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Liz Decolvenaere

@tallakahath.bsky.social

3.2K followers 1.7K following 670 posts

Computational chemist with a focus on QM, Force Fields, and how ML can aid in both. Also: Cosplayer, LARP writer, birder, occasional science communicator, and several other things. She/they.

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Liz Decolvenaere @tallakahath.bsky.social · Nov 17

A brief intro, for new followers:

I'm Liz, a "quantum chemical engineer": I take hand-crafted, small-batch, local, made-with-love QM methods and figure out how they can be useful at industrial scale for applications like force fields (ML and conventional), structure-property prediction, etc. (1/5)

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Reposted by Liz Decolvenaere

David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 14d

A new research paper by Ed Glaeser, Sam Silverberg, et al. identifies several fundamental problems with the US bus market:
- It’s a duopoly, dominated by Gillig and New Flyer
- Foreign (and cheaper) competitors are blocked by federal Buy America rules
- Transit agencies customize *everything*

Paying less for public transit buses | Brookings

This paper proposes three sets of recommendations to reduce the cost of procuring transit buses in America.

www.brookings.edu

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Reposted by Liz Decolvenaere

Micah @rincewind.run · 29d

rarely have I more acutely felt the dynamic by which Dems are held responsible for the rhetoric of every random left-leaning person on the internet and Republicans are not even asked to answer for their own personal words

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Liz Decolvenaere @tallakahath.bsky.social · 29d

I save that assumption for when the depictions show the two sharing a birdhouse, often in Winter as these tend to show up in holiday-themed decorations.

The latter having different problems, given that birds only use birdhouses during breeding season, and cardinals don't use birdhouses at all!

A garden flag depicting two bright red cardinals in winter hats posed in front of a birdhouse, with a light covering of snow on top.

Liz Decolvenaere @tallakahath.bsky.social · 29d

I am begging everyone: if you are going to make a product involving cardinals, please talk to literally anyone who looks at birds to know,

1. Those are two *male* cardinals

2. Most seasons of the year is the males are *very* territorial

This depiction is highly ornithologically suspect!!!

A photo of the front of the magazine USA Philatelic, showing their new fall stamp with two stylized bright red cardinal birds among greenery.

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Liz Decolvenaere @tallakahath.bsky.social · Sep 4

The panel I was on about "Where Physics Gets Weird" was featured in the Daily Dragon!

I love doing science speaking at Dragon Con each year, and this one was a doozy. I definitely felt like the odd person out as the quantum chemist among a bunch of (astro)physicists, but it was great!

Daily Dragon @daily-dragon.bsky.social · Sep 1

[NEWS] Are Lightsabers Possible? dailydragon.dragoncon.org?p=19141 #DragonCon2025

dailydragon.dragoncon.org

Liz Decolvenaere @tallakahath.bsky.social · Sep 4

Thank you so much!!!

Liz Decolvenaere @tallakahath.bsky.social · Sep 3

And, to be clear, I really appreciate y'all covering science track content and covering a panel I was on! Thank you for doing this and hopefully we see you again at more science track panels next year!

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Liz Decolvenaere @tallakahath.bsky.social · Sep 3

I sent it through the contact us link on the dragoncon site, with the department set to daily Dragon, so hopefully it's in your hands now. Thanks!

Liz Decolvenaere @tallakahath.bsky.social · Sep 3

Hey folks, you got several of the attributions on this article very incorrect w.r.t. speaker, I'm sending an email with more info. I'd love to be able to reskeet this once the article is fixed!

Reposted by Liz Decolvenaere

Chise @sailorrooscout.bsky.social · Sep 3

GUYS. The comment period for the upcoming ACIP meeting ends on the 13TH. If you have even a little bit of time, submit a comment here:
www.regulations.gov/docket/CDC-2...

Let them know EVERYONE should be able to get COVID vaccines. They BACK DOWN when WE PUSH BACK. You CAN submit anonymously!

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Liz Decolvenaere @tallakahath.bsky.social · Sep 2

Alas, it wasn't recorded via the regular channels (e.g., DCTV). Unless someone has a private recording, it's gone :(

Reposted by Liz Decolvenaere

Simone G 🏳️‍🌈 @sim0ke.bsky.social · Sep 2

And, of course, we can’t forget about coca!ne

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Reposted by Liz Decolvenaere

Simone G 🏳️‍🌈 @sim0ke.bsky.social · Sep 2

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Reposted by Liz Decolvenaere

Simone G 🏳️‍🌈 @sim0ke.bsky.social · Sep 2

3rd dragon con in the books, now I’ve finally been convinced to download this app so I can keep in touch with awesome Science track folks. As my first act on this app, please see attached some motivational posters made from some quotes I gathered over the Con.

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Liz Decolvenaere @tallakahath.bsky.social · Sep 2

Do this!!!

And if you want more ballroom content with more seats, mention in the app that Sci Track NEEDS BIGGER ROOMS! It really does help!

Bethany Brookshire @beebrookshire.bsky.social · Sep 2

Hello new followers and THANK YOU for coming to my panels at DragonCon, telling me you liked my panels, and in general being amazing.

If you can please do tate and review us in the app, and make sure Science Track gets all the bigger rooms it deserves!

Dragon Con Science Track @dconscitrack.bsky.social · Aug 30

Did you think Monstererotica Biology was a fake panel? It is actually a completely real panel that is starting right now! #dragoncon

Liz Decolvenaere @tallakahath.bsky.social · Sep 2

More Dragon Con notes: everyone needs to appreciate this slide from @tkingfisher.com from her talk on the four sexes of white-throated sparrows at the Solve for X variety show in the Science track ( @dconscitrack.bsky.social )

A PowerPoint slide shown on a projector. The slide shows a busty cartoon woman in the left, with a white-throated sparrow's head (white-striped), and a female gender marker. On the right are two white-throated sparrows indicated as male, one white-striped, one tan-striped. The two male sparrows have voice bubbles saying "would" and "oh yeah".

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Liz Decolvenaere @tallakahath.bsky.social · Sep 2

It is the time where I travel home from Dragon Con, and emotionally, as well as physically, I am here:

A sculpture of a corn-plane hanging from the ceiling in an airport terminal. The front half of the plane is a corn cob, with wings made of leaves on the stalk, a tail of stalk, and nacelles of smaller corn. The sculpture is titled "Corncorde".

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Reposted by Liz Decolvenaere

Dragon Con Science Track @dconscitrack.bsky.social · Sep 1

Oh, and did you get turned away from a panel you wanted to go to because the room filled up too quickly? Please add a comment in the ratings in the app to let DragonCon know. This could help us get a bigger room in the future so that we don’t have to turn anyone away.

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Reposted by Liz Decolvenaere

Dragon Con Science Track @dconscitrack.bsky.social · Sep 1

Did you attend a Science Track panel this weekend that you loved? Go in the DragonCon app and rate those panels! Your ratings and comments help us to know what types of panels you love and we should do more of in the future!

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Liz Decolvenaere @tallakahath.bsky.social · Aug 24

Definitely doing less for #dragoncon this year on costumes. Its been A Year and I never get to spend enough time with my friends as I want to while at con.

But! I'm still doing plenty with the Science track! Moderating four panels and speaking on a fifth.

Who will I see this year? Sound off!

Liz Decolvenaere @tallakahath.bsky.social · Aug 19

And there's at least one recent N American game that I'm aware of that leaned into some of those "dark romantasy" trope stuff but did it with safety mechanisms and proper LARP culture, so one *can* do this

...but it sounds like folks in the OG thread witnessed a case where none of this was present

Liz Decolvenaere @tallakahath.bsky.social · Aug 19

Fwiw there are North American "blockbuster" games with ~1K pricetags that fulfill a bit more of the niche -- higher production values, trained NPCs, and associated bigger costume outlays.

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Reposted by Liz Decolvenaere

NPR @npr.org · Aug 6

Financial support from people like you has long been a pillar of public media. Now, your support is essential.

If you’ve already given — thank you! Here are a few comments from supporters like you.

If you haven't given yet, click here to keep free, independent journalism strong: n.pr/458sOhq

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Liz Decolvenaere @tallakahath.bsky.social · Aug 5

ANOTHER earthquake!

Reposted by Liz Decolvenaere

Meredith Rose @mrose.ink · Aug 5

Got my tentative schedule for DragonCon, and FOLKS...

"POKELAW - speculative ethics of Pokemon" - SUNDAY at 1:00 PM.
Panelists: Meredith Rose, Lucas Matos Hernandez, Will Harris, Jess Eppstein, Ryan Consell
Description: Capturing wild animals for bloodsport, using unsupervised preteends for fieldwork, how did any of this get ethics clearance?

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