Matt Aliota

I am chair of one of the fellowship study sections. I met with my SRO as soon as the shutdown ended. She said there is flexibility on when Council will meet. So all postponed study sections are currently being rescheduled for Dec or Jan. Potentially early Feb if absolutely necessary.

Just got this tonight. I am on a panel that is supposed to meet Nov 03.

Can’t believe I have to say this, but in Minnesota you will continue to have the freedom to get your COVID and flu shots.

Options for Bioaerosol Samplers Do you want to detect pathogens in the air? You should know what sampling instruments are available.

Interested air sampling for pathogens?

I'm a big wastewater surveillance proponent, but it is not the answer in every situation.

Our team has a short blog about the currently available air samplers if this is something you are interested in.

lungfish-science.github.io/2025/09/04/o...

RFK Jr.'s #2 is stepping in as acting CDC director. You need to call your Congress people now and demand hearings until RFK is forced out. They're politically weak for another 48-72 hours, then they'll do unbelievable damage in the next month. Show me that you called and I will give you a reward 👇

Good start. Continue to (1) demand his resignation and (2) threaten endless hearings until it happens.

Picture of a cecropia moth caterpillar on a box elder tree.

Cecropia moth.

Picture of a mountain goat.

Picture of me, arms raised at the peak.

Bagged my first 14er. #Quandary Peak.

Careers

I've got an opening for a postdoctoral fellow, and likely a second available in 6-12 mos. If you're interested in infection biology during pregnancy or reproductive immunology, please reach out. To formally apply, Search for posting ID: 369238 myu.umn.edu/employment

The final version is out in the Journal of Virology: journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

Differential Virulence and Host-Specific Fitness of Regionally Distinct Human-Derived Powassan Virus Lineage 2 Strains Powassan virus (POWV; family Flaviviridae) is a tick-borne encephalitic virus endemic to Canada, the United States, and Russia. In the United States, POWV is transmitted by ixodid ticks, and transmiss...

New paper out led by Rachel Lange (Alex Ciota's lab) and Julia Pritchard (my lab) showing that the unique genetic signatures associated with Powassan virus infections in MN and NY are associated with variability in viral fitness and virulence.

doi.org/10.4269/ajtm...

Go Bucky!

Last year, I was overjoyed to receive an NIH NRSA fellowship to study toddler brains and caregiving effects on memory at Columbia. Last night, my grant was terminated.

Picture of the black diamond run, Trestle at Winter Park.

No pain no Jane! IYKYK. #Trestle.

Reviewing grants for a study section on March 18/19 that will almost certainly be canceled. I am doing this in solidarity with and in support of my SRO. I get the sense that NIH folks don't know what might get them fired. They are doing the best they can given the circumstances.

Ann Carol Palmenberg, Ph.D Obituary February 20, 2025 - Cress Funeral and Cremation Services View Ann Carol Palmenberg, Ph.D's obituary, find service dates, and sign the guestbook.

Sad to share news of the loss of a virology legend after a long battle with cancer. We will miss you dearly, Ann Palmenberg. www.cressfuneralservice.com/obituaries/a...

Particularly vicious protest sign today at Sugarbush, VT

Also worth paying attention to this on research involving animals.

acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:...

Thanks to the @startribune.com for running this the same day I submitted it 👍🏻. Vaccinate your kids (and yourself)

www.startribune.com/readers-writ...

Crap, this a legit problem for mosquito rearing supplies. Always fun to justify a bolt of wedding tulle to the purchasing admins.

I think people both within science and outside science don’t fully appreciate the miracle that were the Covid-19 vaccines. How much courage it took to get the sequence out, how much work had already gone into figuring out the best viral antigen and how best to present it. 1/

My friend and colleague Dave O’Connor is keeping an eye on this here: github.com/dhoconno/rep...

ASV Statement for our Members | American Society for Virology Our American Society for Virology (ASV) promotes the study and combatting of viruses, more than ever recognizing their importance and responding to them with research and education. Our academic…

Dear Virology Community, please see ASV’s statement to our members and the scientific community. asv.org/asv-statemen...

Zika virus-induced fetal demise is driven by strain- and dose-specific RLR-driven activation of the interferon response in the decidua, placenta, and fetus in Ifnar1-/- mice. Congenital Zika syndrome (CZS), the set of fetal and neonatal complications associated with Zika virus (ZIKV) infection in pregnancy, was first noted during the outbreak in the Americas in 2015-16. Ho...

Take a break from doomscrolling and check out this new preprint from Ellie Bohm: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1.... We leveraged the natural variability between ZIKV strains to understand mechanisms that lead to fetal harm.

Folks: I am NOT affiliated with the group that is using my name to support an economic boycott. Please spread this post, if you would.

This whole thread 100 times over. @carlbergstrom.com puts into words what I have been struggling to articulate these past few days as I have grappled with similar grief and frustration.

Hi all, I'm a WIRED journalist on the science desk. If you're a government scientist or federally funded researcher with info to share about the Trump transition, please feel free to contact me securely on Signal: emullin.06

The Young, Inexperienced Engineers Aiding Elon Musk's Government Takeover Engineers between 19 and 24, most linked to Musk’s companies, are playing a key role as he seizes control of federal infrastructure.

The men carrying out Musk's coup are Akash Bobba, Edward Coristine, Luke Farritor, Gautier Cole Killian, Gavin Kliger, and Ethan Shaotran.

Make them famous. And, eventually, when possible, arrest them and charge them with multiple felonies. www.wired.com/story/elon-m...

The Logic of Destruction And how to resist it

The logic of the coup that is going on now. And how to resist it.
snyder.substack.com/p/the-logic-...

A single-cell atlas of the Culex tarsalis midgut during West Nile virus infection Author summary West Nile virus is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in N. America. Cx. tarsalis is a highly competent vector of WNV that plays a central role in the transmission and maintena...

One positive thing that happend this otherwise challenging week is that this paper is FINALLY out. Why are Culex tarsalis so good at spreading West Nile virus? We learned a lot by doing this study. A testament to the tenacity and creativity of Dr. Emily Fitzmeyer.
journals.plos.org/plospathogen...