Science in the Time of Trump (October 2025)

This podcast consists of a talk given during our monthly online Vesper service in October 2025. full service, including a lively discussion about the topic, "Science in the Time of Trump" is available to you on YouTube. Our speaker this time is Dr. Suzanne Willis.She is a professor emerita at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois, where Dr. Willis taught physics until her retirement in 2012. Having been interested in science her entire life, Dr. Willis received her bachelor's degree in physics Mount Holyoke College. She then went on to Yale University to complete both her master's and doctoral degrees, again in physics, and in 1988, she joined the faculty at Northern Illinois University.Dr. Willis remained there until her retirement in 2012, also serving for a time as President of the Faculty Senate and Executive Secretary of the University Council. Her main research focus was experimental, high-energy physics. Since retiring, she has expanded her interests to physics education and public science literacy.As you are no doubt aware, the current Trump administration is clearly opposed to both science and scientific research. In this talk, Dr. Willis explains the long-term ramifications of this opposition to scientific research currently in progress. She also predicts how academic academic research will fare in the future. With that said, I hope you enjoy this very informative presentation.What you are hearing on this podcast is an extract of a much longer program, including Q & A. You can find it on YouTube at this address: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_ko4RgJ09E&t=819s