What was supposed to be a celebration of science quickly turned into a progressive political showcase at the annual conference of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, held at the Phoenix Convention Center from Feb. 12–14. Instead of breakthroughs and discoveries, attendees were greeted with ideological messaging, identity politics, and repeated criticism of the Trump administration — because nothing says “lab results” like political lectures.
Right at registration, participants were handed identifier stickers featuring pronouns such as “they/them,” “xi/xer,” and “xe/xem,” along with other descriptors critics say have little to do with science or biology. Apparently, before you discuss research, you must first solve the pronoun puzzle.
On opening night, following a 10-minute hoop dance by traditional Native American dancers, AAAS CEO Dr. Sudip Parikh told the crowd it had been a “hard” and “tough year for science and scientists.” He blamed DOGE for the “devastation” of certain science agencies and criticized the president’s budget request, claiming it cut science funding by half and amounted to “forfeiting the future.”
Parikh said the last year created a “rupture” that could not be undone and claimed an entire generation of scientists now carries a permanent “scar.” He added that scars can make people tougher and build resilience — which is an interesting way to describe political frustration.
He also reminded the audience that he had warned Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was the “wrong person” for Health and Human Services secretary and said he still felt that way, drawing laughter and applause. Parikh went on to argue that protecting what he called the “inheritance of the enlightenment” would require protests, politics, and not “speaking gibberish,” suggesting activism is now part of the scientific method.
Workshops at the conference, which included gender-neutral bathrooms, featured sessions such as “Mao-Mei Liu: Nurturing Diversity in Science is Resistance,” “Investigating the Role of Race in Clinical Decision-Making,” and “Who Gets to Belong? Disability, Power, and Participation in Higher Education.” Another offering was titled “Colonial Legacies, Climate Crises, and the Erosion of Mobility Choice.”
Dr. Theresa A. Maldonado, a well-known electrical engineering expert, delivered the president’s address and described 2025 as a difficult year for science, while suggesting climate change was responsible for the destructive southern California wildfires.
AAAS, which publishes the respected journal Science, also shared videos during the event that featured speakers criticizing the Trump administration and mixing politics into scientific discussions. One interview with climate justice scholar Jola Ajibade focused on how climate change has benefited a “few wealthy people” while displacing low-income communities. Ajibade said her work centers on highlighting the effects of climate solutions on Black, Indigenous, and Latino communities and promoting a “decolonial” approach.
The event’s listed sponsors included the Science Philanthropy Alliance, a group connected to the progressive consulting network Arabella Advisors through the New Venture Fund, a nonprofit known for promoting various left-leaning causes.
One attendee compared the current conference to those held during the first Trump administration, saying earlier events still felt like celebrations of scientific achievement. This year, the attendee said, “felt like a funeral,” full of complaints and negativity, adding that constant calls to keep politics out of science were contradicted by nonstop political messaging. The attendee also suspected attendance dropped compared to pre-COVID years.
At the same time lawmakers continue warning about China’s growing influence in American institutions, the AAAS conference allowed the Beijing-based Chinese Academy of Sciences to operate a booth. The state-run academy has been criticized for its ties to China’s government and military and for collaborating with a Chinese medical technology firm linked to a 2013 U.S. bribery case involving NIH-funded research. That same company has installed equipment in leading American research labs.
In the end, what should have been a gathering to celebrate scientific progress instead highlighted how deeply politics has seeped into institutions meant to focus on facts and discovery. Still, the message for everyday Americans is clear: real science doesn’t need ideological labels to succeed — and when leadership and common sense return to the conversation, innovation will once again lead the way forward.
