Hundreds of people gathered at the University of Colorado Boulder on Friday to participate in a nationwide walkout to support science amid federal funding cuts to science and firings of science workers under the Trump administration.

The walkout began in a courtyard behind the University Memorial Center and moved to Broadway for more visibility as the crowd grew in size. People held signs and cheered as cars honked while driving past.

“Getting this much support out for science is a good thing,” said Seth Hornstein, a CU Boulder faculty member in the astrophysical and planetary sciences department. “I see faculty and students and grad students, so I think the whole campus is turning out.”

The CU Boulder walkout was a local event that was part of a series of rallies and walkouts across the country organized by Stand Up for Science. Stand Up for Science is an organization of 100 volunteers who believe science is for everyone and benefits everyone. The group’s policy goals include a restoration of federal scientific funding, reinstatement of “wrongfully terminated” employees at federal agencies and “an end to governmental interference and censorship in science,” a news release says.

The walkout comes after a demonstration on Monday where about 1,000 people gathered in Boulder to protest layoffs of federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration employees.

“I think as a research university, we have a job to protect science and to teach science, so I think being out here showing that we value science is an important thing,” Hornstein said.

The goal of the nationwide rallies and walkouts is to “defend science as a public good and pillar of social, political, and economic progress,” according to the Stand Up for Science website.

CU Boulder senior Kristofer Slimko said he was happy to see so many people show up and stand up for science.

“Without our voices, billionaires and rich white men will continue to stomp all over the people, and we can’t let that happen,” Slimko said.Stand Up for Science also urges restoration of public access to scientific information, pushing for officials to “restore all scientific data, reports, and resources on federal websites to pre-January 31st, 2025 status,” according to the group’s policy goals webpage.

“Universities are the bedrock for scientific discovery, and the research conducted at the University of Colorado Boulder positively impacts societal health, the economy, competitiveness and higher education at large,” CU Boulder spokesperson Nicole Mueksch wrote in an email regarding the walkout. “CU Boulder will continue to focus on our public mission, which includes supporting our faculty and students in the pursuit of groundbreaking research and creative work that improves lives.”

Boulder resident Beth Bontemps participated in the walkout to show solidarity with her daughter, who is a doctoral candidate in Connecticut.

“It feels empowering to be around like-minded people and to be able to recognize that everyone is not just sitting still for this and that other people realize this is not the time to wait and see what happens,” Bontemps said. “It just feels good to be involved.”

Boulder resident Colleen Farrell said there doesn’t seem to be any plan or thoughtfulness behind the Trump administration’s decisions to cut funding for science.

“Hopefully, going forward, (this walkout) inspires more people to be involved and vocal,” Farrell said.

Jenny Devaud, a Boulder aerospace scientist who has worked for Ball Aerospace, Sierra Space and CU Boulder, said she hopes public demonstrations help “push new leaders into fighting for democracy.”

“Science is what makes our industries grow and makes our country great,” Devaud said.