Sarah Breen (they/them)

Please repost!

We have an open rank, tenure-line faculty position in biomechanics in the School of Kinesiology at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor. At U-M we have great colleagues, exceptional resources, and biomechanics can be found all across the campus. #BiomechSky

I’ve been quiet on here — summer’s been a blur ☀️
The dogs are surviving fireworks with snuggles + peanut butter 🐾🎆
And I biked to work once — calling it a win 🚴‍♀️💪
Sometimes that’s enough 💛

I’m trying to take care of myself the way I’d encourage a student or friend to: eat well 🥦, move 🚶‍♀️, rest 🛋️.
Some days I do better than others.
There’s still work, always. But I’m reminding myself that rest counts too. ☀️

A white plate holding three small homemade flatbread pizzas on a textured gray placemat. One pizza is topped with pesto, fresh mozzarella, and basil. The other two have tomato sauce, pepperoni, cherry tomatoes, shredded cheese, and basil.

I’m cooking real meals 🍳 — not just dinner, but breakfast and lunch too. There’s more time to breathe.
But the quiet can be loud. I catch myself feeling guilty for not “making more progress,” whatever that means.

Two black and tan dogs wearing harnesses are focused on a large tree in a wooded park. The larger dog has its front paws on the trunk, standing upright, while the smaller dog is mid-jump beside it, reaching up toward the tree. Tree roots spread across the dirt ground, and the background is filled with lush green trees in soft morning light.

About a month out from the end of the semester, and I’m still figuring out how to be in summer mode.
The pace has slowed — which is good — but not always comfortable. I’ve been taking the girls 🐾 on longer morning walks, sometimes to the dog park.

Image of the TV series The Magic School Bus accompanied by the following text: Airing on PBS in the mid-1990s, this NSF-funded animated TV show follows Ms. Frizzle and her class as they set off on field trips out of this world, including careening across the solar system, traveling through the human body or visiting the late Cretaceous period.

I was today years old when I learned that the Magic Schoolbus was an NSF-funded project.

I need this cat !

What do you need the most today?

LOL #microsoft

LOL #microsoft

A person is walking two dogs on a concrete path through a grassy area. The dog on the left is larger and black with brown markings, wearing a harness. The dog on the right is smaller and black with white markings, also wearing a harness. The person’s hand holding the leashes and part of their leg are visible in the foreground. Trees and a wooden fence line the path in the background.

🌞 First week of the summer semester:

Finalized grades, prepped for lab skills testing at a local technical college.

Enjoyed a slower pace, more dog walks, healthier meals, and lunches with colleagues. Loving the fresh change!

#SummerSemester #WorkLifeBalance #HealthyLiving #AcademicLife

A researcher kneels on rocky ground near a green tent in a high-altitude mountain setting, working with two others to set up scientific equipment on a metal plate. Snow-covered peaks and field gear are visible in the background.

At 5000m, crouched on sharp rock, calibrating a force plate with frozen hands—I learned how to adapt fast.

Science felt real, embodied, and shared.

We need more of that in engineering education.

#ExperientialLearning #HumanFirst #STEMOutside

A group of trekkers in heavy gear hike along a steep, rocky slope with snowy Himalayan mountains behind them. Some wear oxygen tanks or carry scientific equipment. Badges on their jackets identify them as part of a research expedition.

My wife just left for 6 weeks of archaeological field school.

It made me think of mine: trekking in Nepal, collecting biomechanics data at altitude.

When the field becomes the classroom, every step teaches something new. 🏔️📐

#FieldSchool #Biomechanics #STEM

A commemorative plaque honoring Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher, set into a stone monument. At the bottom, it reads: “In Psalm 118, the psalmist speaks of how the stone that the builders once rejected becomes the cornerstone.”

The Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher Garden fountain, flowing with water. The stone structure is built from colorful rocks and fossils from Oklahoma’s 77 counties. Water bubbles up from the top, surrounded by a circular stone basin.

The Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher Garden fountain, flowing with water. The stone structure is built from colorful rocks and fossils from Oklahoma’s 77 counties. Water bubbles up from the top, surrounded by a circular stone basin.

Walked by the Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher Garden at #OU today. My wife first showed it to me while studying the geology of the 77 stones that make up the fountain.

No water flows now. Just this:
“The stone the builders once rejected has become the cornerstone.”

Made me pause.

#AcademicFreedom

Look, I try not to repost from over there, but this just peered directly into my soul (and my wardrobe).

A rainy backyard scene viewed from under a covered patio. In the foreground, a person sits with crossed legs, holding a ceramic mug labeled “Clingman’s Dome Trail.” A black dog looks out toward the yard. The ground is wet, and the sky is overcast, creating a calm, quiet mood.

Rainy skies 🌧️ in Oklahoma this week—it’s starting to feel a bit like home in Ireland. 🇮🇪

Finals week energy + this weather = slow sips, quiet moments, and letting the to-do list breathe.

We’ll get there. One warm cup at a time.☕️

#FinalsWeek #RainyDays #AcademicLife

A screen capture of the AIMBE advocacy webpage with 3 advocacy letters outlined in red boxes: STEM Training Pipeline, NIH & NSF Indirect Cost Caps, and FY26 Funding.

🚨 AIMBE is calling on the biomedical research community to take a minute to send our 3 new advocacy letters urging Congress to:

1. Protect the STEM Training Pipeline (e.g., NIH MOSAIC, T32s, MARC, etc.)

2. Oppose Indirect Cost Caps

3. Support Research Funding in FY2026

aimbe.org/advocate/wri...

A black and brown dog lies on a gray dog bed in front of a large window, resting its head on the windowsill and gazing outside. A bright pink spiky rubber ball sits on the windowsill. The blinds are partially open, revealing a view of a green lawn, sidewalk, and trimmed bushes outside.

Finals week is here and grading’s ✅. My summer goals? Reasonable work expectations, lots of dog walks, good food, and maybe a few bike rides. My dog (pictured) is already fully committed to the walks and resting. I’m hoping to follow her lead.

#AcademicLife #SelfCare #DogsOfBlueSky

We’re sounding the alarm for science. Science is not a switch that can be flipped on or off. If we do not act now to alter our current trajectory it will undermine our prosperity, our democracy, and our children’s futures for decades to come. You need science. Science needs you. SaveScienceNow.org

a brown and white bulldog puppy sits on a counter. the computer monitor, pamphlets and model of an animal skull in the background tell us he's in a vet's office. the puppy is hunched over and begrudgingly looking over at you with an expression of disdain.

This is Tuna. You have once again taken him to the vet instead of the park. Fool him once, shame on you. Fool him twice, even more shame on you. 13/10 (IG: tunathekahuna)

✅ Proud of what kept moving.
🧠 Mindful of what got left behind.

Three more weeks on the treadmill: ⛰️ incline high, ⏱️ speed up, no stepping off yet.

Grateful for the community that helps make carrying it all possible.

#AcademicLife #Reflection #HumanFirst
(3/3)

❌ Let personal routines slide (dog walks, meals)
❌ Showed up less prepared than I wanted

By Wednesday, the weight had already set in—heavy eyes, heavier mind—as we started our second campus visit.
Not a normal week.
(2/3)

This week didn’t all fit neatly into accomplishments or bullet points.
Some things moved forward. Some things slipped through the cracks.
Here’s what I’m carrying into the weekend:

❌ Missed informal check-ins
❌ Double-booked and missed a commitment
(1/3)

#BlueSky Random Boost

@mariaanderson541.bsky.social is an awesome, loyal & inspiring friend who I'm honored & fortunate to know

This is a better place b/c you're part of it & thank you for your support!

Let's help this acct meet great people😁I appreciate ya'll😉

A four-panel comic by Nathan W. Pyle featuring two blue alien-like beings discussing a science poster. Panel 1: One being says, “I have attempted science.” The other replies, “Please explain.” Panel 2: The first being says, “I formed an idea and then discovered I was wrong,” pointing to a poster with diagrams. Panel 3: The second being looks at the poster and says, “There are numerous diagrams,” and the first adds, “I was wrong in numerous ways.” Panel 4: The first being declares, “I produced a detailed tribute to my wrongness,” to which the second responds, “That is science.” The poster behind them remains filled with rectangles, representing data and diagrams. The comic is signed “Nathan W Pyle.”

Next week, my knowledge-absorbers will prepare visual rectangles:
🔘 Select shapes
🔘 Apply sticky symbols
🔘 Clarify observations (and confusion)
🔘 Practice vocalizing to unfamiliar lifeforms

Soon they will say:
“I have attempted science.”
Joy levels = high.

Inspired by @nathanwpyle.bsky.social

(3/3)
This week, the balance tipped.

Grateful. Drained. Recalibrating.
We don’t have to do it all to be enough.

#AcademicLife #EndOfWeekReflections

(2/3)
Also:
🎉 Celebrated our seniors
🧵 Attended all the meetings
📣 Posted student wins
🧑‍🏫 Gave career advice
⚙️ Helped new faculty troubleshoot
✍️ Wrote Senate committee report
👩‍💼 Attended @jabjournal.bsky.social editorial board meeting,
…but
❌ Missed family events
❌ Missed cooking
❌ Missed dog walks

(1/3)
This week was full:
✍️ Negotiated a faculty hire
🎤 Hosted a campus interview
🎓 Sat on an MS thesis defense
🧪 Met with my PhD & MS students
✅ Final project day in lab
📬 Sent federal grant responses (!!)
💻 Research collabs (DoD + foundation)
So much good, but heavy too.

Albert Einstein died on this day, April 18, 1955.

It is incredible to hear Albert Einstein explain his famous formula, E=mc².

Steve Kerr wore a Harvard basketball shirt after the Warriors’ win tonight: “Yes, this is me supporting Harvard. Way to go. Way to stand up to the bully.”