Chris Fields

I can't recall it working since I've been here in 2002.

Microbial analysis profiling workshop - Sept 2025 - Carver Biotech Microbial Profiling Analysis Workshop WHEN: Held over 3 Fridays from 10am – 2:45pm; Sept. 12, Sept. 19th, & Sept. 26th.   Note: We will record the sessions if you have to miss part of a day and make i...

Hi all! We're hosting another Microbial Profiling Analysis Workshop, this time online! The workshop starts Sept 12. To learn more: biotech.illinois.edu/microbial-an...

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...

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...

Columbia University caves to demands to restore $400m from Trump administration Measures include empowering security officers to arrest people, and reassigning control of Middle East department

Exclusive: NIH freezes all research grants to Columbia University Amid negotiations with Trump, the university could risk losing nearly $700 million

How it started / How it's going

Today marks the beginning of OpenRxiv, which replaces bioRxiv and medRxiv, the world's largest preprint platform for life and medical science
openrxiv.org/introducing-...
@openrxiv.bsky.social

Graph between 1/20 and 2/28 of fiscal year 2024 and 2025 new awards in the EDU directorate.

🧪🚨 NSF's Directorate for STEM Education (EDU) has halted making nearly all new awards since inauguration day.

Among *many* other things, EDU runs the Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP).

We need to protect the education & training of the next gen of scientists #StandUpForScience

Thread👇🧵

Cartoon by @paulnoth.bsky.social

Long letter from NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan, available here: https://nsf-gov-resources.nsf.gov/files/Letter-to-the-Community.pdf

🧪 The NSF director is lying to you.

Let’s fact check 7 claims from yesterday’s letter to the community, while pointing out 3 critical omissions. 🧵

We're hosting a Microbial Profiling Analysis Workshop! Deadline for signup: March 21! There are pre-requisites so please sign up early to allow yourself time to acquire any missing knowledge. To learn more visit go.illinois.edu/hpcbio-works...

March 7 @standupforscience.bsky.social happened. I now have a question. Reply to this thread w ur answers!

What do we do with this momentum? Think innovative, creative, mundane, give us all your ideas.

We have ideas, but this is for EVERYONE. I want everyone’s ideas.

More than 5,000 USDA workers fired by Trump ordered back to work for now The U.S. Department of Agriculture must temporarily reinstate more than 5,000 probationary employees fired since Feb. 13, according to a ruling by the Merit Systems Protection Board.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture must temporarily reinstate more than 5,000 probationary employees fired since Feb. 13, according to a ruling by the Merit Systems Protection Board.

A reporting page from @seandavis for affected US Government Biomedical Data resources. Sunday not a good day. stats.uptimerobot.com/Zrqh8AhvKn

First of four screen grabs showing “Safari can’t open the page because the server can’t be found” error messages on NIH, NCBI, GenBank and BLAST websites.

Second of four screen grabs showing “Safari can’t open the page because the server can’t be found” error messages on NIH, NCBI, GenBank and BLAST websites.

Third of four screen grabs showing “Safari can’t open the page because the server can’t be found” error messages on NIH, NCBI, GenBank and BLAST websites.

Fourth of four screen grabs showing “Safari can’t open the page because the server can’t be found” error messages on NIH, NCBI, GenBank and BLAST websites.

The NIH website, including NCBI, GenBank, and BLAST are down. I thought it might be a brief outage so waited 12 hours and checked again before posting this. They’re still down.

It is hard to express just how fundamental these tools are to biology and medicine: research, applied, public and private.

The American Society for Microbiology is steadfast in its commitment to advancing inclusion, diversity, equity, access and accountability. This commitment becomes even more important in light of the ongoing challenges facing the scientific community. We recognize that recent ASM actions have led some of our members to question our dedication to our values. We hear your concerns and take responsibility for our decisions and mistakes. We are taking actions to more clearly affirm our commitment to ensuring everyone feels respected and valued. We know that it will take time and action to earn and maintain your trust. ASM has a long and proud history as a leader advocating for diversity and equity in the microbial sciences, supporting vital, federally funded programs like ABRCMS, MOSAIC and many other initiatives that foster a more inclusive and welcoming scientific community for all. We reaffirm our existing commitment to the values that these programs represent. Specifically, we will: Ensure that our decision-making processes reflect our values. Continue to review and update a comprehensive diversity, equity and inclusion strategy, with clear action plans and programming. Strengthen partnerships with affiliated societies to advance diversity, inclusion and innovation in science. Leverage our resources and influence to advocate for evidence-based scientific public policy and workforce development. In the face of ongoing threats to science and equity, ASM is dedicated to not only supporting, but also empowering our members—particularly those who have fought for visibility and belonging in our field. We are committed to promoting a future in microbial sciences that honors the contributions of all individuals, and to advocating for evidence-based public policy that serves the needs of the public and the scientific community alike. We have been, and always will be, champions for our members and our community, and our commitment is stronger than ever. (truncated)

The full email sent to @asm.org members reaffirming the Society's commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity, access, and accountability.

ASM has a long and proud history as a leader advocating for diversity and equity in the microbial sciences.

This builds upon this: asm.org/Newsroom/Fea...

Zachary Lewis on LinkedIn: Laboratory Research Technician We have open positions for a lab manger and a laboratory technician. Applications from displaced federal employees are welcome. Lab manager position:…

Two open positions for a lab manger and a laboratory technician. Applications from displaced federal employees are welcome.

Lab manager position: www.ugajobsearch.com/postings/410...
Lab tech position: www.ugajobsearch.com/postings/391...

Please email zlewis@uga.edu if you have questions

The Democrats on the House Science Committee have set up a website to collect stories from fired federal employees, anonymously if desired. Please amplify. (This helps the lawyers establish standing for bringing legal cases against the administration!)

democrats-science.house.gov/sciencefirings

PLOS statement on recent US Executive Orders and scientific integrity - The Official PLOS Blog Since its founding over twenty five years ago PLOS has been dedicated to advancing open science, ensuring that knowledge is accessible to…

Bravo @plos.org!

US exec orders "stand in direct conflict with our core values, our mission, edit policies"

"PLOS will not compromise on issues of scientific rigor & editorial integrity... we seek diversity because more expert voices make for better science"

theplosblog.plos.org/2025/02/plos...

Yep, getting ‘500 internal server error’ as well, and logging in via eRA or Orcid also has issues (likely server side)

The NCBI website is down

SORTEE awards Awards of Society for Open, Reliable, and Transparent Ecology and Evolutionary biology (SORTEE)

Do you have a project in ecology and evolution that exemplifies open science? If so nominate the project for a SORTEE Commendation Award:

More details about the SORTEE Commendation Award:

Ax falls on elite group of Ph.D.s training to lead U.S. public health labs Most of the fellows in CDC’s highly competitive Laboratory Leadership Service were fired last weekend

Ax falls on elite group of Ph.D.s training to lead U.S. public health labs | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...

Apple’s new sci-fi series “Murderbot” to make global debut May 16, 2025 Today, Apple TV+ unveiled a first look at “Murderbot,” created by Chris and Paul Weitz and starring Alexander Skarsgård

I have been so excited since I found out this would be announced today! RIP any ability for me to concentrate: www.apple.com/tv-pr/news/2...

Will the world of short-read Next-Generation Sequencing change forever? We are about to find out! #Roche #SBX #ShortReads #NovaSeqKiller

Registration is now open for TWO (2) @nf-co.re hackathons 🎉 (First time that this has ever happened!)

🌐 March: online and distributed local sites
🇺🇸 May: in-person at Boston #NextflowSummit

See the nf-core events page for the full list of hackathons: nf-co.re/events/hacka...

March 7. Stand Up For Science. Rallies in DC and nationwide. 🧪

Please visit the website and spread the word.

www.standupforscience2025.org

An answer to the question circulating this week about whether to use US flags at protests

Funding cuts by state

Total NIH funding cuts by state. This can be helpful when talking to your representatives

www.datawrapper.de/_/Y0Pnk/

For folks who have left, but not deleted accounts other social media platforms, now would be a good time to engage in scicomm on what NIH does and what Facilities and Administrative costs are where there is a vacuum —to whatever level of safety and comfort you need.

Federal Courts Are the Frontline for Those Opposing Trump Executive Orders With a compliant Congress and mostly quiet streets, the president’s opponents are turning to the judicial branch with a flurry of legal actions. But can the courts keep up?

“On Friday, Democratic attorneys general went back to court to demand that a federal judge enforce his restraining order that was meant to keep billions of dollars in federal grant funds flowing. They said that the Trump administration had not complied”

www.nytimes.com/2025/02/09/u...