April 4, 2017 – At a time when communicating the value of science has never been more important to human well-being, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) encourages the hundreds of thousands of scientists and science supporters who will join the March for Science on April 22 in Washington, D.C, and in more than 400 cities and communities around the world. As part of its mission to advance science and serve society, AAAS announced a growing array of advocacy resources, urging scientists around the world to stand up for science and commit to a renewed focus and active participation in communication and advocacy activities.
“The March for Science is a unique opportunity to communicate the importance, value, and beauty of science, showcasing efforts to increase public support for science and highlighting the conditions necessary for science to thrive,” said Rush Holt, AAAS chief executive officer. “We encourage AAAS members and affiliated organizations to ‘be a force for science’ by participating in the March for Science and making it positive, non-partisan, inclusive, and diverse.”
As a partner of the March for Science, AAAS is providing communication and policy training workshops and a science advocacy toolkit to help prepare individuals and groups for advocacy and working with a broad coalition of scientific societies to help support the march.
A webinar – Advocating for Science Beyond the March – will be held on Wednesday, April 19 from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time to discuss ways to get involved in different avenues of science advocacy. Interested attendees are encouraged to register in advance for this free webinar.
AAAS also will launch an online toolkit for science advocacy on April 19 for anyone interested in being a science advocate. The toolkit will provide resources and recommend opportunities to help communicate the value of science to policymakers and the public.
On Friday, April 21, communication and advocacy workshops and a comedy show will be hosted by AAAS at its headquarters building in Washington, D.C. The events are open to interested individuals at no cost, but pre-registration is required and is available on a first-come, first-served basis (click links below to register).
- Catalyzing Advocacy in Science & Engineering Workshop
April 21, 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. - Communicating Science Workshop
April 21, 1:30 – 4:30 p.m. - Stand-up for Science Reception
April 21, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. - Stand-up Comedy for Science
April 21, 7:30 – 9:00 p.m.
On the morning of Saturday, April 22, AAAS will welcome March for Science participants at its Washington, D.C. headquarters building with a light breakfast and pre-March rally gathering featuring scientific community leaders. AAAS will also host a science teach-in tent on the National Mall as part of its participation in March for Science festivities. After the events on the National Mall, marchers are invited to return to AAAS headquarters anytime until 7:00 p.m. to charge mobile devices and receive a chair massage. A post-March happy hour will be held at 5:30 p.m.
Additional details about AAAS activities related to the March for Science will be updated at www.forceforscience.org/march-for-science.
More than 400 locations throughout the United States and around the world are holding March for Science events and activities. For additional information on the March for Science and to find local March activities, visit www.marchforscience.com.
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal Science, as well as Science Translational Medicine; Science Signaling; a digital, open-access journal, Science Advances; Science Immunology; and Science Robotics. AAAS was founded in 1848 and includes nearly 250 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. Science has the largest paid circulation of any peer-reviewed general science journal in the world. The nonprofit AAAS is open to all and fulfills its mission to “advance science and serve society” through initiatives in science policy, international programs, science education, public engagement, and more. For additional information about AAAS, see www.aaas.org.