The employees of some scientific firms will be heading to DC next month to take part in the March for Science, Fortune reports. It says that some workers from the Dutch nutrition and materials firm DSM will be giving lessons on the Mall, while others will be marching.
The march, which is to take place April 22, was spurred by what organizers have termed attacks on science by officials. In particular, they've pointed to calls to cut funding as well as to the denial of scientific facts, particularly surrounding evolution and climate change, by lawmakers. The organizers say that though Trump administration policies contributed to their motivation to stage the event, it says it is a "celebration of science."
Though the organizers say the event is nonpartisan, Fortune notes that not everyone will perceive it as such and will consider companies' involvement to be political. DSM tells Fortune that it considered that, but deemed the message too important. In addition to DSM, Fortune says that Alphabet's life science company Verily will also be participating.
A number of nonprofit organizations like the American Association for the Advancement of Science, National Center for Science Education, and the Union of Concerned Scientists have also announced their involvement with the march.