Shobita Parthasarathy
@shobitap.org
Science, tech, and innovation politics/policy incl patents. Author: next book on politics of inclusive innovation in India. #STS. Prof & Director, Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program, U of Michigan. Expert Voices columnist, Science. shobitap.org
Excellent thread about Detroit politics that resonates with my knowledge and experience too.
jentrification@jentrification.com · 8h agoI wish we had a live audio feature here cause I feel like my thoughts around the Michigan Senate election would land if you all could hear my affect. this wasn't "Maine."
If you haven't voted yet - make sure to look up your polling location and get out there before polls close: www.iwillvote.com/mi
Voted first thing this morning, it took less than 5 minutes! #naturalizedcitizen #elsayed #bluewave
Pete Buttigieg@petebuttigieg.bsky.social · 24h agoHappy Primary Day, Michigan!
University of Michigan School of Information is looking for a Presidential postdoc/Assistant Prof with expertise in Privacy and Technology. Apply by September 20th. Join us! And please circulate this ad widely!
Faculty recruiting | umsi
Learn about open faculty positions at UMSI.
si.umich.edu
9) And last but certainly not least, the record itself. Carr reports he and a guest received tickets from Paramount to attend the Dec 2025 honors gala, valued at $12,390. But he and his wife sat in the private skybox of Paramount CEO David Ellison. Those seats cost $125,000 a piece.
"Attorneys for a man detained in a California immigration detention center have released footage showing him holding up a bottle of water from inside the facility that appeared to be contaminated with worm-like creatures." #ICE www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
The deadline for the 1st Michigan Science and Technology Policy fellowship is Monday August 9th. Please circulate widely!
Shobita Parthasarathy@shobitap.org · 3w agoI am thrilled to announce the 1st Michigan Science & Tech Policy fellowship! We're looking for someone w/AI expertise & policy interests, to work in the MI Dept of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. App deadline Aug 9. Learn about the MiST fellowships: stpp.fordschool.umich.edu/fellowships/...
Here’s some encouraging political news on a Sunday evening: “Senate leadership on Sunday released the text of a bipartisan government funding stopgap measure that would block the White House’s proposal to give political appointees control over federal research grants.”
Senate measure would block Trump plan to politicize federal grants, for now
A White House proposal to subject research grants to political scrutiny meets at least a temporary roadblock in the Senate.
statnews.com
i am begging you — including some of you who follow me that i'm seeing in the OP QTs — to actually read what senate democrats are getting out of this and to stop and think for, like, at least 90 seconds, about what *else* you think a minority party *in both chambers* can squeeze out of the majority
GOLIKEHELLMACHINE@golikehellmachine.com · 3d agostripping OMB of the ability to dole out grants is an enormous win, this nukes the SAVE act, it prohibits further ICE bailouts, adding a "no, really, trump can't break already on-the-books laws regarding elections the federal government doesn't run" clause would be both unnecessary and unproductive
Just to be clear, I reported an exhaustive piece about the allegations against Max Miller on July 18. The New York Times published their story, without crediting me, on July 28. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Assault, misogyny, verbal threats: Records detail new allegations against Rep. Max Miller
Police reports and filings in a bitter custody dispute raise new questions about the conduct of an Ohio Republican as he campaigns for a third term.
motherjones.com
Rep. Max Miller today: "Just want to be clear: no court, no agency has ever substantiated any allegation of abuse against me. No criminal charge has ever been filed against me." But here's a screenshot of his past criminal offenses.
In case anyone needs it for their syllabi, my statement in gen-Ai from the minicomic I made as a syllabus for class last semester. All online and printable here spinweaveandcut.com/fall-2025-sy...
I am excited and humbled to lead @4sweb.bsky.social, which I joined first as a graduate student, into its next half-century. The work of #STS scholars has never been more important, and I aim to continue to build the organization to support our research, education, and public and policy presence!
University of Michigan Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy@fordschool.bsky.social · 5d agoCongratulations to Professor @shobitap.org, incoming President-Elect of the Society for the Social Studies of Science, the leading international association for researchers in science and technology studies! 🎉 Read: https://myumi.ch/WD5D9
Every. Country. "A Reuters analysis found the image of the map included in the presentation contained an artificial intelligence watermark that signals it was made with OpenAI tools." Another reason not to use AI. Don't be this State Department guy.
US government map of Africa mislabels every country at global conference
State department ‘takes full responsibility’ for erroneous, widely shared chart displayed at Aids conference in Brazil
theguardian.com
A friend pointed out this excellent 🧵. Definitely worth a read...
Shobita Parthasarathy@shobitap.org · 2w agoI suffered through Kratsios' answer to Science: the Endless Frontier. The NYT summary is good, but there's more to it. And I should say that I welcome improvements to the scientific enterprise (which is why I'm participating in @alondra.bsky.social and Jenny Reardon's Public's Science project). 🧵
"Teachers will have an app or classroom panic buttons to summon the drones. Mithril Defense’s professional drone pilots can then fly them remotely." This is nuts. Not only will it criminalize more behaviors and normalize violence, but it will likely harm innocent people. Gift link: wapo.st/4bboTU0
Schools are adding pepper-spraying drones to help combat active shooters
The plastic, nonlethal aircraft, which can smash windows and ram attackers, will be at the ready in a handful of schools in Florida, Georgia and Colorado.
wapo.st
The White House's new science blueprint calls for shifting hundreds of billions of research dollars from universities to industry, primarily tech & AI companies. Science and technology policy scholar @shobitap.org spoke with @statnews.com about why that’s a problem. Read: https://myumi.ch/WD2Wr
If you are interested in what’s happening in US science this is a good thread on the Kratsios report. Often the UK picks up US themes so it’s worth being aware bsky.app/profile/shob...
Shobita Parthasarathy@shobitap.org · 2w agoI suffered through Kratsios' answer to Science: the Endless Frontier. The NYT summary is good, but there's more to it. And I should say that I welcome improvements to the scientific enterprise (which is why I'm participating in @alondra.bsky.social and Jenny Reardon's Public's Science project). 🧵
Arundhati Roy's beautiful description of India's cockroach protests is inspirational for handling the Trump regime: "We saw Muslims, Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, people belonging to every caste and class...[they] demonstrated for us, the possible India, the beautiful India of our dreams."
Cockroach Democracy: Unarmed and Dangerous • EQUATOR
The student protesters who have swarmed Delhi are showing us a different future for India
equator.org
this is a great thread about a very bad report
Shobita Parthasarathy@shobitap.org · 2w agoI suffered through Kratsios' answer to Science: the Endless Frontier. The NYT summary is good, but there's more to it. And I should say that I welcome improvements to the scientific enterprise (which is why I'm participating in @alondra.bsky.social and Jenny Reardon's Public's Science project). 🧵
Look at Mary Barra's face as he goes on and on about how great he and tariffs are....
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · last wk.Trump: "It's amazing what tariffs will do for General Motors, and what the election has done ... the rest of the world doesn't love me, but that's ok"
Job opening: University of Michigan's Ford School of Public Policy is hiring a senior scholar in democracy policy, 'an area of research that treats democracy as a policy domain with identifiable problems, measurable outcomes, and actionable interventions.' Open to all social sciences, deadline 9/13.
Professor of Public Policy, Democracy Policy | U-M Careers
careers.umich.edu
Job opening: University of Michigan's Ford School of Public Policy is hiring a postdoctoral fellow (with the potential to transition to a tenure-track position) in international policy (possible focus areas listed in the description). Open to all social sciences, deadline 9/13.
Postdoctoral Fellow | U-M Careers
careers.umich.edu
Also, Apollo was an enormously expensive “soft-power project.” No one really thought it was justified on scientific grounds. See 👇 … and immigrants — most of whom weren’t even former Nazis! — made crucial contributions to its success.
Defending Hierarchy from the Moon to the Indian Ocean: Symbolic Capital and Political Dominance in Early Modern China and the Cold War | International Organization | Cambridge Core
Defending Hierarchy from the Moon to the Indian Ocean: Symbolic Capital and Political Dominance in Early Modern China and the Cold War - Volume 72 Issue 3
cambridge.org
Shobita Parthasarathy@shobitap.org · 2w agoHAHAHAHA. Who's going to tell him that the Human Genome Project was, in fact, an *international* partnership? There are some great books he could read to learn about it, but those were written by 😱 social scientists and historians. Or he could check out that Clinton/Blair press conference.
Haley Stevens is going to be Kyrsten Sinema in the Senate. Don't say you weren't warned.
sounds like two great tastes that don't go together oilprice.com/Alternative-...
Trump Administration Eyes Offshore Nuclear to Power AI Boom | OilPrice.com
Floating nuclear projects are gaining momentum globally, with Russia already operating one plant while U.S., South Korean and Chinese firms develop commercial offshore reactor technologies.
oilprice.com
"The actual specifics of those new rules remain scant. But from conversations I’ve been having with people close to the process, it is widely expected that the administration will try to recategorize millions of immigrants (*both unauthorized & legal*) as not actually living here in the US."
Inside Trump’s Stealth Trick to Rig the Census—and Congress
The administration’s latest power grab is disguised as boring technical guidance.
thebulwark.com
When I was in South Korea a few weeks ago, I was struck by how seriously they take their democracy, and in particular their freedoms of speech and protest--far more than the US (there are even histories of protest in their subway stations!) This story was lovely and provides some context.
A Family’s Daring Escape From North Korea ‘to Live and Stand Tall’ (Gift Article)
Their resolve for freedom hardened during the pandemic, when they lived through a crippling food shortage and were forced to witness frequent public executions.
nytimes.com
I suffered through Kratsios' answer to Science: the Endless Frontier. The NYT summary is good, but there's more to it. And I should say that I welcome improvements to the scientific enterprise (which is why I'm participating in @alondra.bsky.social and Jenny Reardon's Public's Science project). 🧵
Trump’s Plan for Science: More Money for A.I., Less for Universities (Gift Article)
Michael Kratsios, President Trump’s science adviser, proposed overhauling how the government funds research. Democrats said Mr. Trump’s actions had weakened science.
nytimes.com
