Rachel Gabor
@riverchem.bsky.social
Chemist turned hydrologist/biogeochemist - all things carbon and water.
if you doubt the anger of scientists...read and circulate this piece. eos.org/opinions/sen...
Senior Scientists Must Stand Up Against Attacks on Research and Education - Eos
They can use their position and collective power to influence institutional actions and mobilize to support more vulnerable colleagues.
eos.org
Lil Nibbler, LBWI@lilnibbler.bsky.social · last yr.Scientists are in an uproar. The media may tell a different story but I know like nuclear physicists who are pissed.
1. Far right federal judge Matthew Kacsmaryk has just vacated all EEOC protections for gay and trans people in the work place. He says protections from "being fired" do not mean they are protected from harassment by Title VII. I cover this insane ruling here. Subscribe to support my journalism.
Far Right Federal Judge Rules Gay And Trans People Can Be Discriminated Against In Workplaces
Judge Kacsmaryk, a federal judge in the Northern District of Texas, ruled on the EEOC's treatment of Title VIII employment discrimination claims on gay and trans people.
erininthemorning.com
What happens to science under autocracy? The rise of the National Socialist Party in 1930s Germany provides an (admittedly extreme) example. Prior to the early 1930s, scientists at German institutions won a third of Nobels. 10 years later, that number was 5%, and has never recovered.
"Imagine the auto industry without 3D printing. NSF funded that. Artificial intelligence? NSF. MRI machines that help doctors diagnose you? NSF. Doppler radar technology that makes aviation safer by conquering wind shear? NSF. Duolingo‘s underlying programming? NSF. The internet itself? NSF."
Michigan Advance@michiganadvance.com · last yr.The National Science Foundation was established 75 years ago this week, but as Professor Scott L. Greer writes in this commentary, it’s “been a bit of a rough birthday party.” michiganadvance.com/2025/05/13/a...
I am thinking a lot today about how heavy things feel in my world of faculty doing scientific research. There's the immediate chaos and panic about our ability to pay people and continue our research. But there's also a deeper grief at watching everything get bulldozed for no reason
On a day when all research grants at Harvard were terminated, and in a context where Congress seems to broadly accept the notion that destroying science and health research in the US is fine, it’s worth noting that this is not what the public wants.
Jacquelyn Gill@jacquelyngill.bsky.social · last yr.The American public is broadly supportive of maintaining federal science and medical research funding, and against punishing universities by taking their funding away, according to a new poll:
This report from @sanders.senate.gov didn't get enough attention yesterday. It tracks how much funding from science Trump has killed. www.sanders.senate.gov/wp-content/u...
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, two weeks ago: "I have long been concerned about PFAS. We are tackling PFAS from all of EPA's program offices, advancing research and testing, stopping PFAS from getting into drinking water systems, and holding polluters accountable." EPA today:
EPA Moves to Weaken Biden-era PFAS Limits for Drinking Water (2)
The EPA will rescind limits on several groups of PFAS in drinking water and extend the time for water systems to comply with limits for two other groups of “forever chemicals,” the agency said.
news.bloomberglaw.com
🧪 National Science Foundation update alert ⚠️⚠️ NSF just made a **lot** of updates to its "priorities" page. It's mixed news. Some good. Some bad. ❌ Not welcome: NSF is now also terminating "environmental justice" awards. The highlighted text here is new: www.nsf.gov/updates-on-p... 1/8... 🧵
BREAKING: Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. announced he has ordered the FDA to consider new nationwide restrictions on medication abortion — and that President Trump, not scientists or doctors, will make the final decision.
we have a secretary of -transportation making it more dangerous to travel -education making kids stupider -defense making us more vulnerable to attacks -homeland security making us feel less secure than ever -health and human services trying to spread illness everything’s fine.
Holy shiitake! Trump fired Shira Perlmutter, the Director of the US Copyrights Office apparently because she refused to let Elon Musk raid the place to steal author’s intellectual property rights democrats-cha.house.gov/media/press-...
The cost of Grok: "I can't breathe at home, it smells like gas outside. How come I can't breathe at home and y'all get to breathe at home?"
Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · last yr.Poisoning the air of a Black community for a fucking chatbot.
Many of my federal scientist friends are unwilling to speak to journalists, even on background, because they fear the consequences of speaking out. We've got a nice constitution here. It would be amazing if someone actually followed it.
Federal workers spoke to reporters after DOGE fired them. Now they face investigation.
At least half a dozen USAID employees are facing threats of "disciplinary action" for speaking to reporters after they thought they had been fired.
cbsnews.com
“The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas — hardly a partisan institution — finds that nondefense government R&D yields long-run economic returns of 150% to 300% …“Our findings therefore point to a misallocation of public capital, and substantial underinvestment in nondefense R&D.”
The NSF Is Being Dismantled — With Broad Implications For The American Economy
The economic consequences of cuts to the National Science Foundation and restricting scientific inquiry on this scale could be far-reaching.
forbes.com
“She’s not yours to pity. She’s mine to marvel at.” www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/an-...
An Open Letter to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Who Thinks My Daughter Is a Tragedy
Dear Mr. RFK Jr., (The “dear” is tradition. Don’t mistake it for affection.) You said autistic children are a burden. That they ruin families. That...
mcsweeneys.net
“I asked chatGPT-“ ok, and I asked Tinsel, and she said you’re an uninspired, vapid dork who needs a computer to think for them.
A victory for the federal scientific workforce! We could not stand by while this irreparable harm continues at NSF, NOAA and all our scientific agencies. TODAY the judge granted our request to temporarily HALT the mass firings at federal agencies under Trump’s Executive Order.
1. After getting some further insight into changes at NSF (thanks to those who reached out), I deleted a previous post where I tried to make sense of Cheatham's memo as reported in the Science story below.
NSF slashes number of ‘rotators’ and well-paid managers as part of restructuring
Smaller future budgets will require fewer people, NSF official tells staff
science.org
"Masked security forces captured an opposition leader in the coastal province of New Jersey as regime officials continue their months-long crack-down against pro-democracy elements in the embattled United States. The arrest comes as the regime issued calls for summary detentions without trial."
Marco Foster@marcofoster.bsky.social · last yr.HAPPENING NOW: Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was just taken into custody while protesting outside the Delaney Hall ICE detention center
NSF Unidata@unidata.bsky.social · last yr.Due to the current gap in funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), the NSF Unidata Program is pausing most operations effective 12 May 2025. Nearly all staff will be furloughed until funds from our existing NSF grant become available. For more information, see buff.ly/d2TC1Oy
Until recently, the US S&T enterprise & higher ed systems were the envy of the world. The way it's being gutted is beyond heartbreaking. The US innovation engine is crumbling before our eyes. This moment in history is not just sad—it is profoundly tragic & represents an incalculable loss. So unreal.
