'Stand Up for Science' rally at state Capitol champions research, endeavor

SALT LAKE CITY — In the waning hours of Utah's 2025 legislative session, proponents of American scientific research and enterprise gathered Friday on the Capitol steps to champion a unified message: Stand Up for Science.

The midday rally — aimed at ensuring that science remains a "driving force for innovation, progress and the well-being of all Utahns" — happened at an uncertain moment for medical research and other scientific endeavors.

Hundreds of people were gathered on the south steps of the Capitol holding signs with messages such as "science is real, MAGA is a big fake," "America is great because of science" and "think science is expensive? wait until you see the cost of stupidity."

The rally took place during cold weather with inches of snow on the ground, but the people there persevered. There were six speakers who spoke at the rally, focusing on how science keeps people safe and how it saves lives.

One of the speakers was Chris Hill, a biochemistry professor at the University of Utah.

"I am concerned that cuts to federal support of science research will make our country less secure, economically, less strong, slower to improve health, and will cause loss of jobs and economic opportunity in our state," Hill said.

In between speakers, the crowd would chant together in unison, the chants included "science not silence" and "science is strength."

Sens. Jen Plumb, D-Salt Lake City, and Karen Kwan, D-Murray, both joined the crowd at the rally.

"I think it is crucial that our educated minds, that our thoughtful minds, that our scientists don't lose faith right now and don't lose hope, and they have been losing a lot of hope. Funding is being cut. What they can work on, what they can study," said Plumb, who is a pediatrician and a professor at the University of Utah.

Last month, the Trump administration set in motion a policy change at the National Institutes of Health that would limit how much overhead researchers could ask for when applying for grants.

Under the new policy, a cap would be set on the amount grant recipients could request for "indirect" costs — funds that grant recipients are allowed to use on facility and administrative expenses. Researchers could ask for no more than 15% of the total grant amount under the new policy.

Scientists say the potential cuts to medical research funding could endanger patients, cost jobs and interrupt studies on cancer, diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer's and other illnesses.

"We rally for science and for Utah's future," said Utah's Stand Up for Science spokesperson Nathan Burns in a news release. "We call on policymakers, institutions, the scientific community, and all Utahns to uphold the integrity of science."

Utah scientists alarmed by proposed cuts

Locally, the University of Utah is in danger of losing an estimated $50 million in medical research grant dollars a year because of the proposed change.

Researchers at University of Utah's Huntsman Cancer Institute are among the many who are anxious about the implications of the proposed cuts.

Outlining its grant policy change, the NIH noted that the U.S. should have the world's best medical research — so it's vital "to ensure that as many funds as possible go toward direct scientific research costs rather than administrative overhead."

The country's medical research community is challenging the change through the courts, filing multiple lawsuits to demand a halt to the grant cuts.

U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley in Boston had temporarily blocked the cuts last month. Wednesday, she filed a preliminary injunction that puts the cuts on hold for longer, while the suits proceed, the Associated Press reported.

Science 'benefits everyone'

Stand Up for Science is a grassroots volunteer operation "united in our belief that science is for everyone and benefits everyone."

Friday's rally at the Capitol was held in conjunction with similar protests across the country. The group's primary rally was being staged Friday in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

The "Stand Up for Science" protests were slated for Friday when the U.S. Senate is in session because they have a clearly defined target audience: American policymakers.

And there is no question among the organizers about the political nature of science, according to a New York Times report.

"Everything is political," said Los Angeles-based psychologist Leslie Berntsen. "We did not get to the current moment by accident."

But science, add rally organizers, is no respecter of one's political convictions.

"The law of gravity works for you, regardless of who you voted for," Colette Delawalla, a psychology graduate student at Emory University, told The New York Times .

If you used your cellphone today, or knew the name of a bird outside your window or brushed your teeth last night, she added, "it's because of a scientist."

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