Rush Holt speaks at a rally held at AAAS headquarters before last year’s March for Science.JENIFER MORRIS/EPNACThis Saturday, March for Science events will be held around the world for the second year. One speaker at the Washington, DC, rally will be Rush Holt, a former physicist and New Jersey congressman and current CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The Scientist spoke with Holt about what scientists get out of the march, and what he believes it has—and will—accomplish.
For our coverage of last year’s march, see “March for Science: Dispatches from Washington, DC”.
The Scientist: What does it mean for AAAS to be a partner in the March for Science?
Rush Holt: The March for Science has become an important symbol, as well as an important occurrence, because it reminds scientists and the public that there is a public dimension to the work of scientists, and an obligation of scientists to create and maintain the support of the society in which they work.
There’s been nothing like it in the lifetime of any working scientist. It is a remarkable outpouring of scientists to talk about the marvelous accomplishments of science, the amazing relevance of science, and a call for defending the conditions under ...
