Story highlights Don Lincoln: Scientific method is the powerful mechanism for understanding nature

Lincoln: Policymakers' deliberations should be informed by the best scientific thinking

Don Lincoln is a senior physicist at Fermilab and does research using the Large Hadron Collider. He has written numerous books, including "The Large Hadron Collider: The Extraordinary Story of the Higgs Boson and Other Things That Will Blow Your Mind," and produces a series of science education videos. In collaboration with the Great Courses company, he recently released a video course about the theory of everything. Follow him on Facebook. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his.

(CNN) I'm marching for science.

As I stand in a crowd, surrounded by chanting people and signs covered with clever slogans, it occurred to me that not everyone will understand why I chose to spend this chilly day on the Chicago lakefront when my sofa is a lot comfier. It's because I think it is critical that the scientific method play a prominent role in informing public policy.

But the reason I marched isn't just political. It's personal. It's simple, really. I love science. I always have. In fact, I cannot recall a time where I was ever not interested in understanding the world around me.

Don Lincoln

In retrospect, it's clear that my fascination with science has constantly guided my life choices. You see, I grew up on the outskirts of a small and rural town, and it's not like science was a common subject over dinner. My dad never finished high school, and I could have easily followed in his path as a mechanic. But while I always appreciated his wizardry with a wrench, it never appealed to me.

Instead, I read voraciously, both science and science fiction. Although I remember seeing man walk on the moon as a young child, it was the Apollo-Soyuz missions where I really began to understand what it all meant. I watched the Voyager and Pioneer missions reach milestone after milestone and read everything I could about Skylab . Many nights, I would lay under a cloudless sky and watch the stars. I was fascinated by all things astronomical.

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