Elena Bray Speth

😢

Shoot, you never found those keys?!?

"To speak or love in relation to teaching is already to engage a dialogue that is taboo. When we speak of love and teaching, the connections that matter most are the relationship between teacher and subject taught, and the teacher-student relationship. When as professors we care deeply about our subject matter, when we profess to love what we teach and the process of teaching, that declaration of emotional connection tends to be viewed favorably by administrators and colleagues. When we talk about loving our students, these same voices usually talk about exercising caution. They warn us about the dangers of getting "too" close. Emotional connections tend to be suspect in a world where the mind is valued above all else, where the idea that one should be and can be objective is paramount.” - bell hooks, from Teaching Community: A Pedagogy of Hope (2003)

Goodnight, friends.

It’s a time of transition, as I wrap up teaching for the semester. One class met earlier this evening, the other will meet tomorrow afternoon. It’s always bittersweet to bid farewell to the students I’ve shared this time with. I always learn so much from them.

I love you.

🤔

I think we’re all struggling with some aspect of this. We want our institutions to stand up and speak out, but we also fear that it would just add fuel and accelerate the arson. It doesn’t look like higher ed has a cohesive, fire-resistant plan, but the arsonists have been planning a long time…

Rules have always been my “safety guard” and comfort zone. But I get this, now. When the rules are hurting people, when the rules break moral code… rules can be bad and rules can be wrong

Transgender mice?

Exclusive: NIH to terminate hundreds of active research grants Studies that touch on LGBT+ health, gender identity and DEI in the biomedical workforce could be terminated, according to documents obtained by Nature.

www.nature.com/articles/d41...
In case anyone was wondering if anything bad happened to scientists today… 😓

Against “Efficiency” A rant

Thank you for saying all of this! It’s a very good ‘rant’… open.substack.com/pub/emilypit...

A very good read, reminding us that it is imperative we resist the urge to publish for the sake of publishing- and it is imperative that we practice and teach critical scientific literacy skills

The Scientific Literature Can’t Save You Now — The Atlantic Science You can cite peer-reviewed research in support of almost any claim, no matter how absurd. February 13, 2025 Twice during his Senate confirmation hearings at the end of last month, Robert F. Ke...

apple.news/A43sNRnxFSB-...

“The scientific literature is an essential ocean of knowledge, in which floats an alarming amount of junk. Think of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, but the trash cannot be identified without special knowledge and equipment.” - The Atlantic

This thread. Moonstruck and fruit. I can pick my fruit, can I? It will be ripe persimmons and figs. And books, all the books 🌙😶‍🌫️ Thank you

A brief analysis of the text accompanying this “database of wokeness” shows a word soup with absolutely no substance. There’s no real argument, just arbitrary criteria and handpicked flag words. 😖❤️‍🩹

This is devastating

😂

Is Derry Girls still on Netflix? If it is, give it a try. It’s funny and clever and so Irish... ☘️

I couldn’t find better words. This hits straight to the core of the issue. This whole thread says it all. The love, the heartbreak, the loss, the anger. It’s about one’s core values and identity ❤️‍🩹

NIH In Your State - United For Medical Research Select a state on the map to see the impact of NIH funding across America.

This website shows you how many jobs NIH funding creates for your state along with the overall economic activity generated.
www.unitedformedicalresearch.org/nih-in-your-...

Some awesomeness to counter the devastation

Fair, but the intention is clearly not that of reducing indirects to more reasonable rates, like those in the EU. If that was the goal, it would be pursued through gradual changes and long-term planning. The way this is done is to quickly cripple universities by pulling the rug under their feet 😓

When did this happen? I am trying to track it in the news but all I get are articles from Jan 7 (about the previous administration’s rule).

Alt text for Bluesky: A large spinning wheel is set up on a city sidewalk, featuring various temperature thresholds marked in colors ranging from blue (lower temperatures) to deep red (higher temperatures), with values like "<1.75°C," "<2°C," and ">4°C." The wheel appears to be part of a climate awareness campaign. In the background, a sign with German text "Es brennt!" ("It's burning!") features intense portraits of a man and a woman, emphasizing the urgency of climate action. A bright blue folding chair is placed nearby, and pedestrians walk past the scene. The setting is an urban environment with modern buildings, a red restaurant sign, and a flag with gears, possibly symbolizing industrial or environmental themes.

Alt text for Bluesky: A page from an E3G report titled "2025 political outlook and key moments", discussing major EU climate policy events and international political milestones in 2025. The document highlights the EU's political landscape, including national elections, EU legislative decisions, and global climate deadlines. A vertical timeline lists key dates such as the US presidential inauguration (January 20), Germany’s federal elections (March 23), and the UN General Assembly (September 9–23). EU-level events include discussions on the Clean Industrial Deal, Omnibus Simplification Package, and the MFF 2028–2034 proposal. The left side features an arrow indicating the transition of the EU Council presidency from Poland to Denmark, alongside major policy initiatives. The design incorporates a structured timeline with circles marking events and a color-coded theme aligning EU and global developments.

Alt text for Bluesky: A Behavior Change Wheel diagram illustrating the components of behavior change interventions. The wheel consists of three concentric layers: Innermost circle (green): Represents the sources of behavior, categorized into Capability (psychological and physical), Opportunity (social and physical), and Motivation (automatic and reflective). Middle ring (red): Displays intervention functions such as education, persuasion, incentivization, coercion, training, enablement, modeling, and environmental restructuring. Outer ring (gray): Represents policy categories that support interventions, including communication/marketing, legislation, service provision, regulation, fiscal measures, guidelines, and environmental/social planning. The wheel is based on the work of Susan Michie, Maartje M van Stralen, and Robert West, as cited at the bottom. The visualization provides a structured approach to designing behavior change interventions.

Alt text for Bluesky: A climate change graph from the Copernicus Climate Change Service, implemented by ECMWF, showing the global temperature trend from 1970 to projected future warming. The graph highlights that global warming reached an estimated 1.36°C above pre-industrial levels in October 2024. If the observed 30-year warming trend continues, it predicts that global temperatures will reach 1.5°C by June 2030. The graph includes: Orange circles representing observed temperature changes since pre-industrial times. A red line showing the overall temperature trend. Shaded areas indicating IPCC likely estimates and projections. Key markers at October 2024 (1.36°C) and June 2030 (1.5°C). The image also features logos from the European Union, Copernicus, ECMWF, and the Climate Change Service, emphasizing its scientific and policy significance.

Guess I found a perfect use case for generative #AI. Writing descriptive alt texts. (all samples below unedited)

Guess this means there is no excuse anymore of posting without adding #AltText

Just a couple of weeks since fire took out half of my town, Altadena. Zero stories about it in the national news today. We are already forgotten. 😢

Ok, I teared up… thank you for sharing 🥹

Keep doing the good work

Wow, Katie, that is tough. Very well written letter. Hope something good comes from this for you and your colleagues

This. A little every day.

Wonderful thread! Now of course I need to go and read about Vavilov…

Whoa! How did that happen? Maybe I should read the article 😬