‘Anti-woke’ policies blamed for falling attendance at some US conferences
Summary
Several major US scientific meetings that serve Black, Latino and Indigenous researchers have seen sharply lower attendance this year after federal funding and participation were cut following a presidential directive to end government DEI programmes. Conferences such as the joint meeting of the National Society of Black Physicists and the National Society of Hispanic Physicists and the SACNAS (NDiSTEM) meeting reported much smaller crowds and fewer federal and industry exhibitors, reducing networking and career-development opportunities for under-represented students and researchers.
Key Points
- Attendance at some minority-focused scientific conferences has dropped substantially in 2025 compared with previous years.
- Federal agencies withdrew funding and exhibition participation after a January executive order directing the termination of DEI-related programmes.
- NASA cancelled a US$530,000 grant intended to support the NSBP/NSHP meeting, among other cuts.
- The reductions forced conferences to cut travel grants, lodging support and content — for example, AI sessions were diminished when agencies and industry pulled out.
- Organisers warn this exacerbates leaks in the pipeline for under-represented scientists, limiting networking and career advancement for students and early-career researchers.
Content Summary
In 2025, several meetings that historically support scientists from marginalised backgrounds experienced lighter-than-usual turnout. For example, fewer than 700 attendees showed up at a joint NSBP/NSHP meeting that previously attracted about 1,100, and SACNAS saw only a few thousand attendees instead of the usual 5,000–6,000. Federal exhibitors and staff who normally engage with students and promote careers in government research were largely absent after agencies followed the administration’s directive to end DEI programmes. Organisers say the loss of travel funding and institutional presence makes attendance prohibitively expensive for many students and removes key opportunities for exposure to cutting-edge research and recruiters.
Context and Relevance
This story sits at the intersection of science, policy and workforce development. The politicisation of DEI has immediate operational effects — cancelled grants and withdrawn agency support — and longer-term consequences for diversity in the scientific workforce. Fewer networking opportunities and lost financial support for students risk narrowing the talent pool and undermining efforts to diversify research fields.
Author’s tone — punchy: The article carries a clear warning: policy shifts at the top can quickly ripple through the research ecosystem and erase hard-won gains in inclusivity and talent development. If you care about the future health of the scientific community, this matters.
Why should I read this?
Look — this isn’t just politics on paper. If you work in academia, research management or STEM outreach (or care about who gets to be a scientist), read it. It shows how a single policy move can dry up travel grants, empty exhibitor halls and shrink the career ladder for students from under-represented groups. Short version: people lose opportunities and the science community loses talent.