What started as a protest in Washington DC has now become a worldwide event: the March for Science, on Earth Day, on April 22. On this day scientists unite against politicians and policymakers who, Joline Frens says, seem increasingly to disregard the facts, both scientific and otherwise.

And this trend is not restricted to, say, Donald Trump's view of climate change, stresses the first-year student of Industrial Design. She refers to the VVD party (the Dutch right of center party) who, it is said, scrapped the same subject from their election manifesto following critical comments by a skeptical party member from Friesland.

“The discussion is still mainly about whether climate change actually exists, not about what we are going to do about it,” observes Frens. And this, she believes, jeopardizes the future, including her own: “That's a pretty frightening thought.”

The student continues, “Current developments in the world are not that positive. Politicians would be well advised to listen to science so they can jointly come up with answers that will nudge the world in the right direction.” She is also keen to alert her fellow TU/e students to the necessity of taking a stand globally: “Without science they will soon have no role to play.”