@dereklowe.bsky.social lets loose again (and I am still here for it). www.science.org/content/blog... 1/2
The Assault On Science Funding Continues
science.org
Katie Thompson-Peer
@thompsonpeerlab.bsky.social
My lab studies how neurons respond to injury. Dept of Developmental & Cell Biology at UCIrvine.
Good story from Vox on falling numbers of new and competitive renewal R01 grants. [Gift Link] www.vox.com/future-perfe... 1/5
The US slashed research for cancer, Alzheimer’s, mental health — and nearly everything else
Revealed in one chart.
vox.com
The NIH budget was basically the same in 2025 vs. 2024. This massive decline in health research funding was driven by *administrative* choices.
Prasad Jallepalli, MD, PhD@prasad.bsky.social · 5mo agowe are losing so much talent, progress, and hope for no good reason www.vox.com/future-perfe...
Finally out! We studied the retinas of the longest-living vertebrate, the Greenland shark, and found that the retinas remain remarkably healthy in animals around 150 years old. What is the mechanism? It may be a highly efficient DNA repair system. Enjoy! www.nature.com/articles/s41...
So so proud of the new Dr Hwu! Was smiling so much that my face hurt. @ucibiosci.bsky.social @ucirvine.bsky.social
My UCI colleague Dr. Sydney Prange (@sciencey-syd.bsky.social) & I recently published an article on LGBTQ+ persons, queer bioethics, & the importance of diversity, equity, & inclusivity in stem cell research, regenerative medicine, & other "STEM" fields. OA link: www.tandfonline.com/eprint/SHJBX...
LGBTQ+ persons, queer bioethics, and inclusivity in stem cell research and regenerative medicine
Despite the increasing visibility of the LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and other expansive genders or sexual orientations) community, LGBTQ+ persons continue to face significa...
tandfonline.com
I'm delighted to see this come out: "Nine Undergraduate Biology Instructors Revealing their LGBTQ+ Identities in Class Resulted in Benefits for their LGBTQ+ Students and Students with Other Marginalized Identities" from Carly Busch and Sara Brownell and colleagues www.lifescied.org/doi/10.1187/...
Nine Undergraduate Biology Instructors Revealing their LGBTQ+ Identities in Class Resulted in Benefits for their LGBTQ+ Students and Students with Other Marginalized Identities | CBE—Life Sciences Edu...
Few LGBTQ+ biology instructors reveal their identities to undergraduates, often without considering the potential student benefits. Although instructors who have revealed their LGBTQ+ identity perceiv...
lifescied.org
I was a UC PPFP fellow when I was a postdoc at UCSD. This program is invaluable--aside from support for two years of my postdoc, I received excellent mentoring from faculty at the UCs. This fellowship set me up for success and gave me a cohort of fellow postdocs who are now UC faculty. 1/2
Tessa Hill@tessahill.bsky.social · 10mo agoA devastating set of decisions on the part of UC leadership to withdraw support from our nationally recognized postdoc program that prioritizes research excellence combined with addressing our university public service mission. www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty...
The President's Postdoctoral Fellowship Program is one of the most coveted & prestigious positions for UC graduates. It gives a hiring incentive to campuses who hire recipients for a tenure track position. What a DAMN travesty. This is capitulation to Trump's demand letter & anti-diversity agenda.
Tessa Hill@tessahill.bsky.social · 10mo agoA devastating set of decisions on the part of UC leadership to withdraw support from our nationally recognized postdoc program that prioritizes research excellence combined with addressing our university public service mission. www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty...
The Kim Lab (sskimlab.org) at UC Irvine is recruiting motivated grad students interested in uncovering how transcriptional regulators direct cell fates. We accept students through the CMB (cmb.uci.edu) and MCSB (ccbs.uci.edu/education/mcsb/) PhD programs. Please share with prospective grad students!
Kim Lab at UC Irvine
Visit the post for more.
sskimlab.org
@joann-trejo.bsky.social, @marymunson4.bsky.social and I have a commentary in @natcellbio.nature.com on recent attacks on DEI in biomedical research: "If scientific research, especially biomedical research, is meant to serve everyone, then it requires that everyone has an opportunity to participate"
Scaling back DEI programmes and the loss of scientific talent
Nature Cell Biology - Programmes that support diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in science are under attack in the USA. Data indicate that diversity in the scientific workforce increases...
nature.com
Survey for neuroscience PhD students: If you're a neuroscience or neuro-related PhD student, and you're so inclined, please take this short survey from a colleague of mine. uci.questionpro.com/NeuroIFESgra... And/or pass it on to other neuro PhD students.
Neuro IFES - Graduate Students - Online Survey Software
Neuro IFES - Graduate Students - Online Survey Software
uci.questionpro.com
PREACH! www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reaffirming the value of model organisms in training scientific minds - Nature Cell Biology
As biomedical research prioritizes human models and translational promise, classic model organisms are increasingly dismissed. Here we argue that they have a lasting value, both in enabling discovery and in cultivating scientific thinking, by training researchers in systems reasoning, integrative thinking and independent inquiry.
nature.com
High levels of Cas9 are toxic in sensory neurons. Reducing Cas9 levels with uORFs avoids toxicity and is compatible with efficient editing. From @thompsonpeerlab.bsky.social. Fly lines @vdrc-flies.bsky.social #CRISPR #Drosophila www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Just sat through the 1st of 5 webinars on "Raising a Resilient Scientist" from NIH OITE (Office of Intramural Training and Education). I've done lots of mentorship training. This one, on communication skills, was a step above. Highly recommended for PIs. www.training.nih.gov/raising-a-re...
training.nih.gov
We cannot scicomm our way out of this, part …I-don’t-know-I’m-tired-of-counting
Christian Elliott@christianelliott.me · last yr.NASA just won an Emmy for our live broadcast of the total solar eclipse last year. We produced a documentary film about the James Webb Space Telescope that's out in theaters and on Netflix. We have podcasts, we write feature stories. People wear the agency logo on t-shirts. We're still getting cut.
I'm looking forward to participating in this interactive, family-friendly panel designed to make neuroscience accessible and exciting for all:
URGENT: FlyBase has lost practically all its funding overnight; even user fees are tied up in denied grant funding. 🤬🤯 Any lab using @flybase.bsky.social please donate using the link in post below. This incredible community, on whose backs our #Drosophila labs depend, can't be left out to dry.
Marc Dionne@marcsdionne.bsky.social · last yr.My lab studies bacterial infections. We spend a lot of time looking at (or for) species-specific genetic and genomic databases for hosts and microbes. FlyBase is the best of all—there is literally no comparison. Its existence is under threat. Please donate. www.philanthropy.cam.ac.uk/give-to-camb...
Did you know? 🧪 "The Interactive Fly" is a wonderful website hosted by @socdevbio.bsky.social where you can learn about their development, the history of gene discovery/name, and it is full of super useful resources for the #DevBio community 🪰https://www.sdbonline.org/sites/fly/aimain/1aahome.htm
Fantastic visit from @marthabhattacharya.bsky.social to UC Irvine’s Dept of Developmental and Cell Biology yesterday. Beautiful science, studying the role of a transmembrane protein across many model systems. Thanks for visiting!
Today I received the 'Committee Spotlight Award' from the @ucirvine.bsky.social Women's Center for Success at the Dynamic Women Awards. What an honor! Thank you to the people who nominated me for this recognition, including Belén Torrado.
I loved training as part of the Boston C elegans research community. The generosity and curiosity were infectious.
Dr. Ahna Skop@ahnaskop.bsky.social · last yr.“I was starting to think that these worms have a way of bringing out the best in humans—generosity, cooperation, and an unbridled curiosity about life. But these days, the worm people are worried.”
Things giving me hope these days: seeing all the undergrads presenting their research. Our lab has 4 undergrads presenting today. I’m proud of them and their grad student mentors. @ucirvine.bsky.social @ucibiosci.bsky.social Happy UROP day.
In this midst of everything, I'm delighted to share that I've been selected for the Tom Angell Fellowship Award from the UCI Graduate Division. Award recipients demonstrate outstanding mentorship by going above and beyond their normal duties to create new opportunities to mentor UCI students.
This week’s main story is about the budget and staffing cuts being made to public health agencies in the U.S. under RFK Jr.’s leadership, how those cuts will impact all of us, and some foolproof ideas for what scientists can do in the absence of totally superfluous stuff like, y’know, centrifuges.
If using Bloomigton #Drosophila Stock Center stocks, pls. acknowledge them & their NIH funding (P40 OD018537). Papers listing this no. are being harvested as evidence. We massively depend on the @bdsc.bsky.social & they need our support in these dire times! @flybase.bsky.social @fly-eds.bsky.social
Satellite EMBO Neurocytoskeleton #neurocyto2025 meeting at Torres del Paine? Went on an amazing hike with Karolina Kowalska and Jonas Vlasak from Daniel Rozbesky's lab. Then ran into @roylab-ucsd.bsky.social and @m1singh.bsky.social the next day. Great to see colleagues in beautiful places!
Published an op-ed for @cnn.com: “Nobel laureate: I owe America my success. Today, its scientific future is in danger.” A personal reflection on what’s at stake as science funding gets slashed. I’d be grateful if you could amplify both in and beyond the science world. www.cnn.com/2025/04/09/h...
Nobel laureate: I owe America my success. Today, its scientific future is in danger | CNN
Dr. Ardem Patapoutian says he watches “with deep sadness as the United States’ remarkable scientific enterprise, which took generations of hard work and national investment to build, faces a concerted...
cnn.com