Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Dr. Sunny Shin

@sunnyshinlab.bsky.social

4.3K followers 2.9K following 170 posts

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Dr. Sunny Shin @sunnyshinlab.bsky.social · Nov 10

Hi everyone! 👋 To introduce myself, I’m a scientist & professor @Penn. Our lab studies how bacterial pathogens cause disease & how our immune system clears infection. I care deeply about science, teaching, mentoring, diversity & inclusion, & kindness. I look forward to spending more time over here!

5 19 150

Reposted by Dr. Sunny Shin

Joshua Weitz @joshuasweitz.bsky.social · 22h

I completed a PhD in Physics at MIT in '03. Even when the intensity seemed to be off-scale, there was one piece that I never doubted: the place had integrity, purpose, and passion.

It's clear the culture and drive of MIT remains.

MIT says no to the compact.

orgchart.mit.edu/letters/rega...

In our view, America’s leadership in science and innovation depends on independent thinking and open competition for excellence. In that free marketplace of ideas, the people of MIT gladly compete with the very best, without preferences. Therefore, with respect, we cannot support the proposed approach to addressing the issues facing higher education.

As you know, MIT’s record of service to the nation is long and enduring. Eight decades ago, MIT leaders helped invent a scientific partnership between America’s research universities and the U.S. government that has delivered extraordinary benefits for the American people. We continue to believe in the power of this partnership to serve the nation.

Sincerely,
Sally Kornbluth

https://orgchart.mit.edu/letters/regarding-compact

9 50 280

Reposted by Dr. Sunny Shin

George O'Toole (he/him/his) @geiselbiofilm.bsky.social · 16h

Pls share: Hofstra University is looking for a Tenure-Track Microbiologists!
-----
We are seeking a microbiologist with a research focus on a non-pathogenic bacterial model system.
hofstra.peopleadmin.com/postings/6542

Assistant Professor of Microbiology

hofstra.peopleadmin.com

28 11

Reposted by Dr. Sunny Shin

Reuters @reuters.com · 15h

MIT refuses to accept White House terms for funding, other schools still mulling reut.rs/471tkNZ

MIT refuses to accept White House terms for funding, other schools still mulling

Massachusetts Institute of Technology President Sally Kornbluth on Friday said she "cannot support" a memo that the White House sent to nine elite U.S. universities last week detailing policies they should follow to get preferential consideration for federal funding.

reut.rs

20 170 820

Reposted by Dr. Sunny Shin

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 1d

New from @jeremymberg.bsky.social at Can We Still Govern:
"Silence may protect an institution from becoming an early target, but history shows that it increases the likelihood that that institution (and many others) will be become targets over time."
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/deafening-...

Deafening Quiet from the Scientific Establishment

Leaders are underestimating the risks of not fighting back

donmoynihan.substack.com

5 78 230

Reposted by Dr. Sunny Shin

Ivan Zanoni @lozanzi.bsky.social · 1d

#LiveForever! Chen, Mao &co show @science.org that not all #cGAS are equals & that naked mole-rats one bears a 4 amino acid mutation which enhances DNA repair & when transferred in aged mice dampens frailty, hair graying, inflammatory & senescence markers! www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

A cGAS-mediated mechanism in naked mole-rats potentiates DNA repair and delays aging

Efficient DNA repair might make possible the longevity of naked mole-rats. However, whether they have distinctive mechanisms to optimize functions of DNA repair suppressors is unclear. We find that na...

www.science.org

5 18

Reposted by Dr. Sunny Shin

Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · 2d

Today my @nytimes.com colleagues and I are launching a new series called Lost Science. We interview US scientists who can no longer discover something new about our world, thanks to this year‘s cuts. Here is my first interview with a scientist who studied bees and fires. Gift link: nyti.ms/3IWXbiE

nyti.ms

140 1.8K 4.6K

Reposted by Dr. Sunny Shin

Joshua Weitz @joshuasweitz.bsky.social · 4d

Reporting from @cenmag.bsky.social on the last-minute announcement and eligibility changes to the NSF GRFP program, including a link to the petition to restore eligibility to 2nd year PhD students + more.

Petition:
laurenkuehne.github.io/grfpChanges/

Story:
cen.acs.org/policy/resea...

3 4

Reposted by Dr. Sunny Shin

David Tobin @tobinlab.bsky.social · 5d

Important piece from Sarah Stanley at Berkeley on new NIH definitions that can be construed to arbitrarily halt research that is both safe and important to public health and future cures www.statnews.com/2025/10/06/g... via @statnews.com

The NIH ordered me to stop my ‘dangerous’ gain-of-function research. It isn’t dangerous at all

Safe gain-of-function research is necessary to identify new treatments for diseases like for tuberculosis — but the NIH has imposed unfounded stops.

www.statnews.com

1 21 41

Reposted by Dr. Sunny Shin

AAUP @aaup.org · 7d

Finally, check out AAUP-Penn’s statement that clearly frames the compact as a “threat, not an invitation.”

No to partisan interference in higher education!

@aaup-penn.bsky.social

Statement here👇

Statement by the AAUP-Penn Executive Committee on the Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education | AAUP–Penn

October 2, 2025 (updated 4:15pm) All members of the Penn community are invited to sign this petition urging the administration to say no to the Compact. We were alarmed to read reports that Penn has b...

aaup-penn.org

7 12

Reposted by Dr. Sunny Shin

Erin Green @erinrgreen.bsky.social · 6d

Job alert ‼️ UChicago Micro is hiring! Open to tenured/tenure track faculty at all levels in any area of microbiology. Come join our amazing and growing department. apply.interfolio.com/174404

4 130 120

Reposted by Dr. Sunny Shin

Liz Neeley @lizneeley.bsky.social · 6d

Each Friday, I summarize what is happening to American science & higher ed. 🧪
This was Week 37:
- 9 universities face loyalty oath (“compact”)
- government shutdown - impact on services & fear of further RIFs
- four NIH directors officially fired

& so much more buttondown.com/liminalcreat...

Week 37

Sept 27-Oct 2, 2025 - hold the door

buttondown.com

27 70

Reposted by Dr. Sunny Shin

Nelson Flores @nelsonlflores.bsky.social · 8d

Grateful to @aaup-penn.bsky.social speaking out against the Trump administration’s latest attempt to recruit Penn and other universities to sign on to a government takeover of higher education in exchange for a favored status in receiving federal grants.

aaup-penn.org/statement-by...

Statement by the AAUP-Penn Executive Committee on the Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education | AAUP–Penn

October 2, 2025 We have received reports that Penn has been “invited” to sign a so-called “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” by the federal government, and that failing to do so wou...

aaup-penn.org

11 26

Reposted by Dr. Sunny Shin

Liz Neeley @lizneeley.bsky.social · 9d

Some problems have simple solutions. This new “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” is one. The answer is simply saying no.

Simple does not mean easy. But Brown, Dartmouth, MIT, Vanderbilt, Univ of AZ, UPenn, USC, UT Austin & UVA must understand what they’ll lose if they sign on.

2 190 500

Reposted by Dr. Sunny Shin

Science Vs @sciencevs.bsky.social · 9d

This moment from our latest episode with science writer @edyong209.bsky.social is 🔥

We asked Ed — how do we talk up the benefits of science in the face of government cuts? He told us that's the wrong approach. 🧪

Listen wherever, or watch on Spotify 👇

open.spotify.com/episode/7Evh...

8 340 650

Reposted by Dr. Sunny Shin

Joshua Weitz @joshuasweitz.bsky.social · 11d

There is time to urge a change to the current #GRFP solicitation ( #NSF 25-547 ): reverse the eligibility restrictions and ensure applicants (including 2nd year PhD students) have a fair chance in the competition.

Feel free to sign and share this open petition:
laurenkuehne.github.io/grfpChanges/

Petition to NSF to Restore Eligibility for the 2026 Graduate Research Fellowship Program Competition

laurenkuehne.github.io

1 38 44

Reposted by Dr. Sunny Shin

Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 11d

Here are the results in terms of the number of projects.

The number of funded projects in FY2025 is 4014 fewer than the number for FY2024.

2/3

A grant showing the number of projects funded for FY2021 through FY2025. The number for FY2025 lagged behind and did not catch up with 4014 fewer projects funded in FY2025 compared with FY2024.

3 22 31

Dr. Sunny Shin @sunnyshinlab.bsky.social · 11d

Very cool findings! Congratulations Avinash and your co-authors!

Reposted by Dr. Sunny Shin

Avinash Shenoy @avishenoy.bsky.social · 13d

📢A new effector-triggered immunity role for GBP1! No place for pathogens to hide now that GBP1 can detect extracellular pathogens that hijack the actin cytoskeleton. Surprise*suprise* GBP1 does this independently of LPS! 🧵
biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

4 13 25

Reposted by Dr. Sunny Shin

Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 14d

New article from the Washington Post

[Gift Link]

wapo.st/4ngFN7u

NIH pulled off a ‘near miracle.’ Scientists say there’s still a problem.

The National Institutes of Health is on track to give away all of its grant money to labs, but research on cancer, aging and diabetes is still being left behind.

wapo.st

4 35 74

Dr. Sunny Shin @sunnyshinlab.bsky.social · 13d

Congratulations to you and your team!

Reposted by Dr. Sunny Shin

Dr. Donita C. Brady of Brady Lab UPenn @bradylabupenn.bsky.social · 13d

🚨 Our 4th example of metalloallosteric regulation of kinase activity. Out today in @CellReports with @KJSsci. The ER stress sensor kinase PERK needs copper to work. Without copper, PERK can’t protect cells under stress. cell.com/cell-reports/p…

5 14 41

Reposted by Dr. Sunny Shin

Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 14d

This miracle happened because civil servants are among the most dedicated, passionate and hardworking people…

IN SPITE OF the Trump administration.

Even with all that work, multiyear funding policies mean a lot of excellent science went unfunded.
www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...

NIH pulled off a ‘near miracle.’ Scientists say there’s still a problem.

The National Institutes of Health is on track to give away all of its grant money to labs, but research on cancer, aging and diabetes is still being left behind.

www.washingtonpost.com

1 15 45

Reposted by Dr. Sunny Shin

Igor Brodsky @brodskyigorlab.bsky.social · 14d

Terrible. Second year PhD students are getting shafted. If they were going to do this they should have announced it last year with enough time for the then-first years to apply. Obviously they didn’t know then that this was going to happen. 😭

Jess McLaughlin, PhD (they/them) @jfmclaughlin92.bsky.social · 14d

i'm glad it's posted now, but damn that's a gut-punch for any 2nd year students planning to apply this cycle

Seema Sheth @seemasheth.bsky.social · 14d

NSF GRFP solicitation is finally up. Life Sci deadline extended to Nov 10 but 2nd year grad students no longer eligible www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...

1 1 7

Reposted by Dr. Sunny Shin

Erica D. Pratt @pratted.bsky.social · 14d

Announcing such a major change to NSF GRFP this late in the cycle is incredibly cruel. 2nd yr students (mine included) have been working so hard on their proposals despite ongoing uncertainty. They are driven and passionate about being outstanding scientists and helping those coming up behind them.

This means individuals in the following statuses at the time of application are eligible:

Undergraduate in the final (senior) year of a bachelor’s degree program
Bachelor’s degree-holder with NO enrollment in a graduate degree program (non-degree graduate coursework allowed)
Individual enrolled in a joint bachelor’s-master’s degree program with at least three undergraduate years completed
First-year graduate student in their first graduate degree program with less than one academic year completed in the degree program (according to institution’s academic calendar)
Individuals enrolled in joint bachelor’s-master’s degree programs are considered graduate students. For GRFP, joint bachelor’s-master’s degrees are defined as degrees concurrently pursued and awarded.
Not be a current NSF employee.

Applications that do not meet eligibility requirements will be returned without review as being ineligible for a fellowship.

7 77 160

Reposted by Dr. Sunny Shin

Chrystal Starbird @drstarbird.bsky.social · 14d

I received this award as a second year student, and it was transformative and a big part of the reason I persisted. They are making things harder just for no reason.

I remember the days when we recognized that STEM fields were a worthy national investment 🤦🏾‍♀️

@LaBonneLaB @labonnelab.bsky.social · 14d

Continuing efforts to hurt the research pipeline, the very late NSF GFRP solicitation no longer allows 2nd year PhD students to apply. Lots of these students chose not to apply last year because they were told they would have a better change once in their thesis lab www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)

www.nsf.gov

8 23