Geetanjali Rangnekar
Geetanjali Rangnekar is a science communicator and editor, based in Adelaide, Australia.
The clarion call to all scientists and science lovers has been issued, with the March for Science Australia due to take place in various Australian cities on April 14.
In all, eight marches will take place across the country: in Adelaide, Canberra, Hobart, Launceston, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and Townsville, joining hundreds of others across the globe.
Last year’s inaugural series of worldwide protests was catalysed by the apparent disdain for evidence-based science, and denial of climate change, espoused by the Trump administration of the US.
This brought together like-minded people who came together under the banner “science not silence” to promote the use of science for the betterment of all humanity. The March for Science organisation was born.
This year is sure to have the same zeal, with speakers (yet to be announced) lined up in all cities, and support coming from influential organisations including Friends of CSIRO, the Jane Goodall Institute Australia and the Cornell Alliance for Science.
The specific aims of the Australian events are four-fold: To call for universal, high-quality education that places emphasis on critical thinking, to foster a dialogue between the public and scientists and ensure transparency of scientific findings, to encourage our policy makers to incorporate scientific evidence into their decisions, and to campaign for viable government funding so researchers can achieve long-term goals to benefit society.
So get your placards ready, flex those advocacy muscles and RSVP for the events in your city via this link.
