What To Expect From The March For Science, Second Time Around

Demonstrators in support of the March for Science rally in downtown San Francisco Saturday, April 22, 2017.

Heather Goldstone is the science editor at WCAI, the Cape and Islands NPR Station. She holds a Ph.D. in ocean science from M.I.T. and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and spent a decade as an active researcher before leaving the lab to become a writer.

April 11, 2018

Updated July 03, 2023

The inaugural March for Science brought hundreds of thousands of scientists and supporters into the streets. This year's events, scheduled for April 14, will feature an accountability theme — holding the federal government accountable, and holding the science community accountable for issues of diversity, inclusivity and transparency. Here in Boston, there will be an added emphasis on taking action, with organizers asking participants to support two pieces of climate legislation pending on Beacon Hill.
The severe coastal flooding brought by storms in January and March has drawn renewed attention to the issue of sea level rise, and how prepared or unprepared we are for it. A new series of local sea level report cards, put out by the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences, concludes that Boston should prepare for water levels in 2050 to be a foot and a half higher than they are today. Meanwhile, a recent analysis by University of New Hampshire researchers finds that some 240 miles of coastal roads in the commonwealth face a growing risk of regular flooding and a dramatic increase in the number of hours of vehicle delays.
Most brain scientists will never know what it feels like to live with the mental illnesses they study. Barbara Lipska is the exception; brain tumors caused her to lose track of her left hand, forget where she lived, go running with hair dye dripping from her head, and accuse a familiar pest exterminator of trying to kill her family. The experience has changed how the NIH researcher views her work, and she says we all need to change how we think about and treat brain disorders.