More than 1K gather at Capitol to support scientific research in Wisconsin

Supporters of government-funded scientific research gathered at the steps of the State Capitol Friday for the “Stand Up For Science” rally. 

Similar rallies were held across the nation. In Wisconsin, organizers were trying to draw attention to the scientific work happening in the state as the Trump administration takes steps to cut federal spending for research.

Karen Laumb is a thyroid cancer survivor. She said she came to the rally despite the sleety afternoon, saying she had been through much worse than bad weather.

“I would not be here today without government-funded science,” she said. “I don’t know how government got to be a bad word. National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, they’re doing life-saving work every single day.” 

The rally comes days after a federal judge temporarily blocked a policy from the Trump administration to cut millions of dollars in funds from the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, as part of its broader efforts to slash federal spending.

The NIH wants to sharply reduce to the amount grants can cover “indirect costs” for research such as facilities and administration. 

According to the NIH’s website, Wisconsin receives more than $730 million from the NIH for research projects into things like sickle cell, Alzheimer’s disease and biomedical technology.  

Event organizer Maggie Stangis is a senior Ph.D. student studying cancer biology in Wisconsin. She says she fears political interference and censorship in research data. 

“What we’re seeing right now is an ask to avoid using certain words in our grant applications and publicly published papers describing results of research,” she said on WPR’s “Wisconsin Today.” 

Words like “diversity” or “female” are getting flagged in grant applications, she said. Some diversity related projects have been paused. 

That means possible years of data and clinical trials could be wasted, she said. 

“If a study has to end in the middle, it certainly can reduce how useful the data that’s collected is,” she said. “If it’s a clinical trial that could even lead to patients that are enrolled in that clinical trial not receiving life saving treatment.”