Erin Hotchkiss
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fluvialbenthos.bsky.social
Erin Hotchkiss
@fluvialbenthos.bsky.social
I am a scientist who works (& plays) in waterways to understand their health & function.

Associate Professor in Biological Sciences & Global Change Center Faculty Affiliate @ Virginia Tech. UWYO/Emory alum. she/her. Posts=my opinions. www.hotchkisslab.com
Reposted by Erin Hotchkiss
The slow grinding down continues.

Will we have the ambition and capability to rebuilt what this administration tears down?
The National Science Foundation sign on our Eisenhower Av building is now gone.

The NSF mural in the foyer is removed and torn off in sheets.

We were supposed to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the agency in May 2025. That never happened.
January 18, 2026 at 3:13 AM
Reposted by Erin Hotchkiss
If you are in Seattle, please go patronize this store because this is amazing content/promo 😂 (laughing to keep from crying, and I do kind of low-key want that orange spider plant I have never seen that before)

Source: www.instagram.com/reel/DTQrTqZ...
January 17, 2026 at 1:33 AM
Reposted by Erin Hotchkiss
Thousands of people rallied in Copenhagen to push back on President Trump's rhetoric that the U.S. should acquire Greenland.
'Not for sale': Massive protest in Copenhagen against Trump's desire to acquire Greenland
Thousands of people rallied in Copenhagen to push back on President Trump's rhetoric that the U.S. should acquire Greenland.
n.pr
January 17, 2026 at 6:02 PM
Reposted by Erin Hotchkiss
🚨 Reminder: Apply to be part of our Local Reporting Network by Feb. 5!

If selected, we cover your salary (up to $80K, plus benefits) and partner with your newsroom to help you dive deep into a project that matters to your community. All newsrooms are eligible.

More info 👇
Local Reporting Network Fellow
Remote, United States
grnh.se
January 17, 2026 at 5:00 PM
Reposted by Erin Hotchkiss
Submit your application for the Graduate Student Conservation Research Awards by Jan 26

🏆 One or more awards totaling $1,000 to support the best graduate student research proposal(s) addressing at least one of the following criteria (1/3)
January 15, 2026 at 1:28 AM
Reposted by Erin Hotchkiss
Human-made freshwaters are everywhere, let’s talk about how they function! We’re hosting a special session at #2026SFS on biogeochemical cycling in artificial aquatic ecosystems & welcome abstracts, due Jan 26.
Organized by @jgerson.bsky.social, Anika Bratt, myself & @ajreisinger.bsky.social
January 16, 2026 at 5:55 PM
Reposted by Erin Hotchkiss
As you talk about Greenland, please make sure you are talking about the >56,000 Inuit who have called the Island their home for thousands of years. Here are 2 stories that include their voices, concerns, and hopes.

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

canadiangeographic.ca/articles/buy...
‘Buying countries is Stone Age mentality:’ Inuit speak up on Greenland
Indigenous Greenlanders, who endured centuries of colonialism from Denmark, now face a new threat from Donald Trump’s United States
canadiangeographic.ca
January 16, 2026 at 11:22 AM
Reposted by Erin Hotchkiss
Stunning photos from Minneapolis, including this one by John Locher for the Associated Press. www.theatlantic.com/photography/...
January 15, 2026 at 7:22 PM
Reposted by Erin Hotchkiss
"The sweeping study... found that using AI in education can 'undermine children's foundational development' and that 'the damages it has already caused are daunting.'"

They include limiting kids' cognitive, social, and emotional developmen, and increasing inequity.

www.npr.org/2026/01/14/n...
The risks of AI in schools outweigh the benefits, report says
A new report warns that AI poses a serious threat to children's cognitive development and emotional well-being.
www.npr.org
January 15, 2026 at 12:14 PM
Reposted by Erin Hotchkiss
🚨 Deadline extended! 🚨 Abstracts for the 2026 SFS Annual Meeting in Spokane, WA, will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. EST on Monday, January 26. Learn more about the conference, register & submit your abstract today: www.sfsannualmeeting.org/abstracts
Individual Abstract Submissions — SFS 2026 Annual Meeting
SFS 2026 committee invite you to participate in SFS 2026 Annual Meeting by submitting an abstract for consideration as an oral or poster presentation.
www.sfsannualmeeting.org
January 14, 2026 at 5:49 PM
Reposted by Erin Hotchkiss
Most studies of groundwater microbes focus on free-floating microbes, but they make up less than 10% of an aquifer’s microbial population.

Research out of @unikassel.bsky.social + @unituebingen.bsky.social in @jgrbiogeo.bsky.social focuses on microbes attached to sediment. eos.org/research-spo...
Microbial Genes Could Improve Our Understanding of Water Pollution - Eos
New research in Germany’s Ammer floodplain examines microbial biomarkers to help improve modeling of denitrification.
eos.org
January 13, 2026 at 3:09 PM
Reposted by Erin Hotchkiss
📖 Big news! We just released the first five chapters of our new book, Hello Data Science. It is a fully open-access resource written for beginners. Please help us spread the word! A few points about the book are below 👇

🔗 www.hellodata.science

#rstats #datascience #tidyverse
January 14, 2026 at 5:34 AM
Reposted by Erin Hotchkiss
It is impossible to properly calculate the depth and breadth of the courage and sacrifice of those prepared to confront white supremacy and assert their right to full citizenship.

We - and by that I mean ALL Americans - owe them a great debt. Rest in Peace & Power Claudette Colvin.
"I knew then and I know now, when it comes to justice, there is no easy way to get it. You can't sugarcoat it. You have to take a stand and say, 'This is not right.' And I did."

Rest in power, Ms. Claudette Colvin.

The fight for equality continues.

❤️
January 13, 2026 at 11:21 PM
Reposted by Erin Hotchkiss
NEW: Civilians have had apparent seizures. One had his eyes roll back. Another had ribs broken.

“I felt like I was going to pass out and die,” said a 16-year-old citizen put in a chokehold.

The government won’t say if any agents have been punished.
We Found More Than 40 Cases of Immigration Agents Using Banned Chokeholds and Other Moves That Can Cut Off Breathing
Civilians have had apparent seizures. One had his eyes roll back. Another had ribs broken. “I felt like I was going to pass out and die,” said a 16-year-old citizen put in a chokehold. The government ...
www.propublica.org
January 13, 2026 at 1:00 PM
Reposted by Erin Hotchkiss
This isn't just a casual observation. Fascism scholars have long made this point. It's why calling them "weird" was a more effective strategy than talking about the prices of eggs. Fascism is an aesthetic political movement - you need to make people feel embarassed and horrified by it.
one of the most effective weapons we have against fascism is mockery, especially when its really funny
It occurs to me all the yelling at ICE in MPLS isn't merely funny. Getting made fun of like this is awful for morale. ICE is losing field officers faster than it can wave them through training, and a big part of it is how little of this these little weasels can take.
January 12, 2026 at 5:54 PM
Reposted by Erin Hotchkiss
When thinking about the news that Trump's EPA no longer views American deaths as a problem, it isn't a few lives here or there. It is hundreds of thousands.
Study: Air pollution causes 200,000 early deaths each year in the U.S.
New MIT study finds vehicle emissions are the biggest contributor to these premature deaths.
news.mit.edu
January 12, 2026 at 6:58 PM
Reposted by Erin Hotchkiss
Breaking News: The EPA will stop considering lives saved when setting pollution limits and instead calculate only the cost to businesses.
E.P.A. to Stop Considering Lives Saved by Limiting Air Pollution
In a reversal, the agency plans to calculate only the cost to industry when setting pollution limits, and not the monetary value of saving human lives, documents show.
nyti.ms
January 12, 2026 at 6:39 PM
Reposted by Erin Hotchkiss
Coastal communities in southern Alaska rely on dozens of wild food species across land and sea. A new study shows that access to diverse wild foods stabilizes harvests over time and makes food systems more resilient to species declines. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/QnwY50XUcyb
January 9, 2026 at 11:00 PM
Reposted by Erin Hotchkiss
States move to rein in ICE after fatal Minnesota shooting
States move to rein in ICE after fatal Minnesota shooting
Legislators nationwide are advancing bills to curb immigration enforcement and limit cooperation with federal agents.
dlvr.it
January 11, 2026 at 12:03 PM
Reposted by Erin Hotchkiss
Less than one month left to apply for this WIFORCE #PhDposition on soil food webs in Swedish forests. We welcome applicants from all walks of life 🌈 and from all corners of the world🌏 Deadline: 10 February 2026!
Explore how soil food webs withstand droughts and heatwaves, and what this means for tree regeneration in Swedish forests! 🌲🪱🌳🍄Become a PhD student in the WIFORCE Research School and work with us at SLU-Uppsala @mycopat.bsky.social #climate #forest #microbes #nematodes

www.slu.se/en/about-slu...
January 11, 2026 at 12:03 PM
Reposted by Erin Hotchkiss
There were 23 billion-dollar weather and climate disasters in the US in 2025.

And we only know this because @climatecentral.org hired the NOAA employee who led this vital tracking effort, which was decommissioned by the administration last spring.
Just in - "According to @climatecentral.org, 2025 ranks as the third-highest year (after 2023 and 2024) for billion-dollar weather and climate disasters..."

+ Interactive graphics/data: www.climatecentral.org/climate-serv...
+ Climate Matters article: www.climatecentral.org/climate-matt...
January 8, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Reposted by Erin Hotchkiss
“We cannot withdraw from the fact that over 1 million species of plants and animals face extinction.” 🧪

IPBES remains committed to its mandate to provide the most credible science and evidence about biodiversity to all decision makers and actors. 🌍
January 8, 2026 at 8:07 PM
Reposted by Erin Hotchkiss
The Trump Administration's announced withdraw from the IPCC is disappointing, but not surprising. US scientists will continue to play key roles in the @ipcc.bsky.social. A statement from the US Academic Alliance for the IPCC:
January 8, 2026 at 8:08 PM
Reposted by Erin Hotchkiss
The Southwest Chapter is offering travel assistance to students for SFS 2026. To apply for assistance, submit your answers to the questions below to Dr. Fred Govedich ([email protected]) by March 20, 2026 (1/3).
January 7, 2026 at 10:30 PM
Reposted by Erin Hotchkiss
Consider joining #SFS2026 and our special session on carbon dynamics in lentic systems! Abstracts due January 16th.

@sfs-src.bsky.social @freshwaterscience.bsky.social
January 8, 2026 at 2:19 PM