As President Trump signs executive orders cutting millions of dollars in funding to universities and federal agencies, scientists worry about what this means for the future of research and scientific progress in the United States.

In protest, thousands of scientists and allies gathered for organized demonstrations in 32 cities across the United States, rallies they termed as “Stand Up For Science.” The goal, organizers wrote, is to stand up for science “because science is for everyone,” even as the government terms scientific spending as “waste.”

“If we stop funding science, and allowing for inclusion in these scientific experiments, we’re not going to have a full scope of science to back our health in this country… There’s so many dominoes that will fall if scientific research does not continue to be funded,” said Rayna Birnbaum, a biomedical researcher at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and one of the organizers for the rally in New York City.

The Xylom’s reporters covered events from Atlanta, New York City, and Seattle — three of the most important yet distinct research clusters across the United States, each facing its unique challenges. The following dispatches are arranged by local time.