AAAS and the March for Science

Today's post is a PSA for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). I would like to share the letter I received this morning from Rush Holt, the chief executive officer of the AAAS, talking about the upcoming April 22 March for Science. If you like science, you might want to get involved.  Here it the letter: Now more than ever, we must demonstrate the importance of science to policymakers and the public. As you may know, there is a great deal of energy associated with the March for Science, which will take place in public spaces around the world on April 22, 2017. Activities will include marches and rallies, open houses, children's science festivals and teach-ins. AAAS has now signed a Memorandum of Understanding to partner with and support the March for Science, and we are developing a wide array of activities for before, during and following the March. We believe it is incumbent on AAAS to help ensure the March has a positive outcome. We want the March to remain a nonpartisan, educational, diverse, and ethical expression of the value of science to society, and we want to make sure the momentum doesn’t disappear after the March takes place. Over my entire career, I do not believe I have ever seen such a large, spontaneous outpouring of support for the idea of science. We think it is perhaps the best opportunity in many years to communicate a positive message to the public and public officials about the value, utility, beauty, and power of science, engineering, and technology. It is an important opportunity to advocate for the maintenance, and even the defense, of the conditions necessary for science to thrive. If you are interested in learning more, please visit www.marchforscience.com. However, we also need your help. Here are four things you can do right now: Visit our Force for Science website to stay up-to-date on the issues, understand the role that science plays in policy, follow AAAS advocacy activities, and find ways to engage and take action. Share your thoughts and ideas on our MemberCentral Trellis group. A team of AAAS staff meets every day to plan our advocacy activities, and we frequently take these discussions into account. Help make AAAS a stronger Force for Science by making a tax-deductible donation to our Flexible Action Fund. Tell others about AAAS, what we’re doing and why you’re a member of AAAS. You will be hearing more from us soon about new advocacy efforts and how you can get involved. Thank you for being a part of AAAS and for standing with us at this critical time for science. Sincerely, Rush D. Holt Chief Executive Officer, AAAS Executive Publisher of the Science family of journals