mcsiple.bsky.social

E.P.A. Says It Will Eliminate Its Scientific Research Arm

I know so many dedicated and brilliant scientists who work (and I guess now worked) at EPA. The loss of expertise and ability to make science-informed decisions will have lasting damage for our health. Academics and advocates will have to try to fill the gap.

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/18/c...

‘Goodnight, Camp Mystic. We Love You.’: A 100-Year-Old Community Honors Its Missing & Dead Girls Fifteen children are dead and 27 girls are still missing amid devastating floods in Texas. “I’m holding onto the love and light that Mystic gave us, even in the darkest night,” one former camper said....

When you live somewhere and disaster strikes, it makes no sense to pretend it isn’t personal. For me, there’s no other way to process terrible things than to make journalism. To my friends from home who went to Camp Mystic and Heart O' the Hills — this is for you.

thebarbedwire.com/2025/07/05/c...

Fired, rehired and fired again, some NOAA employees get letters demanding money Three former NOAA employees told NBC News they had received debt notices from the federal government for health care coverage.

“Some former employees of NOAA who were fired, rehired and fired again this spring say they have received debt notices from the federal government to pay it back for health care coverage. Those workers also say the notices are for coverage they never had.”

STEM loves the myth of meritocracy—but the truth? It's built on unpaid labor, generational wealth, and financial sacrifice. For many, the cost of “doing science” is simply too high. This isn't a pipeline issue. It's a financial barrier. #HigherEd #EquityInSTEM

I've wanted to write this article for years. About my and other's struggles to even survive sometime in #academia. Thank you to the amazing editors at @plosbiology.org that gave me the forum to write this piece. #science

More Federal Workers Are Flooding the Job Market, With Worsening Prospects

A pleasure to work with Eileen Sullivan on this story about the widening impact of federal job cuts, which have cascaded into the private sector as contracts are yanked. Entire fields are contracting dramatically, leaving many with nowhere to go. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/06/u...

We often assume fish biomass is lognormally distributed - but is that a safe assumption? We tested it! I am proud to have contributed to this [IMO great] paper ☺️📈🧮🐟

url:https://academic.oup.com/icesjms/article/82/5/fsaf071/8151269

Something Good in the World: Let’s Celebrate Independent Bookstore Day This Weekend I was going to write something else for today’s column, something complain-y but righteous that would allow me to get some stuff off my chest and maybe even get some rage clicks. Shit is bad. But I…

I needed to write about something that’s giving me hope, so I wrote about Independent Bookstore Day which is this Saturday. lithub.com/something-go...

It’s Seattle indie bookstore week this week! A lot of the bookstores have special events. This is how I found two of my local faves, Ridgecrest Books (wonderfully curated) and Eagle Harbor Book Co (great selection of surprise books wrapped in paper). www.seattlebookstoreday.com

This is incredibly cool: if you search for a condition that’s affected your family, the site returns stats on how much NIH has done for that disease, *and* a contact form for reaching out to tell your Members of Congress why you want to see them defend NIH.

Pass it on!

“Don’t trust everything you read on the internet.”

AI search results: what if I did tho

Your occasional reminder that eels are the most smuggled animal on earth; there's a $4-$5 billion per year black market trade in eels.

INTERPOL has called the trafficking of European elvers to Asia "Europe's ivory trade."

Sometimes joy is just another chance.

Every time you earnestly cite Worm et al 2006 in your piece about the state of the world's fisheries, one thread of a fisheries scientist's psyche is slowly tugged free.

This is such a great contribution to understanding Pygmy blue whales and their unique songs.. and showcasing the incredible diversity of life in the oceans that we still know so little about. #science #whales #BlueWhale

Please get in touch if you are up for chatting with recent U.S. fed employees about career paths!

Firings prompt concerns that science supporting Alaska seafood industry could be undermined • Alaska Beacon NOAA Fisheries has declined to release numbers on the scope of the cutback, which has left officials scrambling to track the force reductions.

Great article on the ongoing impacts of the Trump administration on fisheries in the NE Pacific, and the people whose livelihoods both support and depend on them. alaskabeacon.com/2025/03/10/f...

Bluesky CEO: imagine a 'world without Caesars' Jay Graber dunks on Mark Zuckerberg without mentioning his name.

the feminine urge to

NOAA firings in Seattle include orca-saving employee of the year Until Thursday afternoon, Hanna Miller focused on protecting whales from oil spills, ship strikes, and fishing gear. While on vacation in Hawaii, the federal biologist opened her work email on her per...

"In 2023, Miller was awarded NOAA Fisheries employee of the year...and in March 2024, she was promoted.
On Thursday afternoon, while on vacation in Hawaii, the federal biologist opened her work email on her personal phone to find she no longer had a job."

www.kuow.org/stories/noaa...

When I was developing an app to help stakeholders assess the long-term impacts of bycatch on marine mammal populations, I used 18F’s great published materials to improve the app’s UI and make our science as accessible as possible.

I am sure this also happened with “Particulate Organic Carbon” 😑

Layoffs hit federal climate, weather agency NOAA The cuts could affect NOAA's weather forecasts, climate research and other functions.

A source just told me over the phone that layoffs are happening right now at NOAA. Axios is also reporting this. www.axios.com/2025/02/27/l...

hehehe

I love seafood and federal science.

Helps Download Archives of GitHub Repositories Provide functionality to download archives (backups) for all repositories in a GitHub organization (useful for backups!).

Folks in data rescue and archiving initiatives may find this #RStats package from @ropensci.org useful: `gitcellar` downloads and archives all repos, issues, and PRs from a GitHub organization in one shot: docs.ropensci.org/gitcellar/ #DataRescue @datarescue2025.bsky.social

A facebook post from Lisa Murkowski: I want to thank Alaskans who have been reaching out to my offices in D.C. and across Alaska. The U.S. Senate phone system has been receiving around 1,600 calls each minute, compared to the 40 calls per minute we usually receive, which has disrupted our call systems. Thank you for your patience as my staff works to review your messages and share them with me. We’re all working to get this issue resolved as quickly as possible.

Murkowski says call volume to the Senate is now 40x higher than normal:

‘Not Like Us’ by Kendrick Lamar wins the #GRAMMYs  award for Song of the Year.

‘Alligator Bites Never Heal’ by Doechii wins the #GRAMMYs  award for Best Rap Album.

I have not written much on my account here yet but I have been reading and appreciating SO many posts. It is nice to read posts from journalists, my colleagues in the academe, and other experts. I appreciate you even if I am technically lurking!