Dr. Rachel Horak

My feelings, exactly.

The Republican Plot to Destroy Education Research Elon Musk and the Trump administration have gutted the Institute of Education Science.

" According to The Hechinger Report, there are only three people left to do the work of the National Assessment of Educational Progress, NAEP, which is the common measure of K-12 achievement through standardized tests. "

prospect.org/education/20...

As if irony isn’t already dead, the Hatch Act violation on the DOJ website, which blames Democrats for the shutdown, appears on the page advising DOJ employees they are subject to the Hatch Act. joycevance.substack.com/p/a-note-abo...

Joint statement from American Society for Microbiology and 21 other professional STEM societies calling for Secretary Kennedy resignation

Opinion | We Ran the C.D.C.: Kennedy Is Endangering Every American’s Health

9 CDC Directors going back to 1977 speak out. What RFK Jr has done to our nation’s public health system "should alarm every American."

It "is unlike anything we have ever seen at the agency, and unlike anything our country has ever experienced." www.nytimes.com/2025/09/01/o...

Thou shalt not end vaccines. God will not save you from plague. The Middle Ages should’ve made that very clear.

Saddened to learn of the passing of Moselio "Elio" Schaechter—Distinguished Professor at Tufts, SDSU and UCSD—humanist and visionary leader in the fields of microbiology and scientific communication—mentor, friend, and inspiration to me and so many others

Small Things Considered
Big Things Achieved

On Aug. 1, ASM & partner societies filed an expanded amicus brief with SCOTUS to defend scientific integrity & protect early-career researchers. The brief highlights the harm caused by NIH grant terminations, including canceling the MOSAIC program. asm.org/press-releas...

This surprisingly relaxing footage is from SIX MILES under the ocean – and it’s the deepest ecosystem yet discovered

NSF plans abrupt end to lone U.S. Antarctic research icebreaker Imminent termination of the RV Nathaniel B. Palmer shocks polar scientists

My latest: Polar scientists warn that the White House and NSF are planning to terminate the Nathaniel Palmer, the only US research icebreaker capable of handling Antarctic extremes, this October.

So far the plan has seen minimal pushback from Congress.

My quote of the day

A Video Quote

Medical miracles don't happen overnight. You have to invest in them. Our investments are in trouble.

(From Francis Collins on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, July 16, 2025)

From a time when childhood vaccines were just a figment of imagination.

Row after row of baby headstones.

ASMCUE Summer Series- last chance to register!

Last chance to register for the #ASMCUE Summer Series! This unique online learning opportunity explores scientific teaching in action with Tiny Earth Director Sarah Miller & other experienced educators from diverse institutions. Don't sit this one out! asm.org/webinars/202...

BREAKING: Scientists are staging a “science fair” in the lobby of a Congressional building to tell elected officials about the critical knowledge the US will lose because their research grants have been canceled.

At the risk of repeating myself: Those Heat Domes? Yeah, they're climate change.
www.nytimes.com/2021/06/29/o...

No lies told here.

These are lies

From a distance you can see a mountain landscape with a blue sky and a few hazy clouds. on the sides of the picture you can see parts of trees. On the left in light green, on the right a smaller dark green tree further away. in the center is a black box on which is written in white “Only caring about your own right is exactly how you lose them”.

Following court order, NIH ceases new terminations of politically sensitive grants After a judge told agency to restore hundreds of killed grants, NIH backs off plans to cancel more existing projects

Breaking news: The National Institutes of Health has ceased terminating grants on politically sensitive topics after a federal judge ruled last week that the cancellations were illegal.
scim.ag/4l9MO8Y

If you were too young in 2003 here is what Bush told the American people:

1) The Iraq War won’t cost a lot of money
3) We won’t need a lot of troops
4) We’ll bring peace and freedom to Iraq
5) We’ll find WMDs
6) We’ll be welcomed as liberators
7) It will be easy
8) It won’t take long

All lies.

BREAKING: Judge denies NSF's 15% indirect rate plan. Like the DOE and NIH attempts, it too has now been rejected by courts. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

HUGELY Important.

Registration is now open for 2025 ASMCUE!

Registration is now open for 2025 #ASMCUE! Join us Nov. 21–23 in San Antonio & connect with passionate educators, explore evidence-based teaching strategies and bring fresh inspiration back to your classroom. Don’t miss out—secure your spot today! asm.social/2rJ

More than 1M descend on Boston Common for Pride, No Kings rallies The Boston Pride Parade and No Kings march converged Saturday in downtown Boston.

More than 1 million in Boston!

www.wcvb.com/article/more...

Massachusetts voters only voted 3 years ago to pass the Millionaires Tax, and so far, it's generating nearly $3 billion for education and transportation annually. It's higher than the estimates, AND we have more millionaires in MA than before it passed.

ASM urges the Department of Health and Human Services to reinstate the ACIP and to ensure that all future committee appointments include experts with diverse scientific expertise in public health, virology, immunology and epidemiology: asm.org/press-releas...

👇👇

The Gutting of America’s Medical Research: Here Is Every Canceled or Delayed N.I.H. Grant Some cuts have been starkly visible, but the country’s medical grant-making machinery has also radically transformed outside the public eye.

"Tanner, a chemist at the Univ. of Mississippi working to develop a novel approach for treating glioblastoma, was notified in April that the grant was terminated.

“I would like to cure brain cancer,” Dr. Tanner said. “I think that's not particularly controversial.”

www.nytimes.com/interactive/...