ORGANIZERS ABOUT THEIR MESSAGE TO BOTH THE COMMUNITY AND STATE LAWMAKERS AT RALLY HAPPENING HERE TOMORROW AT ALLEGHENY LANDING PARK. NOW ONLY IN ITS SECOND YEAR. BUT ORGANIZERS SAY THEY ARE EXCITED TO SEE THE TURNOUT AFTER HOW MANY PEOPLE SHOWED UP LAST YEAR. REALLY HEARTENING TO SEE HOW MANY PEOPLE CAME OUT AND HOW MANY PEOPLE CARE ABOUT THIS. LAST YEAR IT WAS AT SCHENLEY PARK, BUT THIS YEAR THERE’S A REASON ORGANIZERS WANTED THE DEMONSTRATION AWAY FROM COLLEGE CAMPUSES. WE ACTUALLY WANT TO PULL IN, YOU KNOW, NOT JUST THE PEOPLE WHO ALREADY KNOW THAT THIS IS GOING ON, BUT PEOPLE WHO AREN’T AS AWARE OF WHAT’S GOING ON. CARRIE MCDONOUGH ORGANIZED THE EVENT IN PITTSBURGH LAST YEAR AFTER LEARNING ABOUT THE STAND UP FOR SCIENCE PROTESTS NATIONWIDE. THE FOUNDER AND CEO OF STAND UP FOR SCIENCE SAYS IT’S ABOUT NOT ONLY SAVING SCIENCE, BUT PROTECTING HEALTH AND DEMOCRACY. WE WERE RINGING WARNING BELLS, RIGHT? IT WAS THAT WE WERE HEADED IN A BAD DIRECTION. SCIENTISTS COMING TOGETHER TO SAY, HEY, THIS IS NOT GOOD. WE’RE NOT GOING IN A GOOD PATH. AND SO NOW IT’S LESS OF A CANARY IN A COAL MINE MOMENT AND MORE OF A HEY, WE ARE FIRMLY ON THIS PATH. SCIENCE IS BEING DECIMATED BY THIS ADMINISTRATION ON PURPOSE, AND IT IS OUR ETHICAL AND CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY TO STAND UP TO SAVE SCIENCE. IN A STATEMENT TO PITTSBURGH’S ACTION NEWS FOUR, A SPOKESMAN FROM THE WHITE HOUSE SAYS, QUOTE, UNDER PRESIDENT TRUMP, THE U.S. REMAINS THE LARGEST FUNDER OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND HOME TO THE LARGEST PUBLIC PRIVATE ECOSYSTEM FOR INNOVATION IN THE WORLD. THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S EFFORTS TO SLASH TAXPAYER FUNDING OF WASTE, FRAUD AND ABUSE IN RESEARCH GRANT SPENDING ARE ONLY STRENGTHENING WHAT’S DRIVEN AMERICA’S DOMINANCE IN RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT. BUT DOCTOR JEREMY BURKE, A RESEARCHER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AND A FORMER NIH DIRECTOR, SAYS IT COULD BE BETTER. NIH IS DOING OKAY IN SOME WAYS. BUT THERE HAVE BEEN VERY SLOW IN GETTING NEW GRANTS FUNDED. NORMALLY, AT THIS POINT IN THE YEAR, NATIONWIDE, THERE WOULD BE MORE THAN 2500, AND NOW THERE ARE ABOUT 400. MANY GUESTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE THERE TOMORROW AND SPEAK, INCLUDING FORMER ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR HEALTH OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, DOCTOR RACHEL LEVINE. NOW THAT’S HAPPENING TOMORROW FROM 1 TO 3 P.M., RAI
Pittsburgh rally aims to stand up for science at Allegheny Landing Park
This is the second year the rally is held in Pittsburgh
Organizers of the Stand Up for Science rally in Pittsburgh are excited to see the turnout at Allegheny Landing Park Saturday, as they aim to engage the community in discussions about science, health, and democracy.”Really heartening to see how many people came out and how many people care about this,” said Carrie McDonough, who organized the event last year after learning about the Stand Up for Science protests.The rally, which was held at Schenley Park last year, has been moved away from college campuses to attract a broader audience. “We actually want to pull in not just the people who are already know that this is going on, but people who aren’t as aware of what’s going on,” McDonough said.The founder and CEO of Stand Up for Science emphasized the importance of the rally, stating, “We were ringing a warning bells, right, it was that we were headed in a bad direction scientist coming together to say, hey, this is not good. We’re not going in a good path.””So now it’s less of a canary and a coal mine moment and more a hey, we are firmly on this path, science is being decimated by the administration on purpose, and it is our ethical and typical responsibility to stand up to save science,” said Colette Delawalla.In response, a spokesman for the White House stated, “Under President Trump, the U.S. remains the largest funder of scientific research and home to the largest public-private ecosystem for innovation in the world. The Trump administration’s efforts to slash taxpayer funding of waste, fraud and abuse in research grant spending are only strengthening what’s driven America’s dominance in research and development.”Dr. Jeremy Berg, a researcher at the University of Pittsburgh and a former NIH director, expressed concerns about the pace of funding for new grants. “NIH is doing OK in some ways, but there have been very slow and getting new grants funded normally at this point in the year nationwide, there would be more than 2,500, and now they’re about 400,” Berg said.Many guests are expected to be at the rally and speak, including Dr. Rachel Levine, former assistant secretary for health of the Department of Health and Human Services. The event was scheduled to take place from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., rain or shine.
Organizers of the Stand Up for Science rally in Pittsburgh are excited to see the turnout at Allegheny Landing Park Saturday, as they aim to engage the community in discussions about science, health, and democracy.
“Really heartening to see how many people came out and how many people care about this,” said Carrie McDonough, who organized the event last year after learning about the Stand Up for Science protests.
The rally, which was held at Schenley Park last year, has been moved away from college campuses to attract a broader audience. “We actually want to pull in not just the people who are already know that this is going on, but people who aren’t as aware of what’s going on,” McDonough said.
The founder and CEO of Stand Up for Science emphasized the importance of the rally, stating, “We were ringing a warning bells, right, it was that we were headed in a bad direction scientist coming together to say, hey, this is not good. We’re not going in a good path.”
“So now it’s less of a canary and a coal mine moment and more a hey, we are firmly on this path, science is being decimated by the administration on purpose, and it is our ethical and typical responsibility to stand up to save science,” said Colette Delawalla.
In response, a spokesman for the White House stated, “Under President Trump, the U.S. remains the largest funder of scientific research and home to the largest public-private ecosystem for innovation in the world. The Trump administration’s efforts to slash taxpayer funding of waste, fraud and abuse in research grant spending are only strengthening what’s driven America’s dominance in research and development.”
Dr. Jeremy Berg, a researcher at the University of Pittsburgh and a former NIH director, expressed concerns about the pace of funding for new grants. “NIH is doing OK in some ways, but there have been very slow and getting new grants funded normally at this point in the year nationwide, there would be more than 2,500, and now they’re about 400,” Berg said.
Many guests are expected to be at the rally and speak, including Dr. Rachel Levine, former assistant secretary for health of the Department of Health and Human Services.
The event was scheduled to take place from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., rain or shine.