Vanessa Bentley (she/her)'s Avatar

Vanessa Bentley (she/her)

@piratev.bsky.social

Philosopher of science (neuroscience). Experiment, science & values, neuroethics, and feminist philosophy of science. University of Central Oklahoma

1,666 Followers  |  1,470 Following  |  288 Posts  |  Joined: 06.10.2023
Posts Following

Posts by Vanessa Bentley (she/her) (@piratev.bsky.social)

"I saw what open, rigorous, and collaborative science could look like. I saw people I wanted to become, and a path I hadn't known was there." - Kirollus Abdallah, Eygpt

"I saw what open, rigorous, and collaborative science could look like. I saw people I wanted to become, and a path I hadn't known was there." - Kirollus Abdallah, Eygpt

Applications for July #CompNeuro, #DeepLearning, #NeuroAI & #ClimateScience are open.

Learn in small collaborative pods with a dedicated TA, build real research skills, and join 13,000+ alumni worldwide.

➑️ Apply by 15 March:
neuromatch.io/courses/

25.02.2026 16:06 β€” πŸ‘ 9    πŸ” 7    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Okay SOTU counter-programming in the form of Sneakers plot holes:

Bishop could stay underground for 25 years but couldn’t check if the NSA had San Francisco offices?

25.02.2026 02:39 β€” πŸ‘ 217    πŸ” 31    πŸ’¬ 13    πŸ“Œ 10

I'm hiring a postdoc at @cmu.edu (w/ far.ai & @dgrand.bsky.social + @gordpennycook.bsky.social)!

How do LLMs shape human beliefs β€” and what do we do about it? AI safety meets behavioral science.

Open to technical and social science backgrounds.

23.02.2026 18:46 β€” πŸ‘ 42    πŸ” 27    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 3

Sometimes industry rhetoric involves dehumanizing people.

Other times it involves humanizing AI.

It’s important to recognize how both of these moves work together to serve industry goals.

2/

22.02.2026 19:29 β€” πŸ‘ 178    πŸ” 44    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 1
Preview
The U.S. spent $30 billion to ditch textbooks for laptops and tablets: The result is the first generation less cognitively capable than their parents | Fortune Neuroscientist Jared Cooney Horvath said older generations β€œscrewed up” giving students access to so much technology: β€œI genuinely hope Gen Z quickly figures that out and gets mad.”

Now THAT's a headline.

"The U.S. spent $30 billion to ditch textbooks for laptops and tablets: The result is the first generation less cognitively capable than their parents"

fortune.com/2026/02/21/l...

21.02.2026 20:40 β€” πŸ‘ 2636    πŸ” 1156    πŸ’¬ 81    πŸ“Œ 230

Any movie recommendations? My spouse and I are out of the loop. Preference for action/fun. Nothing too emotionally draining.

21.02.2026 23:35 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Post image

Yesterday, those who teach Intro to Sociology at Florida colleges (as opposed to universities) received a ready-made curriculum from the state and were ordered to teach it.

Yes, you read that correctly. The *state* is enforcing a curriculum on college profs, complete w/ the following restrictions:

19.02.2026 16:47 β€” πŸ‘ 2752    πŸ” 1572    πŸ’¬ 171    πŸ“Œ 403
(between images of a map showing the nearly 600 No Kings Day events planned for March 28) NO THRONES. NO CROWNS.
NO KINGS.
MARCH 28
NOKINGS.ORG

(between images of a map showing the nearly 600 No Kings Day events planned for March 28) NO THRONES. NO CROWNS. NO KINGS. MARCH 28 NOKINGS.ORG

The map for No Kings Day just went live with nearly 600 peaceful protests planned across all 50 states (including our flagship event in the Twin Cities).

Find your local protest or start a new No Kings event if there’s currently nothing planned near you: www.nokings.org?SQF_SOURCE=i...

17.02.2026 18:11 β€” πŸ‘ 1404    πŸ” 778    πŸ’¬ 53    πŸ“Œ 55

β€œWithin each one of us there is some piece of humanness that knows we are not being served by the machine which orchestrates crisis after crisis and is grinding all our futures into dust.”

β€”Audre Lorde 🌸🌸🌸
β€οΈπŸ–€πŸ’š

16.02.2026 14:40 β€” πŸ‘ 104    πŸ” 35    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Someone has sure already made this observation but the fact they can convert all those empty warehouses into prison camps means they could have converted them into housing, community centers, job training centers or, hell, libraries or schools all along. It’s always a matter of will not resources.

15.02.2026 17:30 β€” πŸ‘ 41472    πŸ” 14052    πŸ’¬ 660    πŸ“Œ 594
Preview
πŸ“š Reading Women in Cognitive Science πŸ“š Occasionally, I make threads on social media about papers and books that I read. It helps me focus and process deeper when I share highlights and thoughts with others. In this blogpost, I compile a…

πŸ“š Reading Women in Cognitive Science πŸ“š

β€œRecommendations for readings are welcome, especially in the history of cognitive science (prior to 1950s, and the older the better).”

irisvanrooijcogsci.com/2026/02/15/%...

15.02.2026 00:14 β€” πŸ‘ 64    πŸ” 30    πŸ’¬ 5    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
No Holds Barred in the Debate Ring with Pro Philosopher 2 - Unwinnable "How should humans govern themselves?"

"[P]ro Philosopher 2 can bring memorable entertainment while also being a very nice (and needed) first dip into political philosophy."

DΓ­dac JimΓ©nez-Torras digs into Pro Philosopher 2, a game that lets you explore some of the most famous philosophical arguments:

13.02.2026 02:00 β€” πŸ‘ 8    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Post image

Junior scientists πŸ‘‰ applications are open for our workshop on the mechanistic basis of #cognition. 🧠

🀝 Joint sessions with our #TheoreticalNeuroscience workshop
✈️ Hotel, meals + reasonable travel expenses covered

Apply by May 7 ➑️ janelia.news/CNW26

@michaelreiser.bsky.social @jvoigts.bsky.social

28.01.2026 15:32 β€” πŸ‘ 21    πŸ” 10    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 3

I don’t really know what I expect in posting this, but maybe some people see it and can learn from it.

I’ll call it β€œlessons from an unwilling immigration attorney.”

1/

11.02.2026 21:56 β€” πŸ‘ 5246    πŸ” 2656    πŸ’¬ 85    πŸ“Œ 907
Preview
Environmental Sociology Now by Jordan Fox, Ian Carrillo, J. P. Sapinski, Diana Stuart - Paper Scholarship is a powerful tool for changing how people think, plan, and govern. By giving voice to bright minds and bold ideas, we seek to foster understanding and drive progressive change.

🚨 Our book Environmental Sociology Now is available for preorder.

You can order through UC Press now and get 30% off the book with code UCPSAVE30. Instructors will also be able to request an exam copy of the book beginning in early January.

www.ucpress.edu/books/enviro...

10.11.2025 19:29 β€” πŸ‘ 22    πŸ” 9    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 2
Preview
As AI enters the operating room, reports arise of botched surgeries and misidentified body parts Medical device makers have been rushing to add AI to their products. While proponents say the new technology will revolutionize medicine, regulators are receiving a rising number of claims of patient ...

When AI was added to a tool for sinus surgery: β€œCerebrospinal fluid leaked from one patient’s nose. In another… a surgeon mistakenly punctured the base of a patient’s skull. In two other cases, patients suffered strokes after a major artery was accidentally injured”

www.reuters.com/investigatio...

09.02.2026 23:42 β€” πŸ‘ 3773    πŸ” 2085    πŸ’¬ 116    πŸ“Œ 616

Fun thread ⬇️

09.02.2026 03:40 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Spent my Sunday afternoon writing scholarship recommendation letters for 3 stellar students. I hope they’re all successful!

08.02.2026 21:54 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
FCC opens Musk’s 1M-satellite DC plan for public comment : The FCC is taking public comments - now’s your chance to tell them this plan is bonkers

More from the annals of 'no one askedΒ for this' ~

SpaceX adding a *million* satellites & data centers toΒ orbitΒ means seeing oligarchs' mess even in the heavens

That's a 6800% increase in #astronomy (& beauty) -killing space junk from today's <Β 15,000 satellites

Public comment period is open:

05.02.2026 19:39 β€” πŸ‘ 29    πŸ” 23    πŸ’¬ 5    πŸ“Œ 2
Preview
AAUP President on the Elimination of Tenure at Oklahoma Regional Universities and Community Colleges. WASHINGTONβ€”AAUP President Todd Wolfson issued the following statement in response to the Governor of Oklahoma’s signing of Executive Order 2026-07, which immediately eliminates the conferral of academ...

AAUP President Todd Wolfson issued the following statement in response to Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt's Executive Order issued today immediately eliminating academic tenure at the state’s public regional universities and community colleges.

06.02.2026 00:39 β€” πŸ‘ 119    πŸ” 95    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 14

Hoooooly crap. The Chronicle article is paywalled, but here’s the executive order: www.sos.ok.gov/documents/ex...

06.02.2026 01:10 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

"We would have lost so much if we'd driven him away" is the justification.

But we lost all those girls. We lost the women they would have become. We lost the work they would have done. Why was his future work so much more valuable than theirs?

05.02.2026 21:02 β€” πŸ‘ 3755    πŸ” 746    πŸ’¬ 21    πŸ“Œ 44
Preview
USAJOBS connects job seekers with federal jobs across the United States and around the world as the official employment site for the federal government <p>The Smithsonian Institution is the world&rsquo;s largest museum, education, and research complex, with 21 museums and the National Zoo.&nbsp; This position is located in organizationally in Collect...

Job posting: Associate Director for Curatorial Affairs @ Smithsonian American Women's History Museum. Closing date: 02/18/2026; Salary GS14 $143,913- $187,093/yr Onsite, Washington, DC

Role leads and supervises the Museum's historical research, collections, and archives functions.

03.02.2026 01:41 β€” πŸ‘ 9    πŸ” 10    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Academics vying for a spot in Epsteinβ€˜s world. There are so many. I feel the need to make a thread, so I don’t keep confusing them. 1/

31.01.2026 21:02 β€” πŸ‘ 2939    πŸ” 1449    πŸ’¬ 75    πŸ“Œ 222
Take back our science rally! March 7th 2026. standupforscience.net/march7

Take back our science rally! March 7th 2026. standupforscience.net/march7

GET IN, DORKS!
The stakes are high and we have a LOT to stand up for in 2026.

Join us on March 7th, 2026! www.standupforscience.net/march7

Want to host an event in your area? Sign up here: fight2win.standupforscience.net/sign_up/14434/

#Standupforscience #takebackourscience

29.01.2026 14:04 β€” πŸ‘ 259    πŸ” 104    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 7
Preview
Notable Sandwiches #136: Peanut Butter & Jelly Welcome back to Notable Sandwiches, the feature where David & I traipse through the garden of earthly delights that is Wikipedia’s List of Notable...

TODAY: the myth
the icon
the legend

the peanut butter and jelly sandwich

on the making of a myth, and how it became ubiquitous
(alas, george washington carver did not invent peanut butter)

buttondown.com/theswordandt...

30.01.2026 18:53 β€” πŸ‘ 192    πŸ” 46    πŸ’¬ 18    πŸ“Œ 19
Preview
Texas A&M University cancels programs in women's and gender studies The university said it had also modified hundreds of courses and cancelled six in efforts to eliminate teaching related to diversity, equity and inclusion.

www.npr.org/2026/01/30/n...

30.01.2026 23:30 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
New Book on Women and Republicanism Just out on Oxford Academic Online and in print in March or June (depending where you are in the world), this book features eleven chapters on women political philosophers who engaged with republican thought from the 18th to the early 20th century, in Brazil, Britain, France, Italy, Turkey, and the US. Abstract The aim of this volume is both to introduce readers to the deep, varied, and theoretically rich history of women writing within the republican political tradition, and to produce cutting-edge research on the philosophical contribution that women have made.

New Book on Women and Republicanism

Just out on Oxford Academic Online and in print in March or June (depending where you are in the world), this book features eleven chapters on women political philosophers who engaged with republican thought from the 18th to the early 20th century, in Brazil,…

29.01.2026 13:03 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
City leaders exploring legal ways to stop ICE facility from opening in Oklahoma City Not one person who took the podium Tuesday voiced any support for the ICE center.

Overflow attendance at the OKC city council meeting, where there was discussion of a proposed ICE facility. None of the people making public comments expressed support.

www.koco.com/article/okla...

28.01.2026 03:05 β€” πŸ‘ 37    πŸ” 11    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1