Rachel Smith-Bolton
@rachelsmithbolton.bsky.social
UIUC Assoc Prof, Drosophila genetics and tissue regeneration, Advocate for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Dem PC, Champaign County Forest Preserve Friends Foundation board, mom of teenagers, etc. etc. etc.
Reposted by Rachel Smith-Bolton
Anyone else getting grant termination notices for gain-of-function concerns at 5pm two days before thanksgiving?
November 25, 2025 at 11:05 PM
Anyone else getting grant termination notices for gain-of-function concerns at 5pm two days before thanksgiving?
Reposted by Rachel Smith-Bolton
Happy to report that the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign academic senate overwhelmingly passed a resolution against the federal “compact” all of us in higher ed have been offered, encouraging our administrators to keep opposing it. #MADC www.senate.illinois.edu/2025-2026/20...
www.senate.illinois.edu
November 11, 2025 at 2:15 AM
Happy to report that the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign academic senate overwhelmingly passed a resolution against the federal “compact” all of us in higher ed have been offered, encouraging our administrators to keep opposing it. #MADC www.senate.illinois.edu/2025-2026/20...
Great departmental retreat! Awards for Connor and Snigdha, plus tug-of-war to wake up between talks. Tagging @snigdhamathure.bsky.social and @cpowers141.bsky.social
November 9, 2025 at 1:52 AM
Great departmental retreat! Awards for Connor and Snigdha, plus tug-of-war to wake up between talks. Tagging @snigdhamathure.bsky.social and @cpowers141.bsky.social
Reposted by Rachel Smith-Bolton
A threshold level of JNK activates damage-responsive enhancers via JAK/STAT to promote tissue regeneration
Read this #LifelongDevSI #OA Research Article by John W. Quinn, Robin E. Harris and colleagues in our Stem Cells and Regeneration section doi.org/10.1242/dev....
Read this #LifelongDevSI #OA Research Article by John W. Quinn, Robin E. Harris and colleagues in our Stem Cells and Regeneration section doi.org/10.1242/dev....
October 31, 2025 at 5:53 PM
A threshold level of JNK activates damage-responsive enhancers via JAK/STAT to promote tissue regeneration
Read this #LifelongDevSI #OA Research Article by John W. Quinn, Robin E. Harris and colleagues in our Stem Cells and Regeneration section doi.org/10.1242/dev....
Read this #LifelongDevSI #OA Research Article by John W. Quinn, Robin E. Harris and colleagues in our Stem Cells and Regeneration section doi.org/10.1242/dev....
Paper accepted!
October 31, 2025 at 12:45 AM
Paper accepted!
Reposted by Rachel Smith-Bolton
Chatbots — LLMs — do not know facts and are not designed to be able to accurately answer factual questions. They are designed to find and mimic patterns of words, probabilistically. When they’re “right” it’s because correct things are often written down, so those patterns are frequent. That’s all.
June 19, 2025 at 11:21 AM
Chatbots — LLMs — do not know facts and are not designed to be able to accurately answer factual questions. They are designed to find and mimic patterns of words, probabilistically. When they’re “right” it’s because correct things are often written down, so those patterns are frequent. That’s all.
I’ll be on both sides of this next week - not reviewing and not being reviewed at the same time. It is absurd.
I should be in study section right now talking about cool science but it’s cancelled due to the government shutdown. It sucks as a reviewer, but it sucks more for all the applicants who worked so hard on their grants- spending long hours crafting ideas. Relying on this to keep their labs going. 1/
a cartoon of a man sitting in front of a computer with the word working written below him
Alt: a cartoon of a man sitting in front of a computer with the word working written below him
media.tenor.com
October 20, 2025 at 2:47 PM
I’ll be on both sides of this next week - not reviewing and not being reviewed at the same time. It is absurd.
And congratulations to Devan Bianchini for winning first place undergraduate poster presentation!
October 19, 2025 at 5:06 PM
And congratulations to Devan Bianchini for winning first place undergraduate poster presentation!
The lab showed off their findings at the Midwest Drosophila Research Conference!
October 19, 2025 at 4:44 AM
The lab showed off their findings at the Midwest Drosophila Research Conference!
So great to hear Petra Levin @redrockcity.bsky.social give a seminar at U of I today! Petra was my mentor when I was an undergrad - she taught me how to pipet, she taught me how to streak colonies, and she taught me sterile technique! (Now that I work on flies I do none of those things …)
October 17, 2025 at 12:49 AM
So great to hear Petra Levin @redrockcity.bsky.social give a seminar at U of I today! Petra was my mentor when I was an undergrad - she taught me how to pipet, she taught me how to streak colonies, and she taught me sterile technique! (Now that I work on flies I do none of those things …)
Reviews are due tomorrow, I’m reading my last one now.
For those reviewing grants for study sections. Are you just proceeding on normal schedule?
October 16, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Reviews are due tomorrow, I’m reading my last one now.
Reposted by Rachel Smith-Bolton
I submitted a comment.
Comment period ends on Monday for a proposed rule change that would terminate student visas after 4 years. It also puts limits on exchange visitors and reps of foreign media, and shortens the length of time at the end of the visa from 60 days to 30 days.
www.federalregister.gov/documents/20...
www.federalregister.gov/documents/20...
Establishing a Fixed Time Period of Admission and an Extension of Stay Procedure for Nonimmigrant Academic Students, Exchange Visitors, and Representatives of Foreign Information Media
Unlike most nonimmigrant classifications, which are admitted for a fixed time period, aliens in the F (academic student), J (exchange visitor), and most I (representatives of foreign information media...
www.federalregister.gov
September 27, 2025 at 9:45 PM
I submitted a comment.
Reposted by Rachel Smith-Bolton
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
September 26, 2025 at 6:42 PM
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...
Ditto
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.
September 26, 2025 at 9:55 PM
Ditto
Very disappointed that second-year students are no longer eligible, as this restriction shuts out my outstanding new student. 😢
September 26, 2025 at 8:49 PM
Very disappointed that second-year students are no longer eligible, as this restriction shuts out my outstanding new student. 😢
We are hiring! The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Department of Cell and Developmental Biology is hiring a faculty member in the area of Aging, broadly defined. Come join us! Deadline is soon! www.nature.com/naturecareer...
Assistant or Associate Professor - Urbana, Illinois job with University of Illinois, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology | 12843703
Tenure-track Assistant or Associate Professor Department of Cell and Developmental Biology School of Molecular and Cellular Biology University of I...
www.nature.com
September 15, 2025 at 2:31 PM
We are hiring! The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Department of Cell and Developmental Biology is hiring a faculty member in the area of Aging, broadly defined. Come join us! Deadline is soon! www.nature.com/naturecareer...
Reposted by Rachel Smith-Bolton
Reposted by Rachel Smith-Bolton
The GRFP lives!! (due end of October)
www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...
www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)
www.nsf.gov
September 8, 2025 at 6:23 PM
The GRFP lives!! (due end of October)
www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...
www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...
I cried when I first saw these graphs.
Yes, it was carefully hidden in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine (www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1... )
1/2
Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine (www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1... )
1/2
September 1, 2025 at 7:49 PM
I cried when I first saw these graphs.
Reposted by Rachel Smith-Bolton
Hey Drosophilists: Might you maintain Fuyama's original gynogenetic "gyn-F9" (BDSC #5353) stock in your library?
The current stock from Bloomington is not producing progeny with ms(k81) males.
Thank you!!!
The current stock from Bloomington is not producing progeny with ms(k81) males.
Thank you!!!
August 24, 2025 at 11:36 AM
Hey Drosophilists: Might you maintain Fuyama's original gynogenetic "gyn-F9" (BDSC #5353) stock in your library?
The current stock from Bloomington is not producing progeny with ms(k81) males.
Thank you!!!
The current stock from Bloomington is not producing progeny with ms(k81) males.
Thank you!!!
As of today I am not only an Illinois professor, I’m also an Illini Mom! Moved Kid#1 into the dorms today, and he starts classes in the Grainger College of Engineering on Monday. So proud!
August 22, 2025 at 1:14 AM
As of today I am not only an Illinois professor, I’m also an Illini Mom! Moved Kid#1 into the dorms today, and he starts classes in the Grainger College of Engineering on Monday. So proud!
Congratulations to Connor Powers @cpowers141.bsky.social for winning a poster award at the MCB retreat as only a second-year student! I think he’s on to something with his project!
August 21, 2025 at 2:31 AM
Congratulations to Connor Powers @cpowers141.bsky.social for winning a poster award at the MCB retreat as only a second-year student! I think he’s on to something with his project!
Huge congratulations to Anish Bose @anishbose.bsky.social for winning the Development talk award at the International Society for Regenerative Biology meeting!! Presented by Elly Tanaka.
August 15, 2025 at 12:23 AM
Huge congratulations to Anish Bose @anishbose.bsky.social for winning the Development talk award at the International Society for Regenerative Biology meeting!! Presented by Elly Tanaka.
Oh no. This is devastating.
I just got the notice that all the FlyBase people at Harvard, including me, will be laid off on October 12. I'm devastated.
August 12, 2025 at 3:01 AM
Oh no. This is devastating.