McKenna Sweet
@mckennasweet.bsky.social
conservation biologist + journalist 🦫📰 uw seattle alumna 🎓
Fire survivors say “it’s morally reprehensible,” and experts worry the wagering could lead to arson.
People are betting on wildfires. Should they? - High Country News
Fire survivors say “it’s morally reprehensible,” and experts worry the wagering could lead to arson.
hcn.org
As North American cities prepare to host the World Cup, leaders are excited to welcome tens of thousands of fans, but they are also preparing for how to keep players and spectators safe during what is expected to be a hot summer for most of the country.
Will Climate Change Foul the World Cup?
From heat exhaustion to cities' overloaded electrical grids, extreme weather threatens the future of soccer
sierraclub.org
My heart aches for my UW community and especially the friends and family of Juniper Blessing. I want to uplift the diligent and thoughtful reporting coming out of my former newsroom @thedailyuw.bsky.social. Student journalists will always know their community best. www.dailyuw.com/article/gpy4...
‘This is a loss that’s really going to impact the UW community’: roommate of student killed at Nordheim Court reflects on the tragedy
‘This is a loss that’s really going to impact the UW community’: roommate of student killed at Nordheim Court reflects on the tragedy
dailyuw.com
NEWS: UW community, LGBTQIA+ organizations rally around student killed in university housing (via @sophiasostrin.bsky.social) www.dailyuw.com/article/uw-c...
UW community, LGBTQIA+ organizations rally around student killed in university housing
UW community, LGBTQIA+ organizations rally around student killed in university housing
dailyuw.com
After more than 20 years, emperor penguins are finally recognized as endangered by an influential international NGO. While the declaration doesn’t come with any enforcement mechanisms, it does bring greater awareness to the plight of this imperiled bird.
New Science Recognizes the Plight of Emperor Penguins
Advancements in research reveal that this species faces a dire future in a warming world
sierraclub.org
The State of Alaska wants to build a 211-mile road across one of the largest remaining roadless wildlands on Earth. The Ambler Access Project would enable a series of mines for copper and other metals. President Donald Trump and other road proponents are acting like it’s a sure thing. But is it? 🌎
The Fight Against the Ambler Road in Alaska Is Far From Over
Despite a wave of recent victories for project proponents, numerous obstacles remain
sierraclub.org
We’re on strike today! Support our fight for a fair contract by NOT visiting the @propublica.org website or engaging with ProPublica stories today. Tell ProPublica’s management you won’t cross the picket line: actionnetwork.org/petitions/te...
The founders of Let’s Botanize, which aims to spread plant appreciation through the hobby of botanizing, recently published Let’s Botanize! 101 Ways to Connect With Plants. Its prompts encourage readers to make their own plant observations and to do it anywhere, even with the most familiar plants.
We Mindlessly Interact With Plants Every Day. Here’s How to Do It Intentionally.
Ben Goulet-Scott and Jacob S. Suissa offer 101 ways to rediscover the familiar with “Let’s Botanize!”
sierraclub.org
The National Science Foundation funds a chief scientist training program through which early-career scientists spend weeks on a research vessel to conduct research in their respective fields. In January, six women from universities across the US traveled to Antarctica to understand changing sea ice.
Meet the Kriller Queens
Next-gen polar scientists challenge the status quo in Antarctica
sierraclub.org
I could probably talk about wetlands and beavers for hours, so I naturally had such a fun time talking to @emilyfairfax.bsky.social and @jesseandrews.bsky.social about Pixar’s newest film, Hoppers. Big thanks and kudos to both of them! www.sierraclub.org/sierra/how-p...
How Pixar Got the Science Right in Hoppers
Meet the researcher who informed the writers about beaver behavior and threats to their habitat
sierraclub.org
A Winter With Less Snow Could Create Huge Problems for the West (via @sierramagazine.bsky.social) www.sierraclub.org/sierra/winte...
A Winter With Less Snow Could Create Huge Problems for the West
State leaders fret about the threats that could extend well into summer and beyond
sierraclub.org
Pixar’s latest film is just as informative as it is fun. That’s partly because of the experts behind the film. Here’s how one beaver expert helped ensure the animated film got its facts right.
How Pixar Got the Science Right in Hoppers
Meet the researcher who informed the writers about beaver behavior and threats to their habitat
sierraclub.org
This winter has been one of warm temps and little snow for much of the West. Now, state leaders are fretting about how this snowless winter could impact the coming summer season. With little snow to insulate the area from fire, some expect this fire season to be one for the record books.
A Winter With Less Snow Could Create Huge Problems for the West
State leaders fret about the threats that could extend well into summer and beyond
sierraclub.org
first protest while *not* on journalist duty is in the books!🥳🌷🧬🦫 thank you @standupforscience.bsky.social in chicago!
"Businesses are not charities, so corporate research is profit-driven, and the largest profits are not necessarily to be made by addressing the largest societal needs...In contrast, publicly funded science can be explicitly focused on public needs." Exactly right, from @naomioreskes.bsky.social
Private money cannot replace public funding of science
Who should pay for American science? In the current political climate, many are looking to the private sector to compensate for cuts in public funding. At the Harvard School of Public Health—particula...
science.org
NEW: Guards have taken away crayons, colored pencils & paper during recent room searches at Dilley, according to detainees and others. After one inspection, the children just “cried and cried and cried,” a mother said. The facility denies the claims. By @mckenziefunk.com @micarosenberg.bsky.social
Seized Art, Eavesdropping Guards: Parents Describe a Clampdown at Dilley Detention Center as Kids Shared Their Stories
Detainees told ProPublica that art supplies have been removed in room searches, immigrants have lost access to Gmail and staff hover within earshot during video calls.
propublica.org
Very excited to share my first published piece during my time as editorial fellow for @sierramagazine.bsky.social ! I look forward to continue covering more enviro issues and improving my journalism skills🌲🌷 www.sierraclub.org/sierra/negle...
Neglected but Necessary Fieldwork Conversations
Making field sciences inclusive means acknowledging women’s biological realities
sierraclub.org
Neglected but Necessary Fieldwork Conversations (via @sierramagazine.bsky.social ) www.sierraclub.org/sierra/negle...
Neglected but Necessary Fieldwork Conversations
Making field sciences inclusive means acknowledging women’s biological realities
sierraclub.org
It was a pleasure writing this piece for the Latino News Network. When I’m not working on science pieces, I’ll always love writing for communities, especially about issues as pressing and these.
McKenna Sweet@mckennasweet.bsky.social · 10mo agoLatino Communities Say ICE Presence is Changing How They Gather and Celebrate (via @latinonewsnetwork.bsky.social ) #Latino #ICE #Community illatinonews.com/latino-commu...
Latino Communities Say ICE Presence is Changing How They Gather and Celebrate (via @latinonewsnetwork.bsky.social ) #Latino #ICE #Community illatinonews.com/latino-commu...
Latino Communities Say ICE Presence is Changing How They Gather and Celebrate - ILLN
Latino communities in Chicago are adjusting public celebrations and cultural traditions amid growing concerns over immigration enforcement.
illatinonews.com
sometimes science means fieldwork, and sometimes it means spending five hours pre-labeling bags so you aren’t miserable in said field
In case this is of use to anyone running trials or packing sack lunches, the Walmart brand brown bag packages routinely have 48 bags — not 50. Calculate accordingly!
learned that hiking pants are not the best if you want to avoid collecting hundreds of Illinois and pointed leaf tick trefoil seeds! picking them off at least makes for a relaxing afternoon in the sun :)
SCIENCE: From the Magic School Bus to Cyberchase: How 2000s PBS science shows inspired current STEM students (via @mckennasweet.bksy.social) www.dailyuw.com/science/from...
From the Magic School Bus to Cyberchase: How 2000s PBS science shows inspired current STEM students
Art and entertainment influence almost every generation to an extent.
dailyuw.com
SCIENCE: Pre-med isn’t a major: it's a mindset (via @arielbrennan.bsky.social ) www.dailyuw.com/science/pre-...
Pre-med isn’t a major: it's a mindset
When students say they’re “pre-med,” they’re not referring to an academic program. They’re describing a laborious march toward medical school. At its core, being pre-med means preparing for the academ...
dailyuw.com
SCIENCE: UW department of environmental & occupational health sciences prepares to lose NIOSH funding despite absence of formal notification (via @leahjdowning.bsky.social ) www.dailyuw.com/science/uw-d...
UW department of environmental & occupational health sciences prepares to lose NIOSH funding despite absence of formal notification
Many researchers continue learning of upcoming funding eliminations before formal notifications are administered in the era of DOGE’s near-constant budget cuts across the federal government. For organ...
dailyuw.com
ARCHIVES: Being punk means radical inclusivity at the Vera Project (via @mckennasweet.bksy.social) www.dailyuw.com/archives/bei...
Being punk means radical inclusivity at the Vera Project
James Keblas left Tacoma for the Art Institute of Seattle a week after his high school graduation, after recognizing that he was on a bad path and a menace.
dailyuw.com
SCIENCE: Naselle Water Company requests 24-month pause on DNR operations near Naselle watershed (via @mckennasweet.bsky.social ) www.dailyuw.com/news/naselle...
Naselle Water Company requests 24-month pause on DNR operations near Naselle watershed
NASELLE, Wash. – The Naselle Water Company is requesting that the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) pause logging operations for the next 24 months, according to a statement
dailyuw.com
