Sarah Jennings
@drsarahjennings.bsky.social
NSF PRFB postdoc at Cal Poly and Cornell | PhD from UC Davis | sensory ecology, species interactions, anthropogenic change | she/her
Reposted by Sarah Jennings
Based on some quick math, this alone could fund the NSF Plant Genome Research Program for ~4 years; the NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology, which was totally axed in the NSF budget request, for ~9 years; and ~ half the total NSF GRFP budget
BREAKING: The Pentagon said the deployment of National Guard members and Marines to protests over immigration raids in LA will cost $134 million.
Hegseth faces sharp questions from Congress on deploying troops to Los Angles and Pentagon chaos
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been quickly met with sharp questions and criticism by lawmakers who pressed him about his early moves to fire key military leaders and and purge diversity programs.
bit.ly
June 10, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Based on some quick math, this alone could fund the NSF Plant Genome Research Program for ~4 years; the NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology, which was totally axed in the NSF budget request, for ~9 years; and ~ half the total NSF GRFP budget
Reposted by Sarah Jennings
The 2026 federal budget proposes eliminating the USGS Ecosystems Mission Area, threatening bird banding, research, and conservation nationwide, endangering 100+ years of vital ecological data. www.aba.org/proposed-bir...
May 30, 2025 at 4:26 PM
The 2026 federal budget proposes eliminating the USGS Ecosystems Mission Area, threatening bird banding, research, and conservation nationwide, endangering 100+ years of vital ecological data. www.aba.org/proposed-bir...
Reposted by Sarah Jennings
In our most recent episode we talk with Bill Zamer and Sam Scheiner, two former BIO program officers at the NSF, about the recently proposed 56% budget cut to the NSF.
🎙️Listen now: bigbiology.substack.com/p/savensf-ep...
#scicomm #science #sciencecommunication #SaveNSF #NSF
🎙️Listen now: bigbiology.substack.com/p/savensf-ep...
#scicomm #science #sciencecommunication #SaveNSF #NSF
May 25, 2025 at 1:21 AM
In our most recent episode we talk with Bill Zamer and Sam Scheiner, two former BIO program officers at the NSF, about the recently proposed 56% budget cut to the NSF.
🎙️Listen now: bigbiology.substack.com/p/savensf-ep...
#scicomm #science #sciencecommunication #SaveNSF #NSF
🎙️Listen now: bigbiology.substack.com/p/savensf-ep...
#scicomm #science #sciencecommunication #SaveNSF #NSF
Reposted by Sarah Jennings
The reductions in funding touch virtually every area of science and seem certain to harm American competitiveness.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
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
May 22, 2025 at 11:01 AM
The reductions in funding touch virtually every area of science and seem certain to harm American competitiveness.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Reposted by Sarah Jennings
It's not that we might lose our jobs. It's that all of it will disappear or mutate beyond recognition. I worry we're not talking or thinking enough about this deeper sadness hiding behind our immediate anxieties and it's this heaviness that has us all at a breaking point.
May 15, 2025 at 2:35 AM
It's not that we might lose our jobs. It's that all of it will disappear or mutate beyond recognition. I worry we're not talking or thinking enough about this deeper sadness hiding behind our immediate anxieties and it's this heaviness that has us all at a breaking point.
Reposted by Sarah Jennings
What strikes me about the NSF termination data is exactly this: the PIs *doing the work* of making science more inclusive are primarily women, people of color, people with disabilities, and all intersections of those identities.
Individual-level racism would be DOGE saying: "Oh, here's a Black PI. Let's terminate that one."
There isn't enough evidence to claim that. Instead, it appears to be structural.
Women and Black investigators disproportionately study topics like STEM education that were cut at higher rates.
See:
There isn't enough evidence to claim that. Instead, it appears to be structural.
Women and Black investigators disproportionately study topics like STEM education that were cut at higher rates.
See:
Three-fourths of NSF funding cuts hit education
More research eliminated and mass firings
hechingerreport.org
May 14, 2025 at 2:45 AM
What strikes me about the NSF termination data is exactly this: the PIs *doing the work* of making science more inclusive are primarily women, people of color, people with disabilities, and all intersections of those identities.
Reposted by Sarah Jennings
"For me, the answer now lies in refusal, the withdrawal of participation from systems that require dishonesty as the price of belonging."
Today I am resigning from the National Science Board and the Library of Congress Scholars Council.
I wrote about my decision in TIME.
time.com/7285045/resi...
Today I am resigning from the National Science Board and the Library of Congress Scholars Council.
I wrote about my decision in TIME.
time.com/7285045/resi...
Why I’m Resigning from the NSF and Library of Congress
I cannot participate in systems that require dishonesty as the price of belonging.
time.com
May 13, 2025 at 11:19 AM
"For me, the answer now lies in refusal, the withdrawal of participation from systems that require dishonesty as the price of belonging."
Today I am resigning from the National Science Board and the Library of Congress Scholars Council.
I wrote about my decision in TIME.
time.com/7285045/resi...
Today I am resigning from the National Science Board and the Library of Congress Scholars Council.
I wrote about my decision in TIME.
time.com/7285045/resi...
Reposted by Sarah Jennings
On this week’s ep, Kevin Bird (@stairwaytokevin.bsky.social) explains the events of the last 3 months, how science is funded in the United States, why it is being attacked so aggressively, and the ideologies behind these attacks. Found everywhere you get podcasts.
open.spotify.com/episode/0E9l...
open.spotify.com/episode/0E9l...
Is science political? - with Kevin Bird
Tiny Living Beings · Episode
open.spotify.com
May 5, 2025 at 10:30 AM
On this week’s ep, Kevin Bird (@stairwaytokevin.bsky.social) explains the events of the last 3 months, how science is funded in the United States, why it is being attacked so aggressively, and the ideologies behind these attacks. Found everywhere you get podcasts.
open.spotify.com/episode/0E9l...
open.spotify.com/episode/0E9l...
These findings are devastating but send a very clear message. Over $300 million of the NSF grants that were illegally terminated in the past few weeks were for STEM Eduction 😢 These cancellations are clearly targeted and designed to undercut (and maybe eliminate) the next generation of US scientists
UPDATE: We have data on >1000 terminated #NSF grants at grant-watch.us. Thanks to all who have been contributing data the past few days.
We've also added a "Reports" section with some analyses. For NSF, we see that the STEM education directorate has been absolutely pummeled.
We've also added a "Reports" section with some analyses. For NSF, we see that the STEM education directorate has been absolutely pummeled.
May 1, 2025 at 12:18 AM
These findings are devastating but send a very clear message. Over $300 million of the NSF grants that were illegally terminated in the past few weeks were for STEM Eduction 😢 These cancellations are clearly targeted and designed to undercut (and maybe eliminate) the next generation of US scientists
Reposted by Sarah Jennings
“…science is the only way to generate the foundational knowledge that enables technology, medicine and an understanding of how the world works.
The extraordinary success that has been American science makes it especially distressing to now witness its destruction.”
The extraordinary success that has been American science makes it especially distressing to now witness its destruction.”
We are witnessing the destruction of science in America | Paul Darren Bieniasz
If we stay on this administration’s course, future life-saving medicines may never be invented
www.theguardian.com
April 10, 2025 at 1:19 AM
“…science is the only way to generate the foundational knowledge that enables technology, medicine and an understanding of how the world works.
The extraordinary success that has been American science makes it especially distressing to now witness its destruction.”
The extraordinary success that has been American science makes it especially distressing to now witness its destruction.”
Reposted by Sarah Jennings
Sharing this from the National Postdoctoral Association
HT - American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS)
No bueno.
87% of postdocs in the survey are funded by the fed; 54% of postdocs are impacted by executive branch actions; 78% say their position is threatened or research delayed!
HT - American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS)
No bueno.
87% of postdocs in the survey are funded by the fed; 54% of postdocs are impacted by executive branch actions; 78% say their position is threatened or research delayed!
March 13, 2025 at 7:53 PM
Sharing this from the National Postdoctoral Association
HT - American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS)
No bueno.
87% of postdocs in the survey are funded by the fed; 54% of postdocs are impacted by executive branch actions; 78% say their position is threatened or research delayed!
HT - American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS)
No bueno.
87% of postdocs in the survey are funded by the fed; 54% of postdocs are impacted by executive branch actions; 78% say their position is threatened or research delayed!
More than 50% of postdocs have been impacted by the first six weeks of the Trump administration's second term. We need to protect funding and opportunities for early career scientists otherwise the US will lose many of its talented and highly-trained researchers www.statnews.com/2025/03/13/p...
Federal research instability risks postdoc careers, American leadership
In a new National Postdoctoral Association report, 43% of postdocs said Trump administration policies have threatened their positions, while more than one-third said their research is delayed or in je...
www.statnews.com
March 13, 2025 at 7:27 PM
More than 50% of postdocs have been impacted by the first six weeks of the Trump administration's second term. We need to protect funding and opportunities for early career scientists otherwise the US will lose many of its talented and highly-trained researchers www.statnews.com/2025/03/13/p...
Reposted by Sarah Jennings
In case it needs to be said baldly..don't expect the university to protect you.
Opinion | This Is the Greatest Threat to Free Speech Since the Red Scare (Gift Article)
Mahmoud Khalil’s detention is a frightening sign of an authoritarian slide.
www.nytimes.com
March 10, 2025 at 11:24 PM
In case it needs to be said baldly..don't expect the university to protect you.
Proud of fellow NSF PRFB postdocs @couchmicroscopy.bsky.social and @stairwaytokevin.bsky.social for sharing how funding cuts and the current administration's attempts to squash scientific research are hurting early career scientists
The president denounced one postdoc's program in his speech to Congress:
Trump’s Upheavals Worry Early-Career Researchers
Trump’s Upheavals Worry Early-Career Researchers
Trump’s upheavals worry job-hunting postdoctoral researchers
As job-seeking scholars see continuing layoffs and stalled federal support, some say they’re looking at positions overseas.
www.insidehighered.com
March 11, 2025 at 1:48 AM
Proud of fellow NSF PRFB postdocs @couchmicroscopy.bsky.social and @stairwaytokevin.bsky.social for sharing how funding cuts and the current administration's attempts to squash scientific research are hurting early career scientists
Reposted by Sarah Jennings
If you have experienced direct harm to your work/lab/job due to recent changes at US NSF, & are willing to share this on behalf of the Am. Society of Naturalists and NSF, please DM/ email me ASAP (this is time-sensitive) or submit story here sites.google.com/view/scienti...
Please share widely
Please share widely
Scientists' Stories - How to Contribute
How to contribute a Story
sites.google.com
March 2, 2025 at 6:24 PM
If you have experienced direct harm to your work/lab/job due to recent changes at US NSF, & are willing to share this on behalf of the Am. Society of Naturalists and NSF, please DM/ email me ASAP (this is time-sensitive) or submit story here sites.google.com/view/scienti...
Please share widely
Please share widely
The Institute for Bird Populations is in trouble. Their ability to continue many of their projects and pay their staff is in jeopardy due to paused federal grants. If you’re an ornithologist or someone who cares about birds, please consider donating to help keep their important research going
🪶 Today, more than 1/3 of the federal grant $$ we were relying on to finance our science & conservation work in 2025 is paused w/ no indication of when, or if, we will be able to access it again. Your tax-deductible donation helps us weather this period of uncertainty. birdpop.org/pages/do... 1/2
February 27, 2025 at 6:09 AM
The Institute for Bird Populations is in trouble. Their ability to continue many of their projects and pay their staff is in jeopardy due to paused federal grants. If you’re an ornithologist or someone who cares about birds, please consider donating to help keep their important research going
Reposted by Sarah Jennings
House Republicans just voted to gut Medicaid, which covers 1 in 5 Americans overall, including 41% of births and 63% of nursing home care.
They also just voted to gut SNAP, on which 41 million food insecure Americans rely.
This won’t just harm people. This will kill people.
They own this.
They also just voted to gut SNAP, on which 41 million food insecure Americans rely.
This won’t just harm people. This will kill people.
They own this.
February 26, 2025 at 1:22 AM
House Republicans just voted to gut Medicaid, which covers 1 in 5 Americans overall, including 41% of births and 63% of nursing home care.
They also just voted to gut SNAP, on which 41 million food insecure Americans rely.
This won’t just harm people. This will kill people.
They own this.
They also just voted to gut SNAP, on which 41 million food insecure Americans rely.
This won’t just harm people. This will kill people.
They own this.
Reposted by Sarah Jennings
The most achingly beautiful explanation of what science is, from @edyong209.bsky.social: “the idea that much of the world is hidden from us, that we don’t perceive it and don’t understand it, and that it is worth understanding and it is necessary to understand.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/22/m...
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/22/m...
‘The Interview’: Ed Yong Wants to Show You the Hidden Reality of the World
The Pulitzer Prize-winning science writer talks about burnout from covering the pandemic and how bird-watching gave him a new sense of hope.
www.nytimes.com
February 22, 2025 at 3:46 PM
The most achingly beautiful explanation of what science is, from @edyong209.bsky.social: “the idea that much of the world is hidden from us, that we don’t perceive it and don’t understand it, and that it is worth understanding and it is necessary to understand.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/22/m...
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/22/m...
Reposted by Sarah Jennings
"These kinds of shocks are going to lead to a mass exodus … for minorities in particular.”
For my latest @science.org story, I spoke with early career researchers who have been affected by the federal upheaval and are concerned about what it means for their future.
www.science.org/content/arti...
For my latest @science.org story, I spoke with early career researchers who have been affected by the federal upheaval and are concerned about what it means for their future.
www.science.org/content/arti...
U.S. early-career researchers struggling amid chaos
Uncertain funding, government firings, and distressed universities hit vulnerable groups especially hard
www.science.org
February 22, 2025 at 12:23 AM
"These kinds of shocks are going to lead to a mass exodus … for minorities in particular.”
For my latest @science.org story, I spoke with early career researchers who have been affected by the federal upheaval and are concerned about what it means for their future.
www.science.org/content/arti...
For my latest @science.org story, I spoke with early career researchers who have been affected by the federal upheaval and are concerned about what it means for their future.
www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Sarah Jennings
An inspiring article on courageous community college leaders who are *publicly* organizing and standing up against DEI attacks.. www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...
Grassroots college leader group resists anti-DEI legislation
Education for All, a grassroots network of mostly community college leaders, is spreading strategies for how to resist anti-DEI bills and rhetoric.
www.insidehighered.com
February 18, 2025 at 1:49 PM
An inspiring article on courageous community college leaders who are *publicly* organizing and standing up against DEI attacks.. www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...
Reposted by Sarah Jennings
I'm seeing a lot of support for fired scientists and environmental professionals, which is great
But a lot is phased is "just keep doing your important work," and I need you to know that these are early career people with student loans and no savings, and they need income for food and shelter.
But a lot is phased is "just keep doing your important work," and I need you to know that these are early career people with student loans and no savings, and they need income for food and shelter.
February 20, 2025 at 4:13 PM
I'm seeing a lot of support for fired scientists and environmental professionals, which is great
But a lot is phased is "just keep doing your important work," and I need you to know that these are early career people with student loans and no savings, and they need income for food and shelter.
But a lot is phased is "just keep doing your important work," and I need you to know that these are early career people with student loans and no savings, and they need income for food and shelter.
Reposted by Sarah Jennings
Reposted by Sarah Jennings
Scientists are now organizing events, called Stand Up for Science, on 7 March in Washington, D.C., and state capitals.
So far, they have attracted more than 100 volunteers from some 30 states who are hoping to rally support for research as a public good. scim.ag/4328LAD
So far, they have attracted more than 100 volunteers from some 30 states who are hoping to rally support for research as a public good. scim.ag/4328LAD
‘I really wanted something to happen.’ The students behind the Stand Up for Science protests
New group hopes to turn out researchers for 7 March demonstrations against Trump administration policies
scim.ag
February 19, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Scientists are now organizing events, called Stand Up for Science, on 7 March in Washington, D.C., and state capitals.
So far, they have attracted more than 100 volunteers from some 30 states who are hoping to rally support for research as a public good. scim.ag/4328LAD
So far, they have attracted more than 100 volunteers from some 30 states who are hoping to rally support for research as a public good. scim.ag/4328LAD
Reposted by Sarah Jennings
"I don't know what NSF is going to be now, but it's not more efficient. It's just a mess."
My story on today's firings and their impact.
www.npr.org/2025/02/18/n...
My story on today's firings and their impact.
www.npr.org/2025/02/18/n...
National Science Foundation fires roughly 10% of its workforce
NSF fired 168 employees, leaving the agency less equipped to fund a wide range of scientific research.
www.npr.org
February 19, 2025 at 12:15 AM
"I don't know what NSF is going to be now, but it's not more efficient. It's just a mess."
My story on today's firings and their impact.
www.npr.org/2025/02/18/n...
My story on today's firings and their impact.
www.npr.org/2025/02/18/n...
Reposted by Sarah Jennings
A quick resistance task:
1. Google Gulf of Mexico
2. “Gulf of America" is the top
3. Click on the three little dots to the right of it
4. Select "Send Feedback"
5. Click on "Gulf Of America"
6. Select "Inaccurate content"
7. Select "Incorrect" and type in "The correct name is “Gulf of Mexico"
1. Google Gulf of Mexico
2. “Gulf of America" is the top
3. Click on the three little dots to the right of it
4. Select "Send Feedback"
5. Click on "Gulf Of America"
6. Select "Inaccurate content"
7. Select "Incorrect" and type in "The correct name is “Gulf of Mexico"
February 11, 2025 at 9:53 PM
A quick resistance task:
1. Google Gulf of Mexico
2. “Gulf of America" is the top
3. Click on the three little dots to the right of it
4. Select "Send Feedback"
5. Click on "Gulf Of America"
6. Select "Inaccurate content"
7. Select "Incorrect" and type in "The correct name is “Gulf of Mexico"
1. Google Gulf of Mexico
2. “Gulf of America" is the top
3. Click on the three little dots to the right of it
4. Select "Send Feedback"
5. Click on "Gulf Of America"
6. Select "Inaccurate content"
7. Select "Incorrect" and type in "The correct name is “Gulf of Mexico"