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Barrett Davis

@barrettdavis.bsky.social

330 followers 150 following 190 posts

PhD Candidate in Biomedical Engineering | Computational Systems Bio & Biosensing | Proponent for cleaner air | Here for science and photography

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Barrett Davis @barrettdavis.bsky.social · Sep 27

No longer content just listening to them rattle around in the glovebox, I finally got a few rolls of film from back in December developed and scanned.

#Colorado #Roadtrip #Nature #Landscape #Scape #Mountains #BelieveInFilm

A landscape photo of snow covered mountains looking over a lake in the middle distance. Yellow brown scrub covers the foreground. An overcast sky adds to the contrast of the mountains.

A slightly different angle of snow covered mountains looking over a lake in the middle distance. Yellow brown scrub covers the foreground. An overcast sky adds to the contrast of the mountains.

A bridge cuts across cold, inky water surrounded by white snow cover and patches of dry yellow and black brush.

The bridge from afar, with more mountainous bluffs visible in the distance. Light dappling through the cloud cover illuminates one bluff in gold agains the others.

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Reposted by Barrett Davis

Jennifer Ouellette @jenlucpiquant.bsky.social · 8d

Static Electricity Helps Parasitic Nematodes Leap onto Insects www.scientificamerican.com/article/stat...

These Worms Use Static Electricity like a Sci-Fi Tractor Beam

For microscopic worms, physical laws we seldom notice take on life-or-death importance

www.scientificamerican.com

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Barrett Davis @barrettdavis.bsky.social · 8d

It’s my working theory that seniority is directly related to the size (or #) of screens an audience member loses themself in:

• trainees typing on phones
• profs reviewing drafts on ipads
• this guy, 26 min over, turning to read his own projected slides

Anon Opin @anonopin.bsky.social · 9d

At an academic conference, it is inevitable that the worst talk will be by a late career Professor who not only think the rules don't apply to them, but will have not even noticed the rules in the first place.

Reposted by Barrett Davis

Dr. Katharine Dickson @metaomicsnerd.bsky.social · 9d

For my #sciencejobs in #academia tenure track hopefuls:

UCSB Bioengineering is looking for a new assistant professor!

Go work near the beach! Get to know the department interim chair, who was my doctoral advisor! Do science with awesome colleagues!

recruit.ap.ucsb.edu/JPF03025

Assistant Professor of Bioengineering 2025-26

University of California Santa Barbara is hiring. Apply now!

recruit.ap.ucsb.edu

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Barrett Davis @barrettdavis.bsky.social · 13d

Also took some photos in ultraviolet, to varying degrees of success in humid air and under cloudy skies #uv #uvp

A black and white photo taken with an ultraviolet filter stack on a full-spectrum camera. Protesters stream down a bridge holding signs and chanting. Skin is rendered in darker gray tones. The sky is blown out.

A blackened white ultraviolet photo of a protester in an alien costume.

A black and white ultraviolet photo of protesters holding up flags marching beneath the courthouse in Lafayette. A team of police observe from the courthouse balcony.

A color ultraviolet photograph of protesters crossing the pedestrian bridge after most of the march had dispersed. Taken from a parking garage. The scene looks nearly two-toned between cyan concrete and dark cherry clothing and foliage.

Barrett Davis @barrettdavis.bsky.social · 13d

... as well as inflatable costumes galore. In a nod to the 2017's Women's March and ongoing protests against ICE in Portland, some protesters also sported crocheted frog eye hats (not pictured).

A protester dressed in a pink pig costume holds up a white sign with sharpie'd text reading "Hoosier hogs stand with Portland Frogs".

Two protesters dressed in inflatable panda costumes stand and smile for camera while holding signs that read "The only thing I kneel for is bamboo!" and "Pandas don't do thrones".

A protester in an inflatable green alien costume stands for camera holding a sign that reads "The constitution guarantees due process for everyone. Even aliens."

A woman in an inflatable unicorn costume, holding a "NOPE" flag jumps to high five a protester in an inflatable t-rex costume holding a US flag.

Barrett Davis @barrettdavis.bsky.social · 13d

Numbers easily into the thousands with live music, dancing, and plenty of colorful signs...

A man looks into camera while holding up a sign that reads "STOP FASCISM" in red text on a white background.

A man stands in a three-quarter turn to camera holding a cardboard sign that reads "Trump can't find Indiana on a MAP anyway".

A panoramic crop of a police officer looking onto protesters below from atop a parking garage. A pair of binoculars is perched on the wall.

A low angle photo of a woman looking on with a smile at a stream of protesters walking the opposite direction. The Lafayette courthouse is visible in the background.

Barrett Davis @barrettdavis.bsky.social · 13d

No Kings protest in Greater Lafayette, Indiana on October 18th, 2025 #NoKings #Photography

A child holds a sign that reads "No Kings in America" on the way to the start of the march.

An event organizer speaks into a megaphone. A US flag is visible in the background, as is the Lafayette courthouse and a protester holding a crossed out crown poster.

Protestors march holding an "Indivisible" banner. Dozens of signs are held high, and some people are looking directly into camera.

A zoomed out image of the protest as thousands of people walk onto the pedestrian bridge between West Lafayette and Lafayette.

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Reposted by Barrett Davis

Alex Sundermann, DrPH @sundermannaj.bsky.social · 17d

My new piece in @medpagetoday.com

We Can Stop Deadly Hospital Outbreaks - So Why Aren't We?

Genomic surveillance can prevent outbreaks from spreading, save lives, and costs.

So what’s holding it back from being implemented in hospitals?

#IDSky

www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/seco...

Opinion | We Can Stop Deadly Hospital Outbreaks -- So Why Aren't We?

Genomic surveillance can help contain local and nationwide threats

www.medpagetoday.com

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Reposted by Barrett Davis

BK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · 23d

Just published, a study describing a taste-based flu test yes, chewing gum that could tell you if you have influenza. The gum contains a sensor that detects the flu enzyme neuraminidase & releases a compound called thymol that changes taste when the virus is present.
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

A Viral Neuraminidase-Specific Sensor for Taste-Based Detection of Influenza

Influenza has caused the deadliest pandemics in history, thereby prompting advances in our ability to ensure vigilance at all stages of future outbreaks. Quarantining patients early is crucial when it...

pubs.acs.org

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Barrett Davis @barrettdavis.bsky.social · 18d

Another couple from this past summer. Taken about an hour and 580 m / 1900 ft in vertical elevation apart. Much easier juggling two cameras on the way down than up!

A color infrared view from atop a 1000 ft (300m) cliff looking over the waters of Lake Superior below. Pink watermelon trees contrast cobalt blue waters and charcoal bluffs in an almost two-toned final image.

A row boat washed onto a sandy beach around twilight, with creamy sunset colors still reflected in background clouds and water. Sail boats dot the inlet behind the row boats' shallow depth of focus.

Barrett Davis @barrettdavis.bsky.social · 18d

Thanks, Chris!

I shot these with a 1.5 mm Tangsinuo QB39 (BG39) and a 1.5 mm UG11 (ZWB1) filter from Globalelec. Then applied a channel mix for the halloween-ish colors.

I haven't yet tried it, but since the same process renders SPF red, I imagine it would make for a dramatic beach scene.

An "unedited" panoramic photo of a pickup truck with a canoe mounted to the bed in front of structural supports for an unfinished building.

A processed panoramic photo of a pickup truck with a canoe mounted to the bed in front of structural supports for an unfinished building.

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Barrett Davis @barrettdavis.bsky.social · 19d

A welcome surprise to see this heron stalk into place while out crossing our pedestrian bridge #infrared #photography #nature

A color infrared photograph of a heron standing at the edge of a highlight-blown river sandbar in translucent steel blue waters. Super saturated watermelon trees contrast against the sand bar and a more muted polarized sky.

Reposted by Barrett Davis

Carolyn Bertozzi @carolynbertozzi.bskyverified.social · 22d

My HPLC was definitely overlooked

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Prizes must recognize machine contributions to discovery

The future of science will be written by humans and machines together. Awards should reflect that reality.

www.nature.com

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Barrett Davis @barrettdavis.bsky.social · 23d

Taken along the US-Canadian border. Fun fact: so long as you go over in a barrel, import restrictions don't apply here.

#IR #LongExposure #WaterfallWednesday #Minnesota

A long exposure color infrared photo of a waterfall. Wispy white water cascades over wet black rocks. Pink leaves poke out of the bottom of frame while carmine trees stand above the falls. A blue sky is just in the top of frame.

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Barrett Davis @barrettdavis.bsky.social · 24d

Super luminous blues and Wood effected yellows, give a child-like, sugar-high-saturated preview to autumn

#photography #bluetue #infrared

A color infrared photograph of a city block corner, in shades of blue and yellow

Reposted by Barrett Davis

Shashank Dholakia @astroshashank.bsky.social · 25d

And as a bonus, here's a false-color composite of the same. Blue is mapped to all of visible, green is infrared beyond 850nm, and red is the methane band at 889nm.

🔭 #astrophotography #saturn

An azure planet on a stark black background with neon orange-pink rings seen nearly edge-on.

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Barrett Davis @barrettdavis.bsky.social · 25d

Okay but as someone who grew up in the twilight of film photography’s heyday, the eye controlled autofocus to the Elan 7N still sounds incredibly futuristic!

Barrett Davis @barrettdavis.bsky.social · 26d

Thanks, Wes!

Barrett Davis @barrettdavis.bsky.social · 27d

As a layperson (and an “insider”, I suppose you’d call it), the notion of “seeing intense pictures against your closed eyelids” was not something I appreciated until reading it described a such. The very literal, explicit writing in the preprint was very helpful!

Barrett Davis @barrettdavis.bsky.social · 27d

Shots you text your parents like "Relax! Nobody got hurt." Taken for effect along the rim of Goosenecks State Park.

#Utah #Photography #Relax #BlueSkyArtShow

A shot of a person holding onto the side of a boulder in hiking boots. A roughly 300 m (1000 ft) drop in the background gives the impression there's a very steep fall. In reality, it is a very rocky, 2 m (6 ft) drop.

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Barrett Davis @barrettdavis.bsky.social · 28d

My heart goes out to all the life science imaging folks feeling left out with their microtomes and tomographic techniques

Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · 28d

Measure Twice, Cut Once

xkcd.com/3149/

Comic. “Measure [Twice], cut [Once]” -Carpenty Proverb. [Scatter plot with number of measurements on y axis and number of cuts on x axis. Points in a descending line on graph: surveyor, surgeon, good carpenter, careless carpenter, really bad carpenter, serial killer]

Barrett Davis @barrettdavis.bsky.social · Oct 1

Taking in some new sights while visiting Notre Dame's campus last week with my infrared camera in tow

A high-contrast color infrared photo of a light brick building with a cross atop it. The bottom half of the image is blotted out with inky black shadow. Bright reflections off the building stand out against a dark sky and crimson grassy patch.

A color infrared photo of a small building atop a beach and across a lake. The building is framed by leafy silhouettes, giving the impression it's being stumbled upon through a wooded path.

A color infrared photo of a church or some similarly large building ornamented with crosses. The building is framed by crimson trees and set against a steel blue sky.

A blue and yellow color infrared panorama of Notre Dame's campus, as seen across a lake. A power plant is visible on the left in opposition to the campus proper on the right. The image has a dark, two-toned appearance.

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Barrett Davis @barrettdavis.bsky.social · Oct 1

Ah, no -- no bonus points here. Good luck!

Barrett Davis @barrettdavis.bsky.social · Oct 1

Pint is a pretty full-featured option for unit-aware programming that's designed to work well with ndarrays:
pypi.org/project/Pint/

If units propagation isn't important, you might also try using a custom numpy datatype to store your metadata:
numpy.org/doc/stable/r...

Pint

Physical quantities module

pypi.org

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Barrett Davis @barrettdavis.bsky.social · Sep 28

It's hard to believe some people still call it the "Sears Tower"... because it's not. That's on S. Wacker, which is about another mile west and regrettably out of frame.

#Chicago #Photography #BelieveInFilm

A photograph of the Chicago skyline as seen from the North end of the city along the lakefront trail at Fullerton Beach. People relax in pairs along a green lawn at the very bottom of the shot, as the city rises in the background into a cloudless sun. Taken in the late afternoon.

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