Jake Slobe | April 5, 2017

Des Moines’ March for Science is set to take place Earth Day, April 22, and will kick off at 12 a.m. at the Iowa State Capitol.

Following in the footsteps of the Women’s March on Washington, the March for Science promises to be the biggest public demonstration against the Trump administration’s assault on evidence-based scientific research.

Since February, the momentum behind the March for Science has been growing quickly, with many organizations offering support. Some 100 science organizations such as the American Association for the Advancement of Science support the March for Science.

Des Moines’ march is part of a “global call to support and safeguard the scientific community,” as the March for Science champions publicly funded and communicated science as an integral part of everyday life.

The initiative started as a scientists’ march on Washington, D.C., but has since spread to cities across the U.S. and the world. Organizers periodically update an interactive map that shows the locations for all planned marches.

Iowa City will also be hosting a March for Science on the 22nd from 12-4. You can follow efforts for each location’s march via their individual Facebook groups.

The March for Science website includes a call to action to support scientific research: “The mischaracterization of science as a partisan issue, which has given policymakers permission to reject overwhelming evidence, is a critical and urgent matter. It is time for people who support scientific research and evidence-based policies to take a public stand and be counted.”

Those interested in participating in  one the March for Science demonstrations in Iowa or learning more about the march can do so at marchforscienceiowa.org