Rica Sirbaugh French #IDIC ᐰ

Photo of conference nametag with rainbow+trans colored pin that has a "swoosh" in a familiar distinctive shape.

I *LOVE, LOVE, LOVE* my new pin so much! Thank you, @noisyastronomer.com!

Lol! I'm on my way. Hope I get there in time to enjoy it a little, haha!

Selfie in Gate 1 area at Palomar-McClellan Airport.

Inflatable smiling dinosaurs wearing Xmas hats & scarves kissing to make archway with their long necks.

I have a hot date with an #Embraer 175. 🔥🛫😉 CLD ➡️ PHX for @aas.org meeting. Things are slowly getting back to normal...
#AAS247

I think ~2500ish (definitely less than 3K) last I checked but that was a few days ago...

Omg, this has to be one of the best con overlaps ever! 🤣🤣🤣

#astroedu

Banner for the 247th meeting of the American Astronomical Society.

There's still time to join us at the @aas.org @education.aas.org meeting, in our workshop for #astronomy and #physics #educators. Sunday, 04 January, 9am-5pm Mountain time. (There's a discounted registration category for educators, too!) #AAS247
tiny.cc/FTIAAS

Didn't finish until a few days ago, but not because of the difficulty (it actually wasn't bad at all). It wasn't touched for most of the year. The last 5 months have been the toughest of my 53 years. Will be glad to say goodbye to 2025.

Thank you, dear! 🥰🖖🏼

Thank you! 😁

Lol, thanks!

(Yeah, there really isn't an actual distinction between astronomer & astrophysicist any more [decades ago, somewhat yes]. Any distinction these days is usually about the title of your degree and/or position.)

Two brown dogs sitting and looking at the camera, the left one with medium length foofy hair and beard, the right one with short, smooth hair. They both sport bandanas with embroidered NASA meatball logos. On the floor in front of them are three NASA-branded toys: a bone with rubber tug handle, an astronaut, and a rocket with knotted tug rope.

My little #NASA space cadets. 👨‍🚀🚀🐶🐕😂 #puppies #dogs

Are you at @creationent.bsky.social's #STLV? Join us for "Women of STEM & Sci-Fi: Meet the Astrophysicists" with me, @jesstella.bsky.social, & Olivia Greene of @neuroverse-tni.bsky.social!

Banner image for Creation Entertainment's STLV Trek to Vegas, August 6-10, 2025, at the Rio Las Vegas.

🖖🏼🖖🏼🖖🏼WE'RE ON THE MAIN STAGE WEDNESDAY AT 11:45! 😱😱😱

(In the Leonard Nimoy Theatre!)
((Right after the #StarTrekTOS guest stars & just before the #StarTrekDiscovery recurring stars!!)

www.creationent.com/cal/cemissio...

🏳️‍🌈🧪⚛🔭USA's 1st woman in space #SallyRide was an inspiration, enduring blatant misogyny & shattering a glass ceiling while hiding a secret: her #LGBTQ+ status. Join @astrosociety.org's livestream Mon, 30 JUN, 17:15 PDT #NatGeo docufilm SALLY + Q&A w/former #NASA #astronaut #CadyColeman.
tiny.cc/SALLY

@neuroverse-tni.bsky.social

Two brown dogs wearing Pride bandanas, sitting posed for a photo against a rainbow background and "Love is Love 🩶" banner. 🏳️‍🌈

Stormy & Greyson 🥰🐶😂

#Repost @encinitas_petshotel with @let.repost
• • • • • •
Love Unleashed 🏳️‍🌈 #PrideMonth #daycampparties #lifeatpetsmart #anythingforpets #0144

Does Taylor Swift Hold the Key to the Destiny of the Universe? And learn how whisky may signal the discovery of an extraterrestrial civilization (hic).

🧵4/4 "Does Taylor Swift Hold the Key to the Destiny of the #Universe?"

by @discovermag.bsky.social

www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences...

The Eras Tour: Mapping the Eras of Taylor Swift to the Cosmological Eras of the Universe This paper explores an unexpected yet compelling parallel between the evolution of the universe, as described by cosmological eras, and the artistic evolution of Taylor Swift, delineated by her distin...

🧵3/4 "The #ErasTour: Mapping the Eras of Taylor Swift to the Cosmological Eras of the Universe"

by #JaneBright

arxiv.org/abs/2503.22795

A Swift analysis of the Eras tour set list and implications for astrophysics research (Taylor's version) Popular culture plays a significant role in shaping public interest in science, and Taylor Swift's discography frequently incorporates astrophysics terminology. This study examines the occurrence of a...

🧵2/4 "A Swift analysis of the #ErasTour set list & implications for #astrophysics research (Taylor's version)"

by #SophieNewman & #AnaSainzdeMurieta

arxiv.org/abs/2503.24188

🧵1/4 Am late to the party but apparently #TaylorSwift is having a direct impact on #astronomy #astrophysics #cosmology. Hilarious & surprisingly interesting. There's a #PopCulture #SciComm talk here. Hmm, how to work it in to #STLV... 🤔😂

Thoughts #Swifties??? @amyimhoff1701.bsky.social

Love it! Where might I get one? I think I'll wear it on stage during one of our panels this year in Vegas.

Oh how awful! So very sorry! Deepest sympathies. 💔🕊🤍

****This also likely explains that night's presentation by Danielle Martino and I entitled, "Doppler Shift, Buzzed" after which Kevin begrudgingly made us take out the most interesting parts because he said his dean wouldn't appreciate it the way he did.

has the monopoly on this one.

**I write that fully acknowledging that Kevin -- and likely some of you reading this -- have long desired a "dealing with Rica" playbook.

***Ed's words, not mine, though I admit to co-opting them occasionally.

profoundly sad that he won't get to enjoy the retirement he was looking forward to. If anyone deserved that, it was he. I am privileged to have known him, worked with him, learned from him. My heart breaks for his family.

Kevin Michael Lee, 09 April 1963 - 14 April 2025

*Ed Prather undoubtedly

during which he convinced me that I was in fact qualified to review proposals and brought me aboard to do so.

I will miss my friend. I will miss working with him, arguing with him, killing hours in airports with him talking through our latest respective crises, whether real or perceived. I am

<https://astro.unl.edu>. He earned awards, including AAPT's Halliday and Resnick award <https://www.aapt.org/aboutaapt/lee_2012hallidayresnick_pr20120404.cfm> and their Dodge Citation <https://www.aapt.org/aboutaapt/pressreleases/Dodge_2016_Lee.cfm> and served as a program officer at NSF for a while

over on technology in the classroom, the innovative materials he, his longtime developer Chris Siedell, and their team at Nebraska produced are among the best in the world for animations, simulations, and other learner-centered interactives in astronomy, physics, and physical science

spent most of a week sharing how to improve teaching and learning in astronomy.

For the better part of three decades (at least), Kevin and his work influenced literally thousands of educators; easily hundreds of thousands of people if you count the students of those educators. An expert many times