LIHUE — Braving the rain and cool weather, about two dozen people from all over Kauai joined forces Saturday in support of science.
“The March for Science is a celebration of science. It’s not only about scientists and politicians, it is about the very real role that science plays in each of our lives,” said one march organizer, Nancy Kanna, with the Hawaii Alliance for Science.
Science, Kanna said, helps humanity discover and illuminate truths upon which policy makers can act to better the lives of people they serve.
“Science is everywhere and affects everyone. We must take science out of the labs and journals and share it with the world,” Kanna said.
Kalaheo resident Dr. Bob Weiner said he attended the march in support of a friend who is a pharmaceutical researcher. He said the event was important because there’s some anti-science sentiment in the community.
Science, Weiner said, is valuable because it gives people the tools to look at the world and come to conclusions about things that can improve our lives.
“Everything that civilization has achieved over the centuries to improve people’s lives has basically been through the scientific approach,” he said.
Visiting from the East Coast, John Odell, who participated in the march last year in New York City, said he was there to support science, because science is a worthy cause.
“It’s a way of explaining things around us, but it’s also very important because it trains your mind to think critically, to evaluate things properly, to have a way to take facts and statements thrown at you and really evaluate them in a logical and reasonable way,” he said.
Lisa “Cali” Crampton, a conservation biologist from Kalaheo who runs Kauai Forest Bird Recovery Project, said she was participating in the march because science is at the foundation of everything she does.
“I’m also concerned that in some parts of this country there are revisionist views about the role of evolution in shaping our world, but I don’t see that here in Hawaii. In Hawaii, I feel like we have a really good grounding in the theory of science and how we apply it to understanding how the world works,” Crampton said.
Poipu resident Anne Freeman, a retired public health professional, said she was participating to support her son, who is a scientist, and also because she wants to encourage science-based decision-making.
One of her concerns is the lack of funding for research.
“Scientists can’t do their work, they can’t find jobs, and we’re going to get behind other countries in our technology and our education of children in the fields of science,” she said.
Making the drive all the way from Waimea, entomologist Sarah Thompson said she wants to see more young people get into science.
“I’m really interested in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education and outreach to young people to get them interested, so she has a chance for career opportunities like I did,” she said.
Koloa resident, business consultant and industrial psychologist Patrick Powaser said he was participating in the event because science is important to everyday life.
“Rely on good research and solid science and it’ll answer a lot of questions,” he said.
Info: www.hawaiiallianceforscience.com/
