Natalie Wickenkamp

My NSF PRFB on the genetics of female polymorphism in hummingbirds was terminated yesterday.

I don't have much to say, I'm just sad. We've discovered so much, and could have gone so much further.

If anyone else is in the same boat, esp postdocs, please reach out, it would be good to connect.

email starting, "The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) has undertaken a review of its award portfolio. Each award was carefully and individually reviewed, and the agency has determined that termination of certain awards is necessary because they are not in alignment with current NSF priorites."

yesterday, my postdoc funding (salary and research funds) was cancelled by the National Science Foundation, effective immediately. I received the same generic, vaguely threatening, typo-ridden email as many of my colleagues who have had their awards terminated recently. (1/n)

Exploring supportive roles for global north investigators in global health research

Will Global North universities change their incentive & promotion structures in academia to recognize allyship work?

journals.plos.org/globalpublic...

I have little experience with new world bats and will not venture a guess, but my goodness look at those cute noseleafs!

U.S. citizen interested in grad studies at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver (Canada)?

Grad programs are re-opening applications of US programs for one week. With expedited decisions.

U.S. Applicant Week:

www.grad.ubc.ca/us-applicant...

#AcademicChatter #Canada #GradSchool

a canadian flag with a red maple leaf in the middle ALT: a canadian flag with a red maple leaf in the middle

Brain gain? Toronto's @UHN hospital system will announce a strategy to attract U.S. health scientists - plan to be unveiled Monday.
Website isn't up yet, but U.S scientists interested check here Monday. Hopefully other hospitals & universities follow UHNCanadaleads.ca

We had no plans to sample bats on this final field trip to Uganda. Luckily for us, we still happened across this beautiful female Nycteris thebaica while visiting Ngamba island. Look closely as she twirls and you can spot the wings of her pup! 🦇 #mammals

Very interesting opportunity for a female African microbiologist.
@tuliodna.bsky.social @ckyobutungi.bsky.social

Please promote

My lab is hiring 2 postdocs on an NIH-funded grant characterizing molecular & cellular changes in the human brain across menopausal transition. Other neuroepigenomics projects are also available. We plan to hire a wet lab scientist and a bioinformatician. Please RT!
kundakoviclab.com
More info 👇

thankful for all who stood together today at #standupforscience in Denver and for the team who made this happen!

For when you get here ... 🗺️👐🏼
28 Geospatial Technology Starter Packs:

Maps Part I: bsky.app/starter-pack...

Maps Part II: bsky.app/starter-pack...

Cloud-Native Geospatial: bsky.app/starter-pack...

Open Source Geospatial: bsky.app/starter-pack...

GIS: bsky.app/starter-pack...

It is worth paying close attention to the new bill "Dangerous Viral Gain of Function Research Moratorium Act" introduced by Senator Roger Marshall.

If enacted, it will effectively stop all of virological research, including for vaccines.

www.marshall.senate.gov/wp-content/u...

🧵👇

If you are an entomologist affected by these federal terminations or know someone who was, please DM me. I’m working on an advocacy plan and need to start gathering support.
As a first step, if you’re a member of the Entomological Society of America, I have a link for you, DM me. #entomology 🧪

NIH meetings are still not being announced in the federal register, so nearly all study sections and councils after this week are not going to happen. This is basically a freeze on funding new grants...

Here's a photo of my favorite grass host, Dactylis glomerata, infected with ergot and stem rust in the beautiful Swiss Alps

Please spread the word - I am looking for a postdoc to join my lab at @osubpp.bsky.social to study diversity and interactions of plants and pathogens in wild and working landscapes!

More information here: agsci-labs.oregonstate.edu/diseaseecolo...

looking to find folks who have current access to identified specimens (can be live or dead and well preserved) of many mosquito species. there are 3500ish described Culidae out there - anyone know anyone who might have specimens from 50+ species? please get in touch if so!

As a grad student on the other end, we know it’s not in your hands.

A Leisler's bat sitting in a gloved hand looking very calm and like he's contemplating his life choices.

This chonk: Leisler's bat (Nyctalus leisleri).Recorded during box checks in 2023 at a bat group box scheme in nearby parkland/woodland. Leisler's are superficially like noctules but smaller, more chill in my experience but equally as inquisitive and intelligent. We're hoping to record more in 2025 🦇

I’ve begun a Wildlife Health Starter Pack, however, I’m very aware it’s probably missing lots of great people working in this space. If you know of any that are on Bluesky and should be included, please let me know! go.bsky.app/6T9kYR2

I’d love to join as well- thanks for putting this together!

Love that you asked this! It’s stored on my ancient MacBook, but I’ve recently been inspired to pour through old projects and play with data I had no time/agency to publish on before. Basically Taylor’s Version but with research projects :) I’ll see if I can’t find some maps to share next #gischat!

Love the childhood exposure. As a kid I competed in a Science Olympiad event called “Disease Detectives” - lol and behold it stuck and now I’m mired in disease surveillance and virus research. Just goes to show how important outreach can be for future scientists.

In 2015 I ran around sticking GPS data loggers on dogs in Mexico to determine whether canine ranging behavior might correlate to cases of Chagas. I was an unsupervised undergrad and just winging it, but had such a great time that I’ve continued exploring spatial aspects of disease ecology. #gischat

REPORT: The Biden-Harris Administration Roadmap for Pandemic Preparedness and Response | The White House President Biden came into office facing the worst public health crisis in more than a century. COVID-19 was wreaking havoc on our country – closing our

Welp, the webpage(s) hosting the Biden-Harris Administration's Roadmap for Pandemic Preparedness and Response have gone dark 💨

Thanks to @archive.org and @waybackmachine.bsky.social, we can still access these (and many other) important resources!

web.archive.org/web/20250116...

Pathogens and planetary change - Nature Reviews Biodiversity This Review explores the relationship between emerging infectious diseases and biodiversity loss, and how both are connected to global environmental changes in the Anthropocene.

Couldn't ask for a better first Bluesky post! Our new paper, "Pathogens and planetary change," is out now in @natrevbiodiv.bsky.social. We discuss the linkages between biodiversity loss + pandemics and how we can address these interconnected crises 🧪😷

Give it a read: www.nature.com/articles/s44...

Federal One Health Coordination Learn about the new framework (NOHF-Zoonoses), and CDC's federal coordination to advance One Health.

Published Friday, the National One Health Framework to Address Zoonotic Diseases and Advance Public Health Preparedness in the U.S.

The dominant word seems to be "coordinate", which, yeah, needed

🚨PLEASE SHARE: Senior reseach post: come and work at the IEU with Gib Hemani and @mendelrandom.bsky.social on Mendelian randomization, become my co-worker :) – research posts with closing date 5th February 2025.

Funding & awards A list of conservation-related scholarships, fellowships, funding, and awards.

Happy New Year!

I updated my webpage of envirionment-related scholarships, grants, & awards: www.aerinjacob.ca/funding--awa...

It includes:
* science
* action & policy
* communication
* travel awards
* international tho' emphasis on N Am, Africa, & women

Please share.

#ConservationFunding

Update from WHO on undiagnosed illness in #DRCongo now called:

“Acute respiratory infections complicated by malaria”

Tests ongoing but indicate “combination of common and seasonal viral respiratory infections and falciparum malaria, compounded by acute malnutrition”

www.who.int/emergencies/...