TAMPA, Fla. — Dozens of demonstrators took to Fowler Avenue Friday afternoon to protest federal government cuts to health and science organizations.

What You Need To Know

  •  Dozens of demonstrators participated in a local protest advocating for science and health organizations in the United States

  •  It was part of a nationwide demonstration called Stand Up for Science

  •  At least four demonstrations took place Friday afternoon in Florida, which include Tampa, Tallahassee, Gainesville and near Miami

The gathering was part of a nationwide protest called Stand Up for Science, with at least four events taking place in Florida.

There were many science students marching and holding signs, along with professors and researchers advocating for organizations like NOAA or the National Institutes of Health.

Marsilla Gray, one of the organizers of the demonstration, which took place across the street from the University of South Florida, said the proposed cuts have created a lot of chaos in her field of study.

“We’re all just stuck in limbo, wondering if our careers, if our science, if our medicines are going to keep moving forward, if we’re going to be able to help people,” she said. "Which was what our whole livelihoods are for, so it’s just really confusing and honestly quite scary.”

For one demonstrator, NIH is crucial to help her fund her research for the virus that causes COVID-19.

Without it, facilities where Dr. Fiona Kearns does her work could be affected, and she’s worried about what that will do to her work.

“Without that money, we can’t continue to do the research as efficiently as possible,” said Kearns, a computational chemist. “So, the main thing that we’re kind of focusing on is trying to understand how cuts to things like facilities, administrative costs, can impact the research in general.”

Along with the local protest in Tampa, there were demonstrations in Tallahassee, at the University of Florida and one near Miami.

It’s just a handful of dozens of demonstrations that took place across the country, headlined by a demonstration in Washington D.C.