Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Erica Sawczynec

Astrobites @astrobites.bsky.social · 6d

In this bite, the Astrobites authors discuss recent changes to the NSF’s Graduate Research Fellowship, their impact, and what you can do to help. 🔭✨☄️
astrobites.org/2025/10/04/n...

Big Changes to the NSF’s Graduate Fellowship Mean Big Problems

In this bite, the authors discuss recent changes to the NSF's Graduate Research Fellowship, their impact, and what you can do to help.

astrobites.org

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Erica Sawczynec @ericasawczynec.bsky.social · 11d

obsessed with this

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 11d

We are thrilled to announce that our NEW Large Language Model will be released on 11.18.25.

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Reposted by Erica Sawczynec

4-meter Multi-Object Spectroscopic Telescope (4MOST) @4most-eu.bsky.social · 25d

Welcome to the official 4-metre Multi-Object Spectroscopic Telescope (4MOST) Bluesky account! Stay tuned for our first-light events coming very soon, and updates on all of the amazing science we will be completing over the years to come!

📷: Y. Beletsky/ESO

#4most #ESO #telescope #astronomy

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Reposted by Erica Sawczynec

Science Magazine @science.org · 15d

NSF today released instructions for the next round of applicants to its Graduate Research Fellowship Program. A key group—second-year Ph.D. students—is no longer eligible, and students who are still able to apply will face an unusually narrow timeframe. https://scim.ag/3KlQkQk

‘Completely shattered.’ Changes to NSF’s graduate student fellowship spur outcry

The announcement comes months later than usual, leaving many would-be applicants stranded

www.science.org

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Reposted by Erica Sawczynec

Slaughter💀🎃🦇 @catieslaughts.bsky.social · 18d

ASTRO FRIENDS! Apply to work with some really cool people (and me)! VAST organizing has been a rewarding, LOW time commitment (~2hr/month), experience!

Amruta @amruta.bsky.social · 18d

The Virtual Astronomy Software Talk series welcomes new organizers. You can learn more about VAST on our website: vast-seminars.github.io.

Please apply by Oct 15 : tinyurl.com/VASTorgs

#astronomy #software

The Virtual Astronomy Software Talk series is looking for new organizers to join us. The link for application is: https://tinyurl.com/VASTorgs.

The Virtual Astronomy Software Talks
seminar series puts software in the spotlight! Each month developers share their libraries and projects with the global astronomy community, followed by an open discussion.

We are looking for resaearchers who are passionate about software development to join us as organisers.
Apply at the link above.

You can follow us at: https://vast-seminars.github.io/

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Reposted by Erica Sawczynec

Eliot Halley Vrijmoet @eliothalley.bsky.social · 19d

This is a great opportunity to get a bit of funding for putting on an event in your community! It's a very easy, low-key application. 😊 Deadline is October 8.

AAS SGMA @aassgma.bsky.social · 20d

🚨Call for Mini-Grant applications🚨
SGMA is looking to support 5 local, small scale events! Click on link for more information!

docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Application for a mini-grant

Sponsor your community building event with $100 from the AAS. We will particularly value creative ideas that build up communities that otherwise would not have a chance to meet or be supported.

docs.google.com

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Erica Sawczynec @ericasawczynec.bsky.social · 20d

congratulations!!

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Erica Sawczynec @ericasawczynec.bsky.social · 25d

congratulations dr!

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Erica Sawczynec @ericasawczynec.bsky.social · 26d

I’ve keeping a little bit of a secret for the past four months 🤫

I’m excited to share that I was selected as a ⭐️2025 NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunities (NSTGRO) Fellow!⭐️

You can read more about the unique fellowship here 🚀💫:

#instrumentation #astro

NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunities (NSTGRO)

www.nasa.gov

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Reposted by Erica Sawczynec

Astrobites @astrobites.bsky.social · 28d

From Erica Sawczynec @ericasawczynec.bsky.social : In today’s bite we discuss the use of inclusive teaching practices in physics classrooms and why physics professors are unlikely to implement more even though they help all students learn more effectively! 🔭✨☄️
astrobites.org/2025/09/13/i...

Inclusive teaching practices help all students learn, but physicists are reluctant to change the way they teach

In today's bite we discuss the use of inclusive teaching practices in physics classrooms and why physics professors are unlikely to implement more even though they help all students learn more effecti...

astrobites.org

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Reposted by Erica Sawczynec

Erica Sawczynec @ericasawczynec.bsky.social · 29d

🚨 new article for astrobites! 🚨

today we’re talking about inclusive teaching practices in the physics classroom: what are they? are professors implementing them as well as they think they are? why are they reluctant to implement more?

give it a read and lmk your thoughts in the comments! 👩🏼‍💻💬

Inclusive teaching practices help all students learn, but physicists are reluctant to change the way they teach

In today's bite we discuss the use of inclusive teaching practices in physics classrooms and why physics professors are unlikely to implement more even though they help all students learn more effecti...

astrobites.org

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Erica Sawczynec @ericasawczynec.bsky.social · 29d

🚨 new article for astrobites! 🚨

today we’re talking about inclusive teaching practices in the physics classroom: what are they? are professors implementing them as well as they think they are? why are they reluctant to implement more?

give it a read and lmk your thoughts in the comments! 👩🏼‍💻💬

Inclusive teaching practices help all students learn, but physicists are reluctant to change the way they teach

In today's bite we discuss the use of inclusive teaching practices in physics classrooms and why physics professors are unlikely to implement more even though they help all students learn more effecti...

astrobites.org

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Reposted by Erica Sawczynec

Jonathan Fortney @jjfplanet.bsky.social · Sep 10

Great article from the Simons Foundation about the open source MESA stellar evolution code, which has a had a huge impact on astrophysics over the past 15 years.
I had not heard that the code's architect, software guru Bill Paxton, had passed away in July.
www.simonsfoundation.org/2025/08/12/a...

A Stellar Revolution: How Open-Source Tool MESA Changed the Way We Study Stars

A Stellar Revolution: How Open-Source Tool MESA Changed the Way We Study Stars on Simons Foundation

www.simonsfoundation.org

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Reposted by Erica Sawczynec

Mark Rubin @markrubin.bsky.social · Sep 9

"Hostility, exclusion and academic bullying should be formally recognised as research integrity issues because they directly impact who gets to succeed and whose voices are silenced."

By @maddipow.bsky.social

Research integrity needs a kindness agenda or we will lose ECRs

Responding to early-career researchers’ honest questions with accusations of misconduct is a travesty of open science, says Madeleine Pownall

www.timeshighereducation.com

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Reposted by Erica Sawczynec

Emily Hunt @emily.space · Sep 8

For the last two years, I've been paying for the Astronomy feeds hosting myself.

It has been a privilege to grow our community here, but I also shouldn't keep doing it for free 😅

That's why I'm delighted to announce that we now have a donations page on Open Collective! 🔭☄️ #astrophotography

The Astrosky Ecosystem - Open Collective

We're building an open-source ecosystem of social media tools for the space science & astronomy communities.

opencollective.com

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Erica Sawczynec @ericasawczynec.bsky.social · Sep 8

woooooow this is SO fun

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Dr. Laci Brock 🪐 @stellerarts.com · Sep 4

wowowow wake up nerds, new JWST image! This gorgeous image is of the star cluster Pismis 24. It’s approximately 5500 light years away and is home to some of the most massive stars known—66 and 74 solar masses.

📸: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI; A. Pagan

Beautiful nebula glittered with stars and a blue background. Near the bottom is wispy orange gas that almost looks like mountains with a tall, thin spire on the center. A wisp of white flows by like a cloud.

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Reposted by Erica Sawczynec

American Bird Conservancy @abcbirds.bsky.social · Aug 29

🌋 Meet Hawai‘i’s Nēnē — the state bird + one of the world’s rarest geese!
This #BirdOfTheWeek was once down to just 30 birds in the 1950s, today ~3,800 roam, thanks to conservation efforts.

🎶 Their name comes from their soft “nē-nē” calls. Have you heard them?
Learn more:
abcbirds.org/bird/nene/

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Reposted by Erica Sawczynec

AAS SGMA @aassgma.bsky.social · Aug 21

Looking to fill up your seminar talk slots? Consider utilizing the Queer Speaker List to get in touch with some fantastic queer astronomers! docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

Queer Speaker List - Last edited May 12th 2025 - Public

docs.google.com

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Reposted by Erica Sawczynec

SK Winnicki, PhD 🏳️‍⚧️ @skwinnicki.bsky.social · Aug 7

"this product is good because it's like having a pocket full of PhDs" just suggests to me you've never actually been in a room with a bunch of experts on a topic.

You think you're going to come away with a quick, simple, easy-to-digest summary of their expertise? Think again.

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Reposted by Erica Sawczynec

Alexandra Witze @alexwitze.bsky.social · Aug 6

We've been waiting for this report from NSF for many months — results of a survey on sexual harassment at US Antarctic stations. The numbers aren't good, but at least this problem is out in the open & starting to be tackled. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Sexual harassment is rife at US Antarctic research bases, fresh survey finds

More than two-thirds of people polled had witnessed sexual harassment or assault on the ice.

www.nature.com

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Erica Sawczynec @ericasawczynec.bsky.social · Aug 5

whatsaltareyou.com

i am sodium chloride! commonly used to defrost roads i guess.

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Erica Sawczynec @ericasawczynec.bsky.social · Aug 5

i don’t use any AI tools to write code or fix code bugs, instead i use the old fashioned way: pestering my postdoc until he helps me

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Reposted by Erica Sawczynec

Dr. Scott W. Fleming @scottwfleming.bsky.social · Jul 31

Ever wondered what the "MAST Sky" looks like, from our ~6 PB of data spanning 3 decades...check this out! spacetelescope.github.io/mast-blog/ma...

Really fun project led by the very talented Julie Imig at MAST, showing mission coverage sky-projected! They make VERY good video backgrounds, btw. 🔭

MAST background in "standard" sky projection, in hues of blue. Lighter blue areas mark lots of observations, while darker areas are less. Numerous patterns are visible, like the continuous viewing zones as ovals in the lower-left and upper right, patterns from overlapping TESS FFIs, or the Kepler footprint shapes stamped along the ecliptic and in the original Kepler field in the upper-right.

A grid of 16 images, 4x4, showing the sky background only for specific missions to get a sense of where in the sky and how much of it each mission observed to at least some depth.

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