Thousands of people, some donning lab coats and brain hats, filled the streets of Washington and more than 600 other cities around the world to participate in the March for Science Saturday.

"Our numbers here today show the world that science is for all – our lawmakers must know that science serves all of us," said Bill Nye, host of "Bill Nye Saves the World" and one of the rally's speakers. "Science is universal. It brings out the best of us. With informed policy, dare I say it, we can save the world."

Taking place on the 47th anniversary of Earth Day, the March for Science aimed to re-familiarize citizens with the importance of science in everyday life and in policymaking, said Lydia Villa-Komaroff, an honorary co-chair and one of the speakers for the march.

"There's this sense that has been building for quite some time that science is arbitrary, and that one's own opinion matters more," the molecular and cellular biologist said ahead of the march. "We want to reacquaint ourselves as a part of society. We hope that that will engender a sense of support for science, and [evidence-based] policymaking will increase in the country."

And, while the hosts for the march have not officially put a number on how many people are participating worldwide, the overwhelming support is unprecedented, said Kathleen Rogers, president of Earth Day Network, in advance of the march.

"We're seeing a kind of engagement that we haven't seen before, not just around climate change but around science because the integrity and honesty of science has been called into question," Rogers said. "We're seeing lots of rollbacks, intentions to rollback 20 to 30 years of scientific progress. I think the average American is pretty darn smart: We're unlikely to sit back as it impacts our children's health or the communities badly."

It may not be a surprise that some see the march as politically motivated, and, more specifically, as an anti-Trump movement. President Donald Trump pulled back Obama-era clean air regulations, put two climate change skeptics at the heads of the Environment Protection Agency and Department of Energy, and pulled down the White House's climate change website within an hour of his inauguration.

In fact, encouraging science-based policies and public support as well as defending political attacks on "scientific integrity" and cuts in funding are the strongest motivators for those planning to participate in the march, according to a recent University of Delaware Center for Political Communication survey.

A protester holds a sign up at the March for Science in Washington Saturday. (Katelyn Newman/U.S. News & World Report)

"I don't believe the President and his team are anti-science. They trust science whenever they get sick, fly in a plane or even use an electronic device," said Nigel Sizer, president of Rainforest Alliance, a New York-based environmental advocacy group. "Six hundred marches for science around the world on Earth Day show that millions of citizens care deeply about our planet and the need to protect and cherish the climate, rainforests, biodiversity, and each other."

Some members of the scientific community have spoken out against the march's intent, believing that the political tone to it may detract from the proposed motive of raising awareness of the importance of science to the general public.

"The objectives of the march seem unclear to me," said Jason Lloyd, program manager for the Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes, a nonprofit science and technology think tank, ahead of the march. "Rather than addressing the political aspect, they should better engage society. Go out into communities."

Stimulating public engagement and increased diversity in science, though garnering strong support, were not ranked as highly by march participants, the Delaware study found.

"For a lot of researchers and scientific organizations, engagement is the equivalent of describing what they do," Lloyd said. A better approach, he said, may be increasing citizen science, which allows members of the public to assist and analyze data in collaboration with scientists.

A few speakers at the march reiterated Lloyd's point, saying that going beyond the march and into local communities will lead to an improved appreciation of science in society.

Paraphrasing University of Michigan's President Dr. Mark Schlissel, "talent is evenly distributed in society, but opportunity is not," said Meghan Duffy, associate professor in the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at the University of Michigan. "Science will progress further and faster if participation is broad, with people from all backgrounds able to contribute their ideas and talents to science."

As for those who came to march in the nation's capital, the pouring rain didn't dampen their spirits. Bayly and Robert Urick from Severn, Maryland, said the energy from the crowd was palpable.

"We're both pretty passionate about the need for science in policy, and climate change is something we're both very concerned with," Bayly said. "I'm a nurse and I use science every day in my job. I benefit from it and I see clinical science at work every day, and I think it's very important that we continue to vaccinate people and continue to put the funding into research that provides these drugs."

For Robert, a Maryland native, seeing the Chesapeake Bay's health improve in part from funding provided by the Environment Protection Agency, paired with Trump's proposed budget to cut that funding, fueled his desire to march.

"I've been looking at a career change into environmental science, and this really was reinforcement as something I want to get into," Robert said.

Alex Baker traveled from Albany, New York, to protest on the National Mall. During the march, he held a sign thanking the Environment Protection Agency, where he worked for five years previously, for its service to the community and calling for no cuts to its budget. As he returned home that evening, shoes soaking wet, he said he felt inspired to join the Union for Concerned Scientists and remain active as a citizen.

“I think just staying tuned into what’s going on in the news and what’s going on politically is very much in my plans,” Baker said. “I will probably keep an eye on other marches and other events and maybe participate in those as well.”

