Things you can do when science is under siege
Action can help with despair. So here are some things you can do!
Lately, everything feels heavy. There is too much weight on many of our shoulders. Pick from a bucket of topics right now, it’s all hard and a lot.
In the science world, measles cases are rising again and have surpassed last year, and we are only in April! Research funding is being cut, which is hampering discoveries and education. Scientists, public health professionals, and educators are losing their jobs. And the positive public views of science, while still higher than for some other groups, are still being chipped away, one headline at a time.
If you’re feeling discouraged, overwhelmed, or even hopeless right now, you’re not alone. It doesn’t matter if you’re someone working in science and public health or someone who just cares; this moment leaves many of us feeling like an elephant is sitting on our chest.
I feel this way too.
I’ve talked to scientists questioning whether they have a future in research, teachers who are demoralized by the spread of misinformation in their classrooms, parents who don’t know who to believe anymore, and people outside of science who want to do the right thing. They want to help but are exhausted and unsure where to turn.
So, what do we do when it feels like so many in the U.S. are giving up on science?
This is a bit less “information-heavy” than my other posts, but here are the things I am constantly reminding myself and my friends of. I hope maybe they will help you as well.
Science isn’t just data. It’s also a part of being a human.
Science and science education do happen in labs, out in the field, and in classrooms. But it also happens around the dinner table, in doctor’s offices, and in community centers. It happens every time someone explains how a vaccine works, gives someone a medical diagnosis, helps a child understand the phases of the moon, or changes their mind based on new information.
We may not reach everyone, but we can reach someone. Even one person reached matters.
If you’re not in science, your voice matters too.
You don’t need a Ph.D. or a certain title to protect, care about, or amplify science. You don’t even need to love science. You just need to care about learning, health, nature, and our shared future.
Here are some things you can do:
Speak up when you hear false information, online or off. We all have a responsibility to push back. Make a post, share another persons accurate post or start an in person conversation.
Share science stories and impacts. Share stories from your own life, or the life of others, that gives people insight into how science plays a role in everyday life. Maybe you share the story about a friend who benefited from an NIH-funded clinical trial or how you use insulin every day to stay alive due to type 1 diabetes. We need people to remember the many ways science impacts their life. You can also write a letter to the editor in a local paper and share about why you care about science. There is a great initiative involving this that I shared about before; you can find information here. It is targeted at scientists, but I think it is even more impactful if community members outside of science also participate!
Be curious. Don’t shame or blame. When you hear someone say they don’t vaccinate their kids or they want science defunded, be curious. Ask questions. Don’t shame or blame them. Instead, find out what may be driving that decision/belief. This can open doors to other conversations that may help change their perspective.
Share and engage with science content online. Share the posts, comment on the post, like the post, share accounts with your followers, and ask them to share these accounts as well. This helps the algorithm push our science-backed content to non-followers, which can help combat the false information flying around. On the flipside, don’t do these things with false information/content!
Support science education in your community. You can do this by donating supplies to your child’s/friend’s/niece’s school, volunteering to lead a science activity at your local school or library, and advocating in your local community for public education funding.
If this topic interests you, but you want activities or examples of things you can do to help get you tarted, then please fill out this form for me. I will send out resources and ideas to those interested.
Call or write your representatives. Resources like 5 Calls are useful for doing this. Make sure you call both local and national representatives and tell them you care about supporting science funding, public health, and education.
If you’re in science, medicine, public health, or education: I see you.
You're tired. I know. You may be submitting a grant not knowing if the program will even exist tomorrow. You may be witnessing the work you’ve invested being stripped away. You may be trying to stay kind in the face of another comment about how measles is “good for you” (spoiler: it is not). You may be scraping together science resources for a classroom that should be overflowing with them.
It feels like shouting into the void. I get it. I’m shouting with you. But I promise: some people are listening and do care.
Remember the reason we do this work. It is not for the loud and vocal minority. It is for:
The discovery you made in the lab that may one day help improve cancer treatment.
The public health campaign you led that helped reduce disease burden.
The patient you listened to when no one else would.
The student who lit up holding a pipette for the first time.
The parent who told you your explainer helped them make a decision.
That one person who quietly changed their mind because of something you did or said, and you didn’t even realize it.
You make a difference, even when it may not seem like it at the moment.
Action and connection help with hopelessness
If you’re feeling hopeless, you are not alone. Whether you’re in a lab, a classroom, or just trying to make sense of the news, someone else out there feels the same as you do right now.
Doing what you can, even if it is only one of the actions I mentioned above, is critically important. But also, as the image below says. Also take time to pause, rest but don’t give up!
Taking action is why I find incredible solace in the work that I am doing. It is a lot, it is stressful, but it prevents me from spiraling down into a pit of despair (though I do have my moments).
We also need to get offline and into our community. Both to take this work offline, where it is easier to break through echo chambers, but also to build relationships and to remember why this work is important.
Ultimately, the impact of science needs to be shared. And it needs to be shared loudly, compassionately, and relentlessly by all of us who care.
We are in this together, and small actions amplified across networks make a difference.
Hang in there!
Xoxo,
Liz
This past weekend I did turn on the paid subscriber option. I have been encouraged by lots of really great people to recognize that this work is valuable and worth being compensated for. Since it takes tons of work on top of all my other responsibilities in life. All of my science content will always be free. But I do appreciate those who want to support my effort by becoming a paid subscriber. If you’d like to support my work, but do not want to use Substack to do so, let me know.
For those of you who already are supporting me with a paid subscription please know I appreciate it so much! Your subscriptions have covered the cost of the service I used to scrub my address and information off the internet, and for the tools I use for my scicomm efforts!
Please let me know what “perks” you’d like to see me offer paid subscribers. I am considering a quarterly zoom live Q & A, or a book club!
Beautifully said, straight from the heart! Thanks for being a beacon of hope.