Protesters gathered in New York City’s Washington Square Park on February 19 to protest the Trump administration’s cuts to research funding.Melissa Bender/AP
On Wednesday afternoon in New York City, it hovered around 30 degrees, the sort of cold outside that makes your face sting. Despite the sub-freezing temperatures, hundreds of PhD students, post-doctoral researchers, and other scholars gathered in the West Village’s Washington Square Park to protest cuts to public research funding and the Trump administration’s crackdown on science. Signs reading, “Science Saves Lives,” “Fund the Future,” and “Defund Billionaires, Not Cancer Cures,” peppered the crowd.
Since taking office, President Donald Trump and his administration have put research funding on hold; paused communication and…