March For Science Coming To Oxford

By Kelly Wagner

Miami University journalism student

The March for Science, scheduled to take place in Washington D.C., is coming to Oxford this spring.

The national march is being organized by people who want to show their support of science. They also want the public to understand that science and scientific research need to be protected

Activists began organizing the march after becoming concerned with recent political changes in environmental policies. Locally, one of those activists is Dustin Hornbeck, a PhD student in Educational Leadership at Miami University.

"When Donald Trump was inaugurated, some of the things he was doing was requiring extra vetting for science departments before they could release their own reports. Also, he put someone in to head up the Environmental Protection Agency who has spoken out against the idea of the Environmental Protection Agency," Hornbeck says.

Advocate For Science

Hornbeck wanted to have a March for Science in Oxford, Ohio, after talking to one of his friends at the University of Michigan. The friend was planning a sister march inspired by the national one after the D.C. organizers put out a release saying they were interested in having smaller marches take place all over the country.

Hornbeck says he's working to set up the Oxford march because he truly believes in the cause.

“The March for Science was formed as a demonstration that seeks to advocate for the reverence of science and to take science seriously in a governmental context. It’s a movement in support of science, essentially, because some of the political events that have taken place that have questioned climate change.”

Activists Come Together

Hornbeck is not working on this alone. Max Leveridge, an academic senator for the Biological/Physical Sciences and Mathematics, is helping organize the march. Leveridge is a sophomore at Miami University studying Environmental Earth Science, Environmental Science, and Sustainability.

Leveridge, the former president of the now-inactive Environmental Appreciation Club, says he received an email from Hornbeck asking if the club would sponsor the event. After informing Hornbeck that the club no longer exists, Leveridge suggested the Associated Student Government sponsor it.

“I wanted to get involved, not only because it affects my constituents, but also because I strongly believe in the importance of empirical science, since my majors relate to science and I’ve learned the importance of it in understanding our natural world throughout history,” Leveridge says.

Both Leveridge and Hornbeck hope the march can help raise public awareness of the importance of science.

"The March for Science, in my view, has three major goals," Hornbeck says. "One, to validate the fact that climate change is real. Two, advocate for the scientific method and science in general, and three, to show others that it's okay to be politically active about these types of issues."

Though the details are not final yet, the march will most likely take place in April, with the plan for people to march through Miami University’s campus. After the march, there will be several speakers from Miami, including the director of the Western Program, geologists, and historians of science.

Appealing For Miami Students

The march has already received a lot of attention from Miami University students. Hannah Kempf, a junior at Miami studying geology, says she was excited when she found out about the march on social media.

"I was really fired up because Miami is where I really found my passion for the environment and decided to pursue a science career," she says. "I almost feel like it is my duty to get active and speak up…the March for Science seems like a good place to start."

You can follow updates on the Oxford march on its Facebook page.

Photo: Dustin Hornbeck enjoying coffee at the Oxford Uptown Park. -- Photo by Kelly Wagner