Hundreds of teachers, staff and students from the SAN DIEGO met on Friday Defend the scientific rallypart of a national movement.
“Science is attacked. But more than that, the people who devote their lives to the understanding and protection of our world are attacked,” said Grace Cawley, doctoral student at the UCSD. “This fight is not only for funding. It is for the future of science, the future of our oceans and the future that we all share.”
The faculty and the staff say that the cuts could strike San Diego stronger, as the home of the best research institutions such as Scripps Institution of Oceanography and UC San Diego Health.
“The reality is that San Diego has a lot of scientific community, a lot of biotechnological industry,” said Christian Cazares, a postdoctoral researcher in the Cognitive Sciences of the UCSD.
He said that federal funding reductions in universities will also harm the economy, “this means that people spend money in restaurants and local businesses. All this will have disappeared,” said Cazares, and added that in the middle of federal cuts, scientific research must be spared.
“If you know someone with Parkinson, Alzheimer’s, Autism or any type of cancer; their health, and maybe your future health if you are affected by these conditions, will deteriorate,” said Cazares. “We cannot find remedies for these conditions and we will not be able to provide treatment. The impacts of these cuts will therefore be seen immediately in hospitals.”
He said on Friday’s rally was only the beginning, and that the supporters of the sciences will continue to put pressure on the leadership of the UCSD and the representatives of the Congress for their support.