Katie Langin

Lawmakers spend big on home state science projects Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell, king of congressional earmarks, steers $165 million to his alma maters

The 2026 budgets of individual science agencies may be lean, but Mitch McConnell once again lead Congress in earmarking big bucks for homestate university research facilities www.science.org/content/arti...

Trump slump? Attendance plummets at some science meetings, but others hold steady Amid travel bans, a government shutdown, and funding crunches, 2025 was a turbulent year for U.S. scientific societies

"One bad year could kill one of our favorite scientific societies."

In my latest story for @science.org, I explored how U.S. conferences fared over the last year amid concerns about an attendance slump.

www.science.org/content/arti...

Sorry you feel left out. The OPM definition of a STEM profession was very broad and we had to restrict the analysis somehow for it to be manageable.

Yes

U.S. government has lost more than 10,000 STEM Ph.D.s since Trump took office A Science analysis reveals how many were fired, retired, or quit across 14 agencies

The US government lost more than 10,000 STEM PhDs last year, according to an analysis by Science of newly released OPM data, with 11 departures for every hire. And many OPM calls "voluntary" separations were probably pushed. www.science.org/content/arti...

Talk about a brain drain. The PhDs who left U.S. federal STEM or health jobs last year had >106,636 years of experience. More grim statistics compiled here: www.science.org/content/arti...

How many STEM Ph.D.s were lost from the U.S. federal government last year?

My colleagues @mghersher.bsky.social and @policyhound.bsky.social dug into a recent data release to find the answer. A @science.org exclusive.

www.science.org/content/arti...

An illustration of people throwing darts at a board, with the hedline: Why I teach my students about scientific failure

"Research is messy. … Trying to protect students from that reality does them a disservice."

On #InternationalDayOfEducation, take a look back at this Working Life essay on teaching students about scientific failure. https://scim.ag/4sTaQcH

How chasing a high-impact publication nearly broke me “Looking back, I’m not sure it was worth the sacrifice,” this scientist writes

"When the paper finally appeared in print, I was in no condition to rejoice."

Our latest Working Life essay explores the burnout a scientist experienced after pouring himself into the pursuit of a Nature or Science publication.

www.science.org/content/arti...

Bizarre 400-million-year-old fossil was an unknown life form Enigmatic organism known as Prototaxites cannot be fungus, new analysis finds

Whatever Prototaxites was, it wasn't the Godzilla of Fungus. (Or any kind of fungus.) www.science.org/content/arti...

"What we’re … seeing is the toll of the uncertainty."

My latest story for @science.org—part of a package that explores how the U.S. scientific community has changed under Trump—includes new numbers on graduate enrollment and faculty hiring.

www.science.org/content/arti...

In the age of Trump, are U.S. scientists ‘bringing white papers to a gunfight’? An unprecedented assault has forced researchers to rethink their advocacy tactics

I actually wrote something for a change: a look at how the US scientific community is trying to push back on Trump policy changes they oppose. | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...

As a new assistant dean, I felt out of my depth—until I looked to my past for guidance “I … knew any career growth would come with self-doubt and uncertainty,” this university administrator writes

"I wish I could tell my grad school self it’s OK to feel out of your depth; even deans can feel that way."

Our latest Working Life essay. @science.org @sciencecareers.bsky.social

www.science.org/content/arti...

An illustration of a man walking out of a dark, paper-filled world into a bright, colorful one. With text: I thought science hinged on prestige. Moving abroad made me reassess my priorities

"I was thrilled to be on an exchange semester overseas, but I saw it as just a detour from my imagined career path. I didn’t realize I was already pedaling toward a different life ..."

Check out one of our top #ScienceWorkingLife essays of 2025: https://scim.ag/3Y573en

An illustration of a woman with a red hand over her mouth looking at other people. The hedline: After an academic mentor’s unwanted sexual advances, I stayed silent for decades. Now, I’m speaking out

"… I share my story in the hope that others … will reflect on moments when trust mattered in their own career journey, and on the responsibility we each hold in ensuring that the next generation enters a scientific world where safety is actively protected." https://scim.ag/4sdMVof

I thought science hinged on prestige. Moving abroad made me reassess my priorities In Denmark, this Ph.D. student fell in love with an egalitarian society that values work-life balance

www.science.org/content/arti...

How I confronted my growing cynicism about academia—and rekindled my sense of purpose “Maintaining hope doesn’t mean ignoring hardships or naïvely expecting things to work out,” this professor writes

www.science.org/content/arti...

How an academic betrayal led me to change my authorship practices “Every cleaned data set, debugged script, and refined figure deserves acknowledgment,” this researcher writes

www.science.org/content/arti...

How a Ph.D. is like riding a bike This researcher struggled in grad school—until he embraced it as a time for learning

www.science.org/content/arti...

My academic job offer was rescinded. I’ll keep going—but U.S. researchers are running out of road Despite an uncertain future, this postdoc will “keep doing the science I love while I still have a bench”

www.science.org/content/arti...

I thought imposter syndrome caused my Ph.D. struggles. I was wrong This former graduate student felt like a fish out of water—until she discovered her true passion

www.science.org/content/arti...

As a laid off postdoc, I turned to a side hustle—and found a new career “There’s room to think creatively and build new opportunities for yourself,” this former postdoc writes

www.science.org/content/arti...

Science used to be my safe space. But when I spiraled into depression, I quit my Ph.D. The author had been using research “as a way of trying to control the uncontrollable”

www.science.org/content/arti...

I’m an NIH-funded researcher, drowning in uncertainty “I’ll keep doing what I can to move my research forward. But I, and so many others, can’t do this indefinitely,” this assistant professor writes

www.science.org/content/arti...

How I found professional satisfaction by adjusting my definition of success As a professor at a teaching-focused university, this scientist has “discovered not just success, but significance”

www.science.org/content/arti...

It isn't easy following science as a career path. Our series of personal essays, published on the last page of Science, aim to shed light on the challenges scientists face and, hopefully, help others feel less alone.

Here are @science.org's top essays of the year.

www.science.org/content/arti...

"I worried no one would believe me."

Our latest Working Life essay is a deeply personal story that explores how a scientist felt—and continues to feel, decades later—after a mentor made unwanted sexual advances. @science.org @sciencecareers.bsky.social

www.science.org/content/arti...

As U.S. shutdown drags on, ‘it’s just one blow after another’ Federal researchers confront growing uncertainty about future

Federal researchers are confronting growing uncertainty about their future, as the 10-day-old shutdown of the U.S. government is now poised to extend into at least next week. https://scim.ag/4n1uy22

Science teachers scramble as U.S. climate resources vanish As government websites go dark, some nonprofits are trying to fill the void

As government websites go dark, educators across the country have been reworking lesson plans and searching for reliable sources of up-to-date scientific information. https://scim.ag/46Vlwxu

An illustration of a person standing at the top of stairs that end, with text: To increase diversity in STEM, a foot in the door isn’t enough. We need better support.

“The program showed me I was capable of doing neuroscience research, but it didn’t give me a feeling that I belonged.”

Read this story about an undergraduate student in a program for students with underrepresented backgrounds: https://bit.ly/4gC03hu #DEI #STEMCareers