Thousands of scientists and science advocates are planning to descend on Washington, D.C., April 22 to protest President Donald Trump's science policies, and the question facing many organizations representing scientists is whether to support the effort.

The Science March is a grassroots movement that took its inspiration from the Women's March in January. Thousands of people are expected to gather in the nation's capitol to protest what they characterize as the Trump administration's unprecedented attacks on scientific research, from his denial of global warming to a travel ban that is keeping some foreign researchers from entering the country.

Some scientists are hesitant to participate in the march because they fear it could tarnish the profession's reputation for neutrality. Others counter that Trump represents a unique threat to scientific inquiry. Stuck between the two opposing viewpoints are several science associations, which are being pressured by members to stand up for science but at the same time don't want to alienate Trump and other Republicans.

Science Magazine recently polled several groups and found only four willing to openly embrace the march. Among them was the Association for Psychological Science.

"We stand with all of the other disciplines in the scientific community in support of the march and are helping to get the word out via social media. And we are brainstorming about other ways to help," Executive Director Sarah Brookhart told the magazine.

Many other groups were sitting on the fence. The American Geophysical Union, American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Chemical Society and American Institute of Physics were among those that would neither commit to participate or sit out the protest.

"We're still working to figure out what, if any, role is appropriate for a group like AGU since it's a march organized by ‘the people,'" AGU CEO Christine McEntee said in a statement to members.

Three groups said they were not planning to participate in the march. The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities and Arctic Research Consortium of the United States said they would be involved in the protest. The American Physiological Society will hold its annual meeting in Chicago the same day of the march. http://bit.ly/2kLV5Vg

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