March for Science from BIOPIXEL on Vimeo.
Saturday 22 April 2017
Time: 4pm
10:00 - 10:30 AM
Yorkeys Knob Beach, Sims Esplanade
The March for Science Cairns event will be formatted as a rally.
The rally will begin at 4pm with talks on the Eastern Events Lawn along The Esplanade (on the grass between the Lagoon and Salt House). The event will include a diverse group of speakers across the sciences that contribute to the local Cairns and Far North region and will share how their work and the broader role of science in our community is critical to our success and future in the tropics.
CEO Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef; Director of Circle economy Amsterdam ; ex-CEO and Founder of Earth Hour
At the end of the rally (approx. 530pm), we encourage everyone to take a short stroll over to the Salt House to mingle with your fellow scientists and science supporters, as well as to connect with individuals and organisations. We want this to be an open dialogue between everyday members of our community, scientists, business leaders, politicians and organisations to ensure everyone can discuss science and get any questions they have answered in a friendly and welcoming environment.
At the Salt House, we will be joining in festivities for the Cairns and Far North Environment Centre’s (CAFNEC) Bat Festival being held on the Salt House Lawn. The CAFNEC event is an opportunity to learn more about our local Cairns’ bat population and watch the flying foxes fly out over Trinity Inlet at sunset. This event is also family friendly with kids’ crafts, activities and live music.
Please feel free to bring a placard, sign, or wear your favourite shirt in support of all things science! This is a family-friendly event and we encourage all ages including children to attend this celebration of science. We also therefore ask that any signage avoid inappropriate language that might offend others.
As part of the national March for Science event, we have a fantastic Red Bubble website where you can purchase t-shirts and other merchandise to wear on the day to support the Cairns event. Just scroll down to find a variety of gear for Cairns or other Australia locations if you will be attending somewhere else on the day. 20-30% of funds from all purchases go back to March for Science to help cover the costs of this volunteer-based event for everything from PA systems to marketing materials and more. Thank you so much for your support in making this a successful event!
Not in ? We're organising science marches all across Australia!
See the March For Science Australia page for more details!
If there aren't any marches near you or you can't make it come join the Virtual March for Science.
The March for Science celebrates the public discovery, distribution, and understanding of scientific knowledge as crucial to the freedom, success, health, and safety of life on this planet.
We are a nonpartisan group, marching to demand action in the following areas:
Literacy, Communication, Policy, and Investment.
A well-informed community is essential to a free and successful society. We support education to promote broad public knowledge and discussion of scientific work. As professionals, parents, and community-engaged volunteers, we enthusiastically contribute our time and expertise to helping children and students of all ages engage with the physical universe and biological world.
Publicly-funded scientists have a responsibility to communicate their research and public outreach and accessibility of scientific knowledge should be encouraged. Communication of scientific findings and their implications must not be suppressed.
Public policy should be guided by peer-reviewed evidence and scientific consensus. Public policy must enable scientists to communicate their publicly-funded research results, and must support literacy in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
A long-term, strategic approach to investment in scientific research and development is essential for driving true innovation. Government commitment to stable science funding policy will deliver solutions to complex challenges, promoting prosperity for all.
Science belongs to everyone. It should be pursued for the benefit of all people and for the health of the environment we depend upon.
At March for Science Australia we acknowledge the traditional custodians of the Australian continent, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and pay our respects to ancestors and Elders both past and present.
We recognise that science and scientific pursuits have been used in the past to disenfranchise many minority groups. We are committed to the promotion of science, now and in the future, as an endeavour which all persons have the right to pursue and enjoy the fruits of, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, religion or lack thereof, political affiliation, or socioeconomic status.
Diversity has strengthened and enriched scientific inquiry, and the inclusion of all peoples and the promotion of equal opportunity and training within science should be a goal pursued by scientists and non-scientists alike.