Vance Williams
@vancew.bsky.social
Professor of chemistry at Simon Fraser University (SFU), materials nerd, lover of science-based art. (he/him)
The number of students admitted to Ph.D. programs this fall dropped 15% from the previous year, according to data from over 50 top research universities. The decline is driven, in part, by a chaotic and unpredictable federal funding environment under the Trump administration.
Research Universities Are Admitting Fewer Ph.D.s, a Bad Sign for Science
Some of the nation’s top research universities are shrinking doctoral programs because of uncertain federal funding.
nyti.ms
Companies claim that the amount of a chemical they use, produce, or import is confidential more often if it’s one that the Environmental Protection Agency has determined poses a significant risk to human health or the environment, according to a C&EN analysis: cen.acs.org/environment/... #chemsky 🧪
Kicking off our second full day of #ilcc2026 with a great Plenary from Prof. Rae Robertson-Anderson from University of San Diego!
From our lab— chiral nematic liquid crystal droplets suspended in glycerol. The concentric rings in each droplet arise from the periodic helical ordering within the fluid. #liquidcrystal #chiral #polarizedlight #microscopy #sciart #fluid #crystals
And tells teenagers how to shoot children. 🇨🇦
Spelling Mistakes Cost Lives@spellingmistakescostlives.com · 3mo agoOn the tube
absolutely wild to see people out here saying that it is responsibility of peer reviewers to check for hallucinated references. it is hard enough to persuade people to read articles and provide reviews. expecting them to spend hours cross reffing literature is unreal.
No joke: I got angry hate mail today for writing an obituary of a Black woman scientist—because the person felt she did didn’t deserve the recognition. Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Gladys Mae West obituary: mathematician who pioneered GPS technology
She made key contributions to US cold-war science despite facing huge barriers as a Black woman.
nature.com
The report offers a surfeit of evidence to suggest that students who use generative AI are already seeing declines in content knowledge, critical thinking and even creativity. And this could have enormous consequences if these young people grow into adults without learning to think critically. 🍎🎢
The risks of AI in schools outweigh the benefits, report says
A new report warns that AI poses a serious threat to children's cognitive development and emotional well-being.
npr.org
Landscape? This was a photo I captured of caffeine crystals several years ago. I foresee a lot more of this molecule in my life in 2026. #polarizedlight #microscopy #sciart #caffeine
Holiday baking 2025 involved a lot of this molecule #vanillin #polarizedlightmicroscopy #crystals #sciart #vanilla #chem #ochem #microscopy #2025
As 2025 draws to a close, some images that summarize my holiday preoccupations. First up, cholesterol crystals by polarized microscopy. Healthy eating was not a priority these last weeks of the year. #microscopy #crystals #polarizedlight #sciart #ochem
Beaded #sciart by Ruth Cuthand for Indigenous Peoples Day www.thisiscolossal.com/2019/05/ruth...
Beaded Images of Disease Explore the Impact of Colonial Trade
In her series Trading, Saskatchewan-based artist Ruth Cuthand creates a visual metaphor that outlines how early settler/Native relationships influenced First Nation people’s living conditions and well...
thisiscolossal.com
A chiral nematic liquid crystal in transmitted and reflected light. #liquid #sciart #liquidcrystal #moodring
The night garden. My mint plant during the day and the same leaves at night under UV light. The red color is chlorophyll fluorescence. #fluorescent
Trump quietly shutters the only federal agency that investigates industrial chemical explosions. Hazardous chemical accidents happen in the U.S. about every other day. Who will investigate them now? grist.org/energy/trump... #Politics #Environment #Chemicals #Pollution #Policy #Industry
Trump quietly shutters the only federal agency that investigates industrial chemical explosions
The Chemical Safety Board, a federal agency that investigates large-scale industrial chemical disasters, will close under Trump's orders.
grist.org
A coalition of organizations representing educators and researchers (including the @aapthq.bsky.social) has filed a legal challenge to the recent mass termination of grants by the National Science Foundation (NSF). 🎢 🧪 🍎 👩🔬 #AcademicSky
Coalition Files Suit Challenging DOGE Attacks on Congressionally-Approved STEM Programs - Democracy Forward
democracyforward.org
Last day for submissions to this year's ChemiSTEAM competition! For more information and a link, please find details among the #CSC2025 signature events: www.cheminst.ca/conference/c...
Signature Events: Additional Events - The Chemical Institute of Canada
Networking coffee breaks Poster sessions Analytical Chemistry New Faculty Discussion Forum Chemistry in Canada 2067 CSC President’s Event ChemiSTEAM – Putting the A(rt) in STEM Inclusion, Diversity, E...
cheminst.ca
Making mood rings in the lab. I should lay off the coffee before filming time lapse photos.
