‘The Power of One’ is the theory that one person can change the future, that one person’s actions can actually change the lives of many.

Dr. Biberdorf shares her experiences at this past weekend’s March for Science

Written for Smart Girls by Dr. Kate Biberdorf Professor, Department of Chemistry, The University of Texas at Austin

On Saturday, thousands of people gathered to participate in the March for Science, and I made it my personal mission to try talk to as many people as I could. I asked each of them, “Why are you marching today?” Most people responded generally with an enthusiastic, “FOR SCIENCE.” For some however, this march was deeply personal. One grandmother was marching with the hope of a better world for her grandchildren. One father was marching because his young son desperately wanted to participate in the event. Five undergraduate students from Michigan wanted to wear their new lab coats before graduation. Two graduate students from Chicago wanted to support their immigrant Ph.D. advisor, while two men from Australia had three hours to kill before their flight. I also had a personal reason, because a few months ago a jerk in the front row of one of my Fun with Chemistry presentations yelled out “WOMEN CAN’T BE SCIENTISTS!” Um…excuse me?! The March for Science was announced the very next day, and I immediately purchased my plane ticket to DC.

I was bubbling with excitement as I left for the airport on Friday afternoon, directly after finishing a chemistry lecture at The University of Texas in Austin (#hookem). When I landed in DC, I was ecstatic to see several people in the airport wearing nerdy science shirts. I may have even given them a proper Vulcan salute!

On the day of the march, I woke up to a giant rainstorm and was worried that it would affect the turnout. Silly me, I should have known that a little rain will not deter passionate scientists. In fact, as I reached the corner of 15th and Constitution, I was overcome with emotion as I looked at the thousands of people gathered to promote the love of science. These were my people, my peers, my nerdy, brilliant, beautiful friends. Not one person moved when the skies opened up and the rain poured down upon us. We stood together in perfect unity marching toward a better future; one that includes data, and numbers, and facts. It was one of the most empowering moments of my life.

As I left the march, I couldn’t help but thinking…ok now what? Is it over? Are we done? That is when I checked my phone to see hundreds of voicemails from old friends, colleagues, and family members. Here was my favorite one — “Hi Kate, It’s Uncle Ivars, I just wanted let you know that the reason we will be marching today in Grand Rapids, is you. We are inspired by your actions in DC, and we’ve got your back here in Michigan.” I was stunned. I literally had no words. Each voicemail contained a similar message, and it reminded me of ‘The Power of One.’ It is the theory that one person can change the future, that one person’s actions can actually change the lives of many. Can you imagine how many people were positively affected by the actions of the ‘Nerd March’ this past Saturday? This is just the beginning. We are just getting started. Fellow nerds — please join me in continuing to support the mission of the March for Science.

For ideas on how to become more involved, please visit this website. Until next time, live long and prosper.

-Kate

Join Smart Girls, Dr. Kate Biberdorf and other leading voices in science on April 26th at 3:30pm ET for a conversation about science and climate change. Tune in info below 👇