Brooke Blazer - Current Event Project 6th Period

Section 1: What Happened?

The Tuscaloosa News article The World Rallies for Science describes how on Earth

Day 2017, in more than 600 cities in the U.S. and around the world, many people rallied for

science funding. This was done because politicians have threatened to cut funding for science

projects, programs, and research. The people who organized these events wanted to show what

science does for the world.

Per Seth Borenstein who interviewed Denis Hayes, the co-organizer of the first Earth

Day, Mr. Hayes was amazed at the sight of how many people were present at the rallies in

Washington D.C. He mentioned that it was very much like what he witnessed at the first Earth

Day event nearly 50 years ago. These rallies took place in Los Angeles, Washington D.C.,

London, Madrid, Barcelona, Seville (Spain), Germany, Greenland, and many other cities in the

U.S. and across the world. Some of the events were set up like science fairs, where people could

come hear lectures and participate in hands on science experiments. One scientist, a physicist

names James Kakalios, was even explaining the science behind many famous Superheroes.

There were large crowds at each of these events.

Mr. Borenstein also reported on a child with a handmade sign that read, Science saved

my life. This child was 9 and previously had a form of brain cancer. He has been cancer free for

the past 8 years. Medical science breakthroughs are one of the ways science is used in our

world, and it saves lives every day. Science is also used in the development of computers, cell

phones, clothing, and even food. According to an interview with Pati Vitt, a plant scientist, it was

noted that, If we stop funding scientific discoveries now, in 10 years, whatever we might have
had wont be; we just wont have it. Other scientists such as Michael Mann, discussed climate

change and its effect on our world.

Section 2: So What?
I think this is very important because if they cut funding for science we cant have as

much of the necessary medical technology that saves lives. We wont have as many cool

technological advances that we currently have. What will our cell phones and computers do in 10

years? Without funding for science, we may never know. Do you remember all the cool labs

weve done this year? The Oreo cookie lab, crater lab, and the erosion lab? Without enough

science funding, we wont have many of the neat labs that we have in science. This would affect

any of the interest from kids in science because they will think it is all very boring and not very

cool. This is important on an international level because it is not just happening in the U.S., it is

happening in many other countries too. If these countries follow through with cutting funding for

science projects, programs, and research, we wont be able to have breakthroughs in the medical

field that can save millions upon billions of lives. This would impact us at school, in the medical

field, in the field of technology, and it can even affect our food! Humanity wont have as many

advances without funding for science. If we think ahead 20 years without science funding we

just wont have the stuff we could or would have had. So, if this funding cut were to happen

things just wouldnt be the same as they would have been, and not only that but, many people

would lose their jobs. We wouldnt want that weight resting on our shoulders, now would we?

We dont want to look back and see oh, here we were 20 years ago, here we are at this moment,

but heres where we could have been. I would rather look back at this event in time and be

grateful to think politicians were about to cut funding for science, but we had a part in stopping

them. Science affects all of us in our daily lives, and its funding must continue.