Anna Lintern

Dear Public Health Workers, our love for you is CONTAGIOUS!

Dear EPA Workers, you are Air-Replacable!

I’ve recovered a bit now – I’m extremely grateful!

One thing I’ve learned over the past decade is that Australia has *heaps* of research leaders who do amazing, wonderful things. Maybe this lovely idea of nominating me might also inspire others to nominate those who deserve recognition.

list of banned keywords

🚨BREAKING. From a program officer at the National Science Foundation, a list of keywords that can cause a grant to be pulled. I will be sharing screenshots of these keywords along with a decision tree. Please share widely. This is a crisis for academic freedom & science.

The agency has not articulated to researchers how it is vetting grants beyond a smattering of “cryptic communiques”, Barnes says. Because all NSF grant applications are mandated by the US Congress to describe their “broader impacts” on society, which includes a plan to increase the participation of women and underrepresented minorities in science, researchers are worried that any award could be on the chopping block. “NSF requires us to design these projects to be impactful to the highest number of people possible,” Barnes says. “That’s our duty as scientists funded by public taxpayer dollars.”

Nature has seen the criteria for flagging grants, which call for programme officers to look for “broadening participation” language, foreign assistance, climate science, domestic energy, and “discriminatory programs, including illegal DEI”. “To see ‘women’ and ‘woman’ and ‘people of colour’ showing up on a spreadsheet over and over and over and over — that was a gut punch,” says one NSF employee. Action for grants can include cancelling, archiving or modifying them, with a deadline of 7 February. A team of five to eight NSF staff members will then review any revised grants, which will go to the Office of the Director for approval. “We already reviewed all of these,” says one NSF employee, referring to the fact that grant proposals go through extensive vetting before being funded.“It's really frightening and ridiculous.” Another shares those concerns but says that faced with Trump’s orders, “NSF is doing an honest job, as painful as it can be.”

There is another area where the NSF’s actions might butt up against the law. Since 1980, Congress has mandated that the agency seek to broaden participation of underrepresented groups, including women and other minorities, within science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). “The orders are illegal,” says an NSF employee. “The statutory framework of NSF is being violated.” The NSF spokesperson did not respond to a query about concerns that Trump’s executive orders are at odds with the agency’s responsibilities, as codified in law.

Nature's reporting on the NSF's illegal implementation of the Trump EOs: www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Science funding agency threatened with mass layoffs National Science Foundation staff heard the plans at a meeting Tuesday.

Sabotage. Criminal sabotage.

"[The NSF] is planning to lay off between a quarter and a half of its staff in the next two months, a top National Science Foundation official said Tuesday."

www.eenews.net/articles/sci...

If our PhDs and ECRs were among the world's best paid, we would attract incredible talent and boost our fourth largest export sector (if economic language is the only one that carries weight).

‘Despair is not an option’ — how scientists can help protect federal research Government scientists in the US must be clear-eyed and continue to serve the public.

This is an existential moment for federal scientists and other public servants as they face pressures to resign. We must do everything we can to safeguard the federal science enterprise. Thoughts and recommendations from me out in @nature.com today: www.nature.com/articles/d41...

🚨 all EGU journals have cancelled their Twitter/X feeds 👏👏 But for reasons beyond me have decided not to engage with BlueSky 🤷 - if you’d like a BlueSky presence for your favourite EGU journal - I’d suggest getting in touch with @eurogeosciences.bsky.social (or liking this message?) pls RT 😀👏

Most rewarding thing I've done today is create this list, which is now enriched by many great suggestions from others. But I need water orgs based outside North Am and Europe. Who can help me extend the inclusiveness of this list? bsky.app/profile/did:...

As wildfires rage through the LA area, air pollution is a major concern. It is important to recognize that such disasters also severely impact river water quality through land-river connectivity, particularly following post-fire rainfall.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
SharedIt: rdcu.be/dAAhw

Hydrology Paper of the Day @lireactivewater.bsky.social on how river water quality is affected by climate change at temporal and spatial scales that involve landscape processes: gradual, episodic and extreme-magnitude events; land-river connectivity; and adequate forecasting for climate adaptation.

Australian water quality trends over two decades show deterioration in the Great Barrier Reef region and recovery in the Murray-Darling Basin - Communications Earth & Environment The quality of Australian rivers within the North East Coast drainage division, which largely flow into the Great Barrier Reef lagoon, has declined over the past two decades, whereas river water in th...

A robust trend analysis of river #waterquality variables and flow time series all over #Australia delivered very interesting results, reflecting the long-term and large-scale effects of land use, water management and severe drought on river water quality.
Read whole story: doi.org/10.1038/s432...

This happened yesterday. I stand by it.

The govt’s decision to replace the Activity Test with a 3-day early education guarantee if re-elected is a win for children and families.

I’ve been pushing for this change along with the early childhood sector.

Every child should have the right to high-quality and affordable early education.

If you have a HELP or HECS debt, you’ll receive a credit against your balance in the next few weeks. If you haven’t already.

On the average debt of twenty-six thousand, that’s nearly $1200.
 
So, check your balance online today.

I haven't read either of these, but they have gone on my list!

They still don’t get it. The major parties are more concerned with clinging to power than acting on the issues that matter to Australians. For them our communities are a means to an end; not an end in itself. On the issues that matter, and getting it done better, Independence is the difference.

This is my absolute favourite conference. Not sure if I am able to make it in 2025 or 2027, but will hopefully be back in 4 years!

If you could please also add me that would be amazing. Thank you. 😊

Officially deleted my Twitter account (rather than just not using it), and after a social media break, I'm focusing on this platform and hoping to reconnect with the scientists who inspire me and fill me with hope.

Presenting the Victorian Water Quality Trends Report! Such an honour to work on this with the team: Dr Danlu Guo , Dr Rob Sargent, Prof Andrew Western, Dr Cami Plum, Leon Sun, DEECA, Scientell. Such a joy to work with you all 🥰
www.water.vic.gov.au/our-programs...

If you want an amazing supervisor, you should go work with Jon!