James' World 2

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Among the slew of actions that President Donald Trump has taken during his first weeks back in office has been a barrage of attacks on federal scientists and scientific funding. The administration’s science agencies have fired thousands of employees, attempted to freeze research disbursements and proposed new policies that would reduce funding into the future.

Against this backdrop, a team of early-career researchers is organizing nationwide rallies on March 7 to “Stand Up for Science”—a call for people across the U.S. to demonstrate to show their appreciation of science and its benefits to society. Rallies will take place in Washington, D.C., Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, Seattle, Nashville, Tenn., Austin, Tex., and many other places across the country. The network of stationary rallies is set to take place eight years after the March for Science protests that met Trump’s first administration—which Stand Up for Science’s organizers hope helped prepare scientists to wade into politics.

To learn about Stand Up for Science’s plans and goals, Scientific American talked with three of its lead organizers: Colette Delawalla, a Ph.D. candidate in clinical psychology at Emory University, Emma Courtney, a Ph.D. candidate in biology at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and Sam Goldstein, a Ph.D. candidate in health behavior at the University of Florida.

[An edited transcript of the interview follows.]

How did each of you come to this place of wanting to step into activism?

DELAWALLA: I was just really mad. At the end of the day, I just want to do my research. I really think that studying addiction is important, and all science is important. But it really hit home for me, personally. I was angry, and it just seemed like everybody else was angry, too, and nobody else was doing anything about it. And, you know, “be the change you want to see in the world,” as cheesy as that is.

Are you connected at all to the 2017 March for Science?

DELAWALLA: Nobody in our core leadership team overlaps with people who were in the March for Science core leadership team. But we have been in contact with a number of the organizers from that group, and they seem to be really supportive and kind and generous with their advice and time and connections. And we’re so grateful.

We really appreciate that they were so ahead of their time in understanding that what was coming down the pipe in 2017 was really serious. They laid the groundwork for people to have a working conception of what it means for scientists and people who believe in science to come together. Without that foundation, I don’t know that we would have had as much success.

GOLDSTEIN: It feels sort of like a passing of the baton—we probably wouldn’t have known where to really start.

COURTNEY: What I have found really impactful in talking with the March for Science organizers is the event, day of, is really important. But it’s also about building a sustained movement that actually drives policy change.

“We’re trying to give folks somewhere they can feel powerful and have their voices heard.”What does a successful day on March 7 look like for you?

DELAWALLA: We want thousands and thousands of people to come. All over the U.S., we want people to put down their science, put down the pipette, close their R script, cancel their run-throughs of their experiments that day and come out. That is our number one goal for March 7.

Additionally, we want this to come up on the public’s and our government representatives’ radar. We do have plans to be meeting elected officials in Washington, D.C., in the week leading up to the rally. The goal is that we start off with a bang. This is sort of the science block party to really launch the demands into public view and to start the work on seeing them met.

GOLDSTEIN: It feels like this is only the beginning of the conversation. This is really just, across America, giving folks that maybe feel a lot of despair across this first month an outlet to feel heard and understood and comforted by like-minded individuals. Despair can sometimes breed apathy. The more it hits you, the more you doomscroll, the more you just feel powerless. We’re trying to give folks somewhere they can feel powerful and have their voices heard.

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Reading is good for you in many ways. It fosters creativity, self-improvement and open-mindedness. Researchers even have determined it can help you live longer. Here are popular titles suggested by more than a dozen successful executives.

1. Shoe Dog by Phil Knight

“Too many business autobiographers go to great lengths to portray themselves as all-knowing and unwavering on their path to success. What I love about Phil Knight’s memoir is that the founder of Nike offers a more honest account of just how terrifying starting a business can be. Just like the rest of us, Knight had moments of self-doubt and constant flirtations with disaster as he launched and grew his company. When push came to shove, however, he had what it takes … the courage to bet everything on an idea he believed in, and the drive to out-hustle his competition at every turn.”

—Chris Mackey, CEO of MackeyRMS, a research management platform for investment professionals that has taken no outside capital/funding with clients on its platform managing over $1 trillion in assets

2. Drive by Daniel Pink

“According to the author, if you pay someone enough to take the issue of money off of the table, the things that truly motivate them are Master, Autonomy and Purpose. I add Connectedness to that list. Setting up a company and culture that allows people to do what they do best (Mastery), in the way that they think will bring about the best results (Autonomy) focused on something that is meaningful (Purpose) as part of group aligned in values (Connectedness) is what drives a great and powerful culture.”

—Art Saxby, CEO of Chief Outsiders, a strategic marketing consulting firm that has worked on the management teams of more than 600 companies across more than 60 industries

3. Founders at Work by Jessica Livingston

“[It] inspired me to see how everyone is able to go down the path of entrepreneurship. As a Ph.D. student at the time, I was no exception.”

—Zouhair Belkoura, co-founder and CEO of Keepsafe, a photo vault company used by 65 million people

4. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson

“As an entrepreneur, people will always question what it is you’re doing. Why are you leaving your job? Do you really think this or that will work? It’s hard to not let that get to your head. This read helps you powerfully stand in who you are and what you care about. It inspires you to authentically and unapologetically do your thing and be your fullest self. Entrepreneurs who are vulnerable to haters and critics are more likely to throw in the towel when the going gets tough. Beat your own drum and inspire the world! To be honest, this is the kind of book I wish I read years ago.”

—David Yarus, global ambassador at Jdate, a Jewish dating site that globally has facilitated more than one million matches with more than five million messages sent each month

5. Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity by Kim Scott

“As a first-time, young female founder who quickly grew from three people on a couch to a team of ten, we love how this book clearly outlines so many tactical approaches to communication, being a good leader, and building trust on the team.”

—Rachel Renock, co-founder of Wethos, a platform that has connected over 1,500 freelancers with 300-plus nonprofits

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Last week people in eastern Nebraska experienced freezing temperatures in the –30s Fahrenheit and wind chills in the –60s F. Schools were cancelled because of the extreme Arctic chill. Then, on Sunday, “I walked around the lake, and it was 57 degrees [F], and people were in shorts and T-shirts,” says Van DeWald, a lead meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s (NWS’s) office in Omaha.

For Omaha and other places in and around the High Plains, temperatures have swung by 75 to 100-plus degrees F in just under a week. Other parts of the central and eastern U.S. have also seen a substantial warm-up, though more on the order of 20 to 30 degrees F.

Last week’s big freeze came courtesy of an air mass moving southward from Canada, bringing with it extreme cold and high winds. Several places set daily temperature records: Bismarck, N.D., set a record of –39 degrees F on February 18 (besting one of –37 degrees F set in 1910). And on the same day Minot,

N.D., saw a record of –33 degrees F (breaking one of –27 degrees F set in 1903). Temperatures in the High Plains were 30 to 40 degrees F below normal, says Matthew Johnson, a meteorologist at the NWS’s Bismarck office. Outbreaks of extremely cold Arctic air aren’t unusual in the region. “That happens every one to two years, that we get that cold,” DeWald says.

Now the area is seeing temperatures in the 60s and even the 70s F, “a good 25 to 30 degrees [F] above normal,” says Brian Hurley, a senior meteorologist at the NWS’s Weather Prediction Center. He explains that the meteorological seesaw is linked to a change in air patterns higher in the atmosphere: there a region of lower pressure that brought winds from the northwest has retreated, allowing a flow of warmer air from the south and southwest.

Though the temperatures swings are sizable, they’re not entirely unexpected at this time of year: weather generally becomes more changeable during meteorological spring, which begins on March 1. “We can kind of fluctuate pretty violently during this transition season,” Johnson says.

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But it’s not always the right move. Advancing in your present company may be a smarter move. You already know the culture and the people. If you enjoy them, who is to say that you’d find something better elsewhere? Also, some companies reward loyalty. And why would you want to compete with hundreds of applicants in a chaotic job market?

If you are staying, hone your strategy. Follow these five steps to boost your likelihood of advancing.

1. ASK FOR VISIBLE ASSIGNMENTS

First, seek out high-profile assignments. You want to be seen as a go-getter.

Do this, and your boss and other leaders in the firm will regard you as a creative, productive worker with aspirational goals. I’m not talking about doing extra grunt work. I mean seizing opportunities to come up with innovative ideas and initiatives that impress others.

Commit to projects that reach beyond your department. You’ll open the door to new relationships with potential bosses in other departments. For example, you might lead a fundraising project, or help another executive with her presentation, or volunteer to speak at an International Women’s Day event in your company.

2. BUILD YOUR NETWORK AT THE COMPANY

It’s important to build your network within the firm. You’ll meet and gain the favor of leaders who recognize your talent and initiative. That can lead to important new relationships with strategically placed individuals.

Take part in activities where you can meet senior leaders. These include conferences, sports such as company golf tournaments, leadership forums, and training sessions. If there is someone in the company you admire and think you’d like to work for, find a way to get onto their calendar. You might have a mutual interest. Or, you might invite them to speak to your team as a guest expert. Be creative in setting up that meeting.

Once you’ve made that contact, broach the discussion about reporting to them. There might be an advertised position or not. Either way, if you want to work in that department, go for it, set up a meeting, and prepare to pitch yourself.

3. PREPARE A STRONG PITCH

If you’re job hunting in your present company, it might seem like overkill to prepare for each encounter. But you must do so—even for conversations with people who may not have a job to offer you at the moment. They may be able to recommend you to others.

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Hmmmm…More Storms, Floods, and Wildfires!

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CLIMATEWIRE | The Trump administration’s abrupt retreat from global climate action is threatening to delay a pivotal scientific report that can be used by countries to shape their responses to rising temperatures.

Delegates from more than 190 countries are meeting in Hangzhou, China, this week to make decisions related to the content and timing of the seventh assessment report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a U.N. body that evaluates the science behind climate change.

The conclusions of the assessments — which are released every five to seven years — help inform governments about the sources of greenhouse gas emissions, the pollution’s effects on the planet and the risks of not acting to curb it. The comprehensive reports are also integral to ascertaining whether countries are doing enough to reduce emissions — a process under the Paris climate agreement known as a stocktake.

The U.S. delegation was prevented from attending the IPCC meeting by the Trump administration, said a government official who was granted anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the situation. The move follows

President Donald Trump’s announcement last month that he would immediately withdraw from the Paris deal.

Among the delegates who were blocked from attending the meeting is a federal scientist, Katherine Calvin, who was co-chairing one of three working groups that help assemble the next assessment. The Trump administration also halted a technical support unit that was backing that working group, according to two other government officials.

Losing that unit would ensure delays at the working group level of the assessment’s preparation, said one of those officials.

The State Department declined to comment.

Flouting the IPCC meeting is another signal that the Trump administration is pulling back from global climate engagement. U.S. officials did not attend a board meeting last week of the Green Climate Fund, the primary vehicle for helping poorer countries fund climate efforts. That’s been coupled with a complete assault on climate science at home, the shuttering of climate programs administered by the U.S. Agency for International Development and a broad freeze on foreign assistance.

There were already concerns among delegates and advocates about delays related to the IPCC’s seventh assessment following disagreements last year over some key elements of the report’s timeline. The main synthesis report is due in late 2029, but only after reports from the three working groups are completed. The idea is some of those would be published before the next stocktake in 2028.

“The Paris Agreement process must be informed by the best and latest available science,” a group of countries known as the High-Ambition Coalition urged in a statement Friday. Signatories include the United Kingdom, Germany, the European Union’s climate commissioner and several small island nations.

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