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On Earth Day, the March for Science brought thousands of people to the streets of downtown Portland to protest cuts to science funding proposed by the Trump administration. One attendee, scientist and filmmaker Tyler Hulett, chronicled part of the march in his new short documentary A Scientist Documents the March for Science.
By day, Hulett is an immuno-oncologist with Providence Cancer Center and a PHD student at OHSU.
By night, Hulett's a filmmaker, and has made several short nature and science documentaries over his three year filmmaking career, many of which chronicle Oregon's natural beauty. One of his shorts following a lava flow in Hawaii was selected for the National Geographic short film showcase.
A Scientist Documents… profiles attendees at the March whose lives and careers intersect with science and research: a woman who works in cancer research who's funding is threatened by the Trump Administration, a couple from the Midwest who is concerned about the defunding of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, and a woman who speaks about her disappointment with Portland's unfluoridated water, among several others.
The goal of the documentary is to give voice to the trained professionals who are on the front lines of scientific research.
"The national media—both right and left leaning—is playing up the March for Science as an anti-Trump protest. While that was certainly a component of the March, I think that is off the mark and further accentuates a growing divide in our state that, as a fourth generation Oregonian, I find deeply troubling," he says. "I wanted to make this film to show that many of Portland's doctors and scientists are concerned about the lack of critical thinking coming from both sides of the political aisle."
Watch the whole documentary for free below. Check out more of Hulett's video work on his Vimeo page and read more about his video projects on his website Discover Oregon. He makes the state look very pretty with a 4K camera.