Jess Corman
@limnojess.bsky.social
Bicyclist of long miles, Baker of sourdoughs, Gardener of vegetables, Scientist of lakes, rivers, and streams. Assoc Prof at UNL. Carbon, nitrogen, but mostly phosphorus.
The lab’s first attempt at catching and concentrating protists was a success! Now comes the fun part: figuring out how many viruses they eat 🦠 #NSF @unlincoln.bsky.social
Happy World Bicycle Day! May your tires stay inflated, your chain be well lubed, and your butt be not sore.
Didn’t get enough stoichiometry at #ASLOSIL26? Are you a post doc or faculty interested in mentoring undergrads doing data science? Check out this workshop hosted by Eric Moody at Middlebury!
Remembering one of my first tasks at NSF: taking minutes for the Board. I was just out of undergrad and had no idea what the NSB was or what it did. I was quickly impressed with the multi-faceted discussions surrounding science administration. Discussions that are paramount to a healthy NSF.
Some NSF awards are getting through: I am excited to say my colleagues and I will soon be studying how eating viruses* changes phosphorus fluxes in lakes! We will be hiring a graduate student; find me at SIL-ASLO for more. *virovory is not currently recommended if you're not a protist
I am shocked to see this language from the NSF. “The U.S. National Science Foundation's Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Request reflects a strategic alignment of resources in a constrained fiscal environment while eliminating woke and weaponized grant programs that previously funded radical DEI projects.”
Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Request to Congress
nsf.gov
New database paper led by @limnojess.bsky.social Limno‐STOICH: A comprehensive database linking the elemental stoichiometry of organisms with inland aquatic habitats. Grateful to have been part of this large effort! aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Limno‐STOICH: A comprehensive database linking the elemental stoichiometry of organisms with inland aquatic habitats
All organisms contain carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in widely ranging amounts and proportions. Integrating existing datasets enables quantification of this variation at global scales. Such efforts...
aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
The Morrill Fire in Nebraska has killed 1 and consumed 549,000 acres with 0% containment. This is more than 10% of the entire area burned by U.S. wildfires in 2025, and makes it one of the 20 largest fires in U.S. history. Sunday forecast is grim: High Wind Warning, 25-35 mph winds, gusting to 50.
Within just 19 hours of ignition, the #MorrillFire in west Nebraska has grown to an estimated 330,000 acres. That's already more than 1.5x the size of Colorado's largest wildfire in state history. Winds will be lower out there today, but Saturday turns extreme again #COWX #NEwx
The DRAFT Nature Record national assessment has dropped and is ready for comment! I'm proud to be one of the authors. This is the first comprehensive, independent, evidence-based assessment of how nature is doing across the U.S. Come read. Come comment. Come shape the record. naturerecord.org
The Nature Record
Now it’s our turn to shape what comes next. A new project. A mission years in the making.
naturerecord.org
The USDA postdoc fellowship is back! If you're interested in studying eutrophication issues in working lands, let's write a proposal together. Check my lab webpage for how to get in touch (ecostoich.weebly.com/join.html).
Love aquatic research, teaching, and outreach? Want to join us at our terrific field station and live on Yellow Bay, Montana? University of Montana seeks a new Director for Flathead Lake Biological Station. Position details here: apply.interfolio.com/178916
It's over. Despite the fact that the academic council recommended against it, despite the fact that the program brought in more tuition than it cost, and despite the fact that Nebraskans need & deserve this expertise, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences will be cut. www.dailynebraskan.com/news/adminis...
BREAKING: ‘This hurts’: UNL eliminates 4 programs despite faculty, student pleas
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln eliminates the Earth and atmospheric sciences 8-0, educational administration 7-1, statistics 7-1, textiles, merchandising and fashion design 7-1 programs.
dailynebraskan.com
A terribly sad day. After hours of testimony to the contrary, the Regents could not find the will to support Nebraska. Our Earth and Atmospheric Science, Stats, Textiles, and Education Admin programs are gone. Along with the faculty and their creativity, knowledge, and passion. Sorry, students.
PROGRAMS CUT: The University of Nebraska Board of Regents vote to eliminate four academic programs at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. From Zach Wendling buff.ly/Zw4giMP
They are really planning to go through with these cuts at Nebraska, despite recommendations not to. Unbelievable. If you want to hire highly qualified, very successful earth and atmospheric sciences faculty in teaching and research, quite a few are probably looking for jobs for next year.
Final Budget Reduction Plan | Budget Process | Nebraska
budgetprocess.unl.edu
UNL-AAUP is fighting back against administrator raises while programs get cut. “Decisions are being made behind closed doors & without faculty input. We weren’t invited to the table. There’s no transparency in this process. We’ve been shut out at every turn…” — Sarah Zuckerman, UNL-AAUP president
Lots of folks out to support UNL Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. The department is slated to be cut - a decision that would mean Nebraska would loose its only meteorology degree program (let alone the faculty and students). 🤦♀️ eas.unl.edu
Research by my former PhD student, Daniel Gschwentner, on how grassland wildfires impact lakes is now live in Ecosystems: doi.org/10.1007/s100... Wildfires are contributing to P loading in lakes, but lakes are N-limited so that P is likely not being processed by algae. DM if you need access.
What if we all just added as many of these words as possible to our proposals to see what happens? Better yet, squeeze them into empty spaces, but change the text color to white…
These 197 Terms May Trigger Reviews Of Your NIH, NSF Grant Proposals
Apparently, if you have "women" or "female" somewhere in your scientific research grant from the National Science Foundation or National Institutes of Health, watch out.
forbes.com
Sampling the Niobrara River is one of my favorite parts of being a limnologist in Nebraska! Cool, clean waters, fascinating biodiversity, and beautiful scenery.
Congratulations to my first PhD graduate, Dr. Gschwentner!
This morning @unl-snr.bsky.social I enjoyed listening to Daniel Gschwentner's stellar dissertation defense on his work to understand how the limnology of Nebraska's Sandhill Lakes is changing over time in response to climate change and wildfire ash nutrient pulses. Kudos! @limnojess.bsky.social
🧪 Though a doubling of NSF's budget might seem far-fetched, that's exactly what Congress said what's needed to maintain national competitiveness in science & tech. From the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act of 2022:
In light of the skinny budget (55.8% reduction), 6 past NSF directors and 7 NSB chairs have sent the House Committee on Appropriations a letter advising doubling the NSF budget. "We face a fork in the road. Do we want to win or concede the race for new knowledge and a competitive STEM workforce?"
Congrats to @unlincoln.bsky.social’s Sherri Fritz on her election to the National Academy of Science!!
I spoke with a university administrator last week who said “NSF is fine. Don’t worry.” No, NSF is not ok. Are other universities responding better? What is your dept or uni doing to support its faculty, staff, and students?
infuriated and heartbroken at all the important work reviewed, approved and funded by NSF being terminated this week - all the work visioned, proposed, managed and conducted by teams of scholars, faculty, staff, students and community members airtable.com/appGKlSVeXni...
A stunning sunset reflecting on @lakesuperior.bsky.social, viewed from the North Shore. #LimnologyVacations
Need an inspiring story of #NSF leadership? Look towards the former BIO AD. From starting the Graduate Research Traineeship & the Research Coordinated Network, to the National Plant Genome Initiative, Dr. Mary Clutter was a leader among leaders.
From the AD: Remembering Dr. Mary Clutter
Dear Colleagues, I am deeply saddened to inform you of the passing of Dr. Mary Clutter. Dr. Clutter served as the Assistant Director (AD) for the Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO) fr…
oadblog.nsfbio.com
It is simply not enough for universities to say, “Our grants & research offices are looking into how research will be affected by the latest directive.” University leaders must actively and very publicly make the case for the kind of work many of us do. The silence on this front is deafening.
When writing broader impacts in an NSF proposal feels like an act of rebellion…