Raleigh’s Stand Up For Science Rally Is A Fights For Funding

Jordan Meadows 

Staff Writer

Hundreds of scientists, students, and community members gathered at Raleigh’s Halifax Mall on Friday afternoon for the “Stand Up for Science” rally, protesting the Trump administration’s proposed cuts to federal science funding.

The demonstration, part of a nationwide series of protests from San Francisco to Washington D.C., stems from concerns over the future of scientific research, education, and public health in the face of severe budget cuts.

The rally targeted the Trump administration’s efforts to slash funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), particularly aiming to impose a 15% cap on “indirect costs” of research. This move has drawn sharp criticism from scientists and experts, including a federal judge in Massachusetts who described the cuts as potentially “immediate, devastating, and irreparable” to universities and research institutions.

Rally-goers raised alarms about the broader implications of these cuts on cancer research, environmental studies, and other critical fields. Protestors expressed their frustration with what they see as a growing trend of anti-science rhetoric, including the administration’s support for anti-vaccine groups and threats against higher education institutions.

Nyssa Tucker, a PhD candidate in computational toxicology at UNC-Chapel Hill, spoke passionately about the importance of scientific research for public health and safety.

She presented several proposals, including securing and expanding scientific funding, restoring research funding to 2024 levels with a 20% increase over the next three years, and ensuring scientists’ rights to release their findings without fear of retaliation or suppression.

“Science is for everyone. Science keeps us safe and enables us to live longer, healthier lives,” Tucker said. “We call on leaders at every level regardless of political affiliation to champion and protect scientific research, education, and communication for the progress and well-being of us all.”

Johnna Frierson, Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) at Duke Medical School, also voiced her concerns.

“I’ve earned my place to be here, and I’ve earned my place to have a voice and share my message,” Frierson said. “If someone wants to call me a DEI hire, make sure the DEI stands for ‘definitely earned it.”

As a Black woman from South Hill, SC, and the first member of her family to earn a PhD, Frierson explained how the proposed cuts to scientific funding could harm young people who desire to be in the sciences.

“I’m representing young people, who I have the honor of working with every single day, who aspire to be scientists and now don’t know what their path forward looks like because of the threats to funding and pathways of opportunities,” Frierson said.

The economic consequences of these cuts were a key theme of the rally. Duke University, a major research institution in the state, faces the potential loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in federal research funding. The university received $580 million in NIH grants last fiscal year, placing it 11th among U.S. research institutions.

Mark Peifer, a cancer cell biology researcher at UNC-Chapel Hill, made clear that the best way to be heard was to contact lawmakers about the economic, opportunity, and health impacts of these funding cuts.

“I don’t know if there’s any point in calling Senator Budd,” he said, “but Senator Tillis has been a strong supporter of that medical research through his entire career and he can be moved.” Local legislators can also be swayed when their constituents make it clear their jobs are on the line, he added”, Peifer said.

North Carolina’s scientific community also voiced solidarity with the environmental justice movement, which has deep roots in the state. Dani Lin Hunter, a research and education manager with the North Carolina Environmental Justice Network, explained that scientific research is crucial for keeping air and drinking water safe and holding polluters accountable for threatening public health. She also pointed out that the environmental justice movement began in North Carolina in 1982 when Black residents of Warren County fought against a hazardous waste dump in their community.

While these cuts are expected to be widespread, they will disproportionately impact states that have historically received low levels of NIH funding, many of which are red states that supported Trump’s re-election. Several Republican senators, including Susan Collins of Maine, have strongly opposed the cuts, warning that they “would be devastating, halting vital biomedical research and leading to job losses.”

In a state like North Carolina, particularly in the Triangle where the research economy is vital for job creation and innovation, the stakes are incredibly high. As scientific communities across the country face uncertainty over funding, local leaders and lawmakers are under growing pressure to make the protection of research funding a top priority for community members.