Collin V (he/him)

Academic workers at state schools: Do not use your institutional email for union matters.

It's been 10ish years but sure, I can be a "dinosaur expert" 😅

(Taking bets on how long before a kid shows me up on dino facts)

Are you a researcher 5+ years post-PhD and interested in moving to Ireland? We have a new scheme which will support relocation and start-up costs.

@thomascullen.bsky.social one for you! 😉

Little spotted kiwi found on New Zealand's mainland for first time in 50 years "I'm not sure how to express how thrilling this rediscovery is for the conservation world," an expert says.

Some good news. 🪶

As someone from a low-income, blue-collar background who improbably navigated the rungs of academia to be here, this article speaks important truths. I've mostly been happy along my journey despite various struggles because I viewed the alternative scenario worse, but it wasn't easy. I've been lucky

This one strangely felt like a relief, maybe because knowing an outcome meant I no longer had to log in to see "with editor" anymore 😅 but thank you! Solidarity! 😊

MAXMINDS 2.0 Homepage MAXMINDS 2.0

It is with great pleasure that I share MAXMINDS 2.0, a new Max Planck program to support scholars in danger of displacement by war or natural disasters, and who have limited access to resources and institutional support.

If you know affected scholars, please share.

www.maxminds.mpg.de

Yesterday I had a paper rejected (after 3 months of sitting on the editor's desk) that assesses whether research is addressing local priorities for ecosystem services. Why? Because including services derived from interviews with land managers was seen as a "questionable" methods choice. I-- um... hm

Last night at Moth Night, we saw a lot more than moths. The highlight was happening upon this beaver absolutely chowing down on some wood, corn on the cob style. You’re gonna want to put your sound on for this one.

Goes without saying, but...

what a f*cking week.

STAGGERING: This new study of 133 countries is the first to estimate the impact of all USAID’s work. In 2 decades, it has saved *92M* lives. Current cuts, if not reversed, are forecast to cost up to *14M* lives thru 2030. www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

And *anyone* interested in #ICVM2025:
You can still register (costs as low as $75 US) and virtually attend! It's a heck of a bargain, to be able to see hundreds of presentations across >3 weeks!
www.xcdsystem.com/icvm/program...

Louder for those at the back, whenever I hear an academic say "I used copilot/chatGPT to [insert routine bit of our job] to save time" I hear "I lack the most fundamental core skills required to do my job".

I worked as a contractor at USAID for over 3.5 years supporting food security and climate adaptation programs and advancing youth inclusion to provide the next generation with good economic opportunities. The work we did saved lives and made the world safer. Without it... well, we'll see...

NASA just won an Emmy for our live broadcast of the total solar eclipse last year. We produced a documentary film about the James Webb Space Telescope that's out in theaters and on Netflix. We have podcasts, we write feature stories. People wear the agency logo on t-shirts. We're still getting cut.

This caught my eye when it was still a preprint, and I’m so happy to see it out. Everyone talking about the applications of AI to health or conservation or you name it… needs to reckon with this

We're back, baby 🙌

If you're trying to remove Google AI from your search results (on Google dot com) you can do this!

BHL contains the foundation of our understanding of biodiversity. 🌱 🌏 🦎 📖 🪱 🧪 🦉 There are countless researchers, educators, policy makers, fields, institutions, databases & species that rely on BHL. Please share our Call for Support as widely as you can: blog.biodiversitylibrary.org/2025/06/tran...

I am privileged to announce the publication of the Anti-Autocracy Handbook: sks.to/autocracy 1/12

Bridging the divide: Why the science-policy interface matters for global food systems For decades, empirical evidence has pointed to the unsustainable trajectory of global food systems, linking industrialized production to soil degradation, water stress, and nutrition deficits across v...

"Moreover, governments should create and fund boundary‐spanning roles; that is, they should foster professionals whose explicit mandate is to bridge the gap between research institutes and government ministries."

Excellent piece from @cgiar-emd.bsky.social
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

New work out today! 🌏 We identify geographic and taxonomic gaps in EBSA descriptions, trends in the levels of protection observed, and ways forward to improve the uptake and appropriate use of the outputs of this singular intergovernmental process.

🚨🚨🚨!Post doc opportunity! 🚨🚨🚨
35 month post doc on niche modelling of migratory whales in my lab with Katrina Jones. Job advert below:
my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecru...
Please get in touch with questions!

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions2-year Postdoctoral Fellowship Dr Alex Bond (Natural History Museum, Tring/London UK) [progress pride flag] Applicants with previous experience in CT/morphology, wildlife acoustics, or plastics particularly encouraged! Applicant eligibility Can’t have spent >12 of the last 36 months in the UK Previous post-doctoral experience & publication track record HIGHLY recommended Must relocate to the UK (London or Tring; remote working is not possible under this funding scheme) Defended PhD by Sept 2025; < 8 years postdoc experience Previous successful applications are available as guides! Applications shared between fellow & host with a deadline 10 Sept 2025 Email: a.bond@nhm.ac.uk / BlueSky: @TheLabAndField@bsky.social https://alexanderbond.org

The 2025 Marie Curie Fellowships are now open! If you are interested in #PlasticPollution, #ornithology / #birds, #conservation & our work at @adriftlab.bsky.social and want to discuss an application, get in touch! #PhDjobs

marie-sklodowska-curie-actions.ec.europa.eu/calls/msca-p...

Declining biodiversity likely means the loss of many more functions beyond the ones we currently recognize or prioritize. The more data-driven examples in our toolbelt (like this one), the better we can understand how to shift these trajectories.

Few support punitive funding cuts to colleges and universities - AP-NORC Most of the public believes that colleges and universities make significant contributions to scientific and technological advancement and think their federal research funding should be maintained.

The American public is broadly supportive of maintaining federal science and medical research funding, and against punishing universities by taking their funding away, according to a new poll:

A West Virginia Coal Miner Just Saved NIOSH’s Black Lung Program A federal judge ordered the restoration of jobs in the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety’s Respiratory Health Division after a veteran coal miner filed a class action lawsuit argui...

New story for @inthesetimes.com: when Trump and RFK shut down West Virginia’s most important respiratory disease research and surveillance program, one local coal miner who’s suffering from black lung decided to fight back. This week, he won. inthesetimes.com/article/west...

Lakota children at Oceti Sakowin Community Academy offer hand-written letters to the Forest Service in opposition to Pete Lien & Sons drilling the sacred site Pe’sla.

USAID, NSF, the list goes on...