Science Trumps Politics
The author served as Director of YEPT when she attended Elkhart High School. She gave this speech at the We Rise Together event at the Indiana Statehouse on March 17, 2025. The event was created by Confront the Climate Crisis.
My name is Elena Krueper and I am a freshman at Indiana University Bloomington where I study Environmental Sustainability Studies and International Law and Institutions. Disclaimer: I am speaking on behalf of myself, not Indiana University.
In the past year, my advocacy work has evolved beyond grassroots action into a mission to defend science itself. I stand before the crowd today as the co-president of Advocates for Science at IU (ASIU), a student group dedicated to ensuring the accurate representation of science in media, education, and legislation. I am here to remind the world that science is not a matter of belief — it is rooted in evidence, and it must not be silenced.
Science has always been a force for positive change: A catalyst for solutions, uncovering the cure to diseases, and discovering new ways to mitigate the increasing pressures of climate change to sustain life on Earth.
Nevertheless, today, science — and the future it promises — is under attack. A federal grant freeze on the National Science Foundation has halted critical climate research. Funding cuts to the National Institutes of Health threaten medical breakthroughs. Diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives that support underrepresented researchers — many of whom depend on funding to continue their work — are being dismantled. These are not distant nor theoretical losses; they are barriers that stand between us and the solutions we so desperately need.
Krueper: “I am here to remind the world that science is not a matter of belief — it is rooted in evidence, and it must not be silenced.”
Climate change does not pause for politics. The planet is warming, species are vanishing, and extreme weather events are devastating communities. Yet, instead of investing in solutions, we are watching as resources for climate action are stripped away. When scientists are silenced, it is not just our laboratories that suffer — it is our forests, our oceans, and our homes. The fight to protect science is the fight to protect life itself.
As a researcher in the Sustainability Scholars program at IU, I have seen firsthand how the lab is not just a place of discovery — it is a place of support and solidarity.
In my lab, we study ways to combat biodiversity loss, a crisis that threatens the stability of ecosystems and human life alike. We analyze how climate change has impacted different organisms like the dark-eyed junco and offer potential solutions to help declining populations get back on their feet.
But beyond the research, my lab has become a refuge, a space where my colleagues and I come together to support one another through the increasing pressure and uncertainty surrounding our work. It is a place where hope is not just an abstract idea but an active pursuit — where every experiment, every breakthrough, and every collaboration moves us closer to a more sustainable future.
Last week, we had a lab meeting to discuss new developments in our lives and the world. We spoke of hope like the recent Stand Up for Science Marches held across the country. [Note: See this story for coverage of a Stand Up for Science March in Indianapolis, by current YEPT Director Lamia Mara Haggard.]
But we also shared our fears: friends described their fear of the future, job insecurity, and political suppression. We came together as a family, shared our feelings of doomerism, and discussed strategies to use those feelings as fuel for constructive action.
But this is why I fight. This is why ASIU fights. We are not coldhearted, stone-faced robots conducting experiments without purpose. We are people — students, scientists, researchers, advocates — who care deeply about the future of our world. And we will not allow science to be censored, devalued, or ignored.
We must reject the silencing of climate change data. Words like 'environmental justice' and 'sustainability' are not dirty words. They are essential concepts that help us understand and address the crises we face. When politicians strip funding from research based on terminology alone, they are not just harming scientists — they are endangering everyone who depends on the breakthroughs and solutions that science provides.
I refuse to accept a world where the pursuit of knowledge is dictated by political agendas rather than facts. And I refuse to let my colleagues — brilliant minds with the potential to change the world — lose their ability to do so because of funding cuts and systemic disregard for our work.
This is a defining moment for science, for advocacy, and for all of us. I believe in the power of community. I believe in the strength of our voices. And I believe that together, we can turn the tide.
We are in this together. And we will not back down.
