Margaret Gardel's Avatar

Margaret Gardel

@squishycell.bsky.social

Prof. of Physics, Cell Biology and Molecular Engineering @ UChicago. Passionate about all the squishy matter driving dynamics and function from sub-cellular to tissue scales.

205 Followers  |  262 Following  |  7 Posts  |  Joined: 23.02.2025  |  1.9617

Latest posts by squishycell.bsky.social on Bluesky

Teaching at MBL physiology was such a gift! @mblscience.bsky.social

31.07.2025 14:11 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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MBL Announces Largest Ever Gift for Its Renowned Biological Education and Research Programs | Marine Biological Laboratory Cell Biology Researcher Mark Terasaki’s $25 Million Unrestricted Gift Will Support Operations and Infrastructure Contact: Samantha Cummis scummis@mbl.edu; 973.800.4119

We're thrilled to announce the largest private gift in our 137-year history: a $25 million unrestricted donation from MBL Whitman Scientist Mark Terasaki.

His extraordinary generosity will bolster our renowned research and education programs. πŸ”¬

Learn more: bit.ly/452WL1m

28.07.2025 18:46 β€” πŸ‘ 103    πŸ” 21    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 5

We will miss Shailaja, but are very excited for her to launch a new mechanobiology lab!

09.07.2025 23:30 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Are we overproducing PhD students? Every few years, reliably like clockwork, somebody claims that we’re producing too many PhD students.

I set up a substack. What better topic to start with than the question of whether we're overproducing PhD students.
clauswilke.substack.com/p/are-we-ove...

24.06.2025 02:30 β€” πŸ‘ 31    πŸ” 12    πŸ’¬ 7    πŸ“Œ 0
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Trump Has Cut Science Funding to Its Lowest Level in Decades The lag in funding extends far beyond D.E.I. initiatives, affecting almost every area of science: chemistry, computing, engineering, materials and more.

www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

22.05.2025 14:55 β€” πŸ‘ 16    πŸ” 13    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

The fantastically successful NIGMS MIRA R35 "expired" on May 17, after the most recent deadline--these removals are the most aggressive attack on American science in the current series of devastating actions πŸ§ͺ

20.05.2025 23:18 β€” πŸ‘ 78    πŸ” 44    πŸ’¬ 17    πŸ“Œ 6

Therefore, this application has been administratively withdrawn."

20.05.2025 01:52 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

ultimately do not enhance health, lengthen life, or reduce illness. Worse, so-called diversity, equity, and inclusion (β€œDEI”) studies are often used to support unlawful discrimination on the basis of race and other protected characteristics, which harms the health of Americans.

20.05.2025 01:52 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

which included elements based primarily on artificial and non-scientific categories, including amorphous equity objectives, are antithetical to the scientific inquiry, do nothing to expand our knowledge of living systems, provide low returns on investment, and

20.05.2025 01:52 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Here is how NIH is communicating with graduate students who applied for the now discontinued K99 program designed to support students from underrepresented backgrounds. It is disgusting.

"This application responded to a discontinued program that no longer effectuated NIH priorities

20.05.2025 01:52 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

I'm the 1st scientist in my family. My parents were amazed I could attend @caltech.edu, an elite private school, for my PhD studies FOR FREE. In fact, I was paid to become a PhD chemist. STEM is a pathway to a good career. I study TB- a disease that impacts millions. Fund NIH.

13.05.2025 18:24 β€” πŸ‘ 159    πŸ” 24    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 1
A screenshot of the termination notice showing "Outstanding Investigator Grants"

A screenshot of the termination notice showing "Outstanding Investigator Grants"

A screenshot of the termination notice with "This award is terminated effective the date of this award, due to unsafe antisemitic actions that suggest the institution lacks concern for the safety and wellbeing of Jewish students." highlighted

A screenshot of the termination notice with "This award is terminated effective the date of this award, due to unsafe antisemitic actions that suggest the institution lacks concern for the safety and wellbeing of Jewish students." highlighted

Yesterday, the NIH R35 β€œOutstanding Investigator” grant to fund scientists in my lab studying antibiotic resistance was terminated for reasons not related to the content of the science, or any actions taken by me or members of my lab

13.05.2025 23:37 β€” πŸ‘ 887    πŸ” 587    πŸ’¬ 146    πŸ“Œ 74
US researchers must stand up to protect freedoms, not just funding | Nature Curtailment of freedoms and disregard for the rule of law in the United States is destroying the ability of science to serve the nation’s, and the world’s, interests. Researchers can take action. Curtailment of freedoms and disregard for the rule of law in the United States is destroying the ability of science to serve the nation’s, and the world’s, interests. Researchers can take action.
13.05.2025 23:23 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Join us for the exciting Cell Dynamics Symposium at Vanderbilt! Poster deadline coming up May 12th. Everyone welcome - please repost!

07.05.2025 19:58 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 5    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

"If NIH budget money, designated by Congress to be spent on medical cures, doesn’t go out over the next few months, all US scientists are looking at budget cuts that will not just take away cures but harm local economies." donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-nih-bu...

30.04.2025 14:40 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Yes this is true. The last dispersement to Northwestern was on March 27th. This is insance and is impacting important research and may cause the US to lose a generation of young scientists who would have made tomorrows important discoveries

06.05.2025 01:04 β€” πŸ‘ 19    πŸ” 9    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1

Harvard may have a lot of issues, but none of the accusations in this acid-tripping letter are it. Don't know whether to laugh or cry as I watch monkeys tear up pearl strings.

06.05.2025 01:13 β€” πŸ‘ 57    πŸ” 9    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 2
Kara Marshall PHD-History of Science in America - Trilogy at Tehaleh 04/27/25
YouTube video by Steve Lawson Kara Marshall PHD-History of Science in America - Trilogy at Tehaleh 04/27/25

Gave a talk at my parents’ retirement community to describe how science is done, and what is at stake. There was a ton of interest, and anyone can do this. Get the word out about how science affects everyone. I’m happy to share slides with anyone who asks- just get in touch! youtu.be/BY_SFgi-Cig

03.05.2025 19:20 β€” πŸ‘ 268    πŸ” 78    πŸ’¬ 17    πŸ“Œ 8
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Learning via mechanosensitivity and activity in cytoskeletal networks In this work we show how a network inspired by a coarse-grained description of actomyosin cytoskeleton can learn - in a contrastive learning framework - from environmental perturbations if it is endow...

check out new work by Deb in collaboration with Martin, @squishycell.bsky.social , Aleks Walczak and Thierry Mora : arxiv.org/abs/2504.15107 o on how simple mechanosensitive agents can enable learning mechanisms

22.04.2025 09:07 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Only 29 slots left out of 200--register now!

21.04.2025 14:12 β€” πŸ‘ 8    πŸ” 7    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

The NYT wants you to think universities became dependent on government. This is false.

The government invested in the national research infrastructure by competitive grants to universities. The taxpayers built this. It got us to the moon. Won the Cold War. Created Silicon Valley. Made the McRib.

19.04.2025 23:20 β€” πŸ‘ 2145    πŸ” 573    πŸ’¬ 29    πŸ“Œ 27
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Harvard University Harvard University is devoted to excellence in teaching, learning, and research, and to developing leaders who make a difference globally.

Harvard redid its whole homepage to push back against the administration’s demands. I mean, this is just a website but I think it’s kind of a great PR move: www.harvard.edu

14.04.2025 19:10 β€” πŸ‘ 7075    πŸ” 1518    πŸ’¬ 116    πŸ“Œ 220

Here's is my experience from the financial crisis of 2008 (and Covid). Even though the whole way we are doing and funding science has changed significantly, people's shortcuts for determining whether or not you are "succeeding" will take longer to recalibrate. /1

13.04.2025 15:16 β€” πŸ‘ 123    πŸ” 45    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 9
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Nearly a 1,000 student visas invoked by Sec. of State Rubio and counting.

12.04.2025 21:52 β€” πŸ‘ 318    πŸ” 202    πŸ’¬ 23    πŸ“Œ 42

@squishycell is following 20 prominent accounts