Students and faculty protest federal funding cuts to science research

Nearly 80 Grinnell College students and faculty gathered in Kington Plaza the Friday ahead of spring break, March 7, to protest President Trump’s recent executive orders, which massively cut funding for National Institute of Health (NIH) grants. The protest was part of a series of nationwide demonstrations organized by Stand Up for Science, a grassroots advocacy campaign created in mid-February to protest the executive orders which cut funds for indirect research costs down to 15 percent.

Led by protest organizer and professor of biology Shannon Hinsa-Leasure, protesters chanted, “When science is under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!” while holding signs displaying phrases such as “Science research saves lives” and “Science made America great.”

After an introduction from Hinsa-Leasure, several students and faculty took the opportunity to make speeches about the consequences of these funding cuts for their academic careers.

“I would not have been able to have the experience I’ve had for the past four years as a student of an underrepresented background without the federal funds supporting Grinnell College’s MAP and GSP programs, which is why I’m here today,” said Lydia Hong `25, a member of the biochemistry Student Educational Policy Committee (SEPC).

These comments come in the wake of Executive Order 14173, which prohibits federal funding for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, specifically those focused on race and sex.

Professor of French David Harrison then led the protestors in a call-and-response, saying, “An attack on science is an attack on education. An attack on science is an attack on the health of our bodies … An attack on science is an attack on the humanities,” to which protestors responded with a resounding “yes!”

Harrison ended his speech with a call to action. “Science is deliberate. Science is methodical. Science is often slow,” he said. “The destruction of science, however, sometimes is … chaotic, impetuous, fast. When defending science … we too need to be fast. We too need to be nimble. We too can’t always be as methodical, as deliberative.”