From Rush D. Holt, chief executive officer of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), at Scientific American:
In the past few years, we have engaged in more forceful and frequent advocacy, rephrasing our motto from “the voice for science” to “the force for science,” and after decades of slow decline in membership, our rolls have turned around dramatically. Our new members, who like our longtime members clearly value Science magazine, now say that they value even more our public advocacy and efforts to fully integrate science and engineering into society and government.
In short, we are seeing around the world—in marches, in scientific society membership, in civic participation—scientists joining with each other and turning outward. More and more scientists are leaving their cloistered labs and observatories, at least occasionally, and taking a constructive attitude toward seeking improvements in public health, environmental protection, education, and evidence-based policymaking. More.
One senses that this will not end well. Force is something anyone can do and often the less knowledgeable the person is, the better they are at it. If scientists are truly newbies in that kind of thing, they had best be very cautious.
See also: The March for Science is back, with diminished attention
Still Marchin’, Marchin’ 2018 …
Marchin’, marchin’ for Science (Hint: the problems are back at your desk, not out in the streets)