Up for Science held a press conference at San Diego City Hall, and shortly after, protestors marched to Waterfront Park in downtown San Diego to continue their rally.
