'This is censorship.' Conference requires abstracts to comply with Trump anti-DEI order: NASA-funded planetary science institute previously scrubbed hundreds of records from its archive.

The article discusses the implications of a new requirement for the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC) that mandates compliance with executive orders from the Trump administration regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). This policy has led to concerns among planetary scientists, who feel it represents censorship and undermines intellectual freedom, as it requires the removal of DEI-related content from submitted abstracts. The Universities Space Research Association (USRA), which manages LPSC, has previously removed hundreds of DEI-related abstracts from its archives, citing legal concerns over federal funding. The new abstract submission guidelines lack clarity on compliance criteria, further raising apprehensions within the scientific community about the impact on research and inclusivity. [Extracted from the article]