Virginia Gewin
@virginiagewin.bsky.social
PDX-based science journalist writing about climate change, food security, land use, biodiversity loss, and diversity in STEM she/her
Signal: ginnyg.04
Stories here: www.virginiagewin.com
Signal: ginnyg.04
Stories here: www.virginiagewin.com
Pinned
Dismantling of US federal agencies will ‘destroy science’
From NASA to the National Institutes of Health, federal agencies conduct research that universities cannot. Agency scientists speak out about the irreplaceable facilities, institutional knowledge and ...
www.nature.com
"Science is being destroyed across many agencies" say federal researchers.
For my latest @nature.com piece, I spoke to 19 different scientists across EPA, NOAA, NIH, NASA, and USGS to document how science is being dismantled across US federal agencies.
For my latest @nature.com piece, I spoke to 19 different scientists across EPA, NOAA, NIH, NASA, and USGS to document how science is being dismantled across US federal agencies.
Reposted by Virginia Gewin
Massive Layoffs at the Dept of #Education Erode Its #CivilRights Division
Only five of the agency’s civil rights offices remain nationwide. Those who are still with the department say it will now be “virtually impossible” to resolve #discrimination complaints.
www.propublica.org/article/educ...
Only five of the agency’s civil rights offices remain nationwide. Those who are still with the department say it will now be “virtually impossible” to resolve #discrimination complaints.
www.propublica.org/article/educ...
Massive Layoffs at the Department of Education Erode Its Civil Rights Division
Only five of the agency’s civil rights offices remain nationwide. Those who are still with the department say it will now be “virtually impossible” to resolve discrimination complaints.
www.propublica.org
December 14, 2025 at 7:53 PM
Massive Layoffs at the Dept of #Education Erode Its #CivilRights Division
Only five of the agency’s civil rights offices remain nationwide. Those who are still with the department say it will now be “virtually impossible” to resolve #discrimination complaints.
www.propublica.org/article/educ...
Only five of the agency’s civil rights offices remain nationwide. Those who are still with the department say it will now be “virtually impossible” to resolve #discrimination complaints.
www.propublica.org/article/educ...
Reposted by Virginia Gewin
Hard to overstate how concerning this is. There are over 46,000 people, a school, and a hospital in the flash flood warning area. Washington communities have been bracing for levee failures as another round of atmospheric rivers arrives to full rivers and saturated soils.
December 15, 2025 at 8:54 PM
Hard to overstate how concerning this is. There are over 46,000 people, a school, and a hospital in the flash flood warning area. Washington communities have been bracing for levee failures as another round of atmospheric rivers arrives to full rivers and saturated soils.
“The Trump administration sided with officials from Saudi Arabia, Russia & Iran in a successful effort to block part of a United Nations report about the dire state of the planet because it called for phasing out fossil fuels, switching to clean energy and reducing plastics.”
U.S. Helped to Weaken Report at U.N. Environment Talks, Participants Say
www.nytimes.com
December 11, 2025 at 8:15 PM
“The Trump administration sided with officials from Saudi Arabia, Russia & Iran in a successful effort to block part of a United Nations report about the dire state of the planet because it called for phasing out fossil fuels, switching to clean energy and reducing plastics.”
🎁 "The [UT] campus is no longer led by an academic, but a Republican lawyer. The president has promised curricular changes, and the system is now conducting an audit of all gender studies courses, after a State House bill enshrined in state law that there are effectively only two genders."
The Conservative Overhaul of the University of Texas Is Underway
www.nytimes.com
December 11, 2025 at 1:29 AM
🎁 "The [UT] campus is no longer led by an academic, but a Republican lawyer. The president has promised curricular changes, and the system is now conducting an audit of all gender studies courses, after a State House bill enshrined in state law that there are effectively only two genders."
The “near-exclusive emphasis on natural causes of climate change on the U.S. EPA’s website is now completely out of synch with all available evidence demonstrating overwhelming human influence on contemporary warming trends,” said UCLA climate scientist @weatherwest.bsky.social.
EPA Removes Information on Human Drivers of Warming from Its Website
e360.yale.edu
December 10, 2025 at 4:59 PM
The “near-exclusive emphasis on natural causes of climate change on the U.S. EPA’s website is now completely out of synch with all available evidence demonstrating overwhelming human influence on contemporary warming trends,” said UCLA climate scientist @weatherwest.bsky.social.
Reposted by Virginia Gewin
December 10, 2025 at 1:44 AM
Reposted by Virginia Gewin
It’s the most wonderful time of the year—the NSWA Best of the Northwest Awards are upon us! Submit your outstanding entries in these three categories: 1) Journalism writing 2) Institutional Writing 3) Multimedia.
Award winners in each category will receive a $300 prize and an award certificate.
Award winners in each category will receive a $300 prize and an award certificate.
The 2025 Best of the Northwest Awards | Northwest Science Writers Association
nwscience.org
December 10, 2025 at 12:04 AM
It’s the most wonderful time of the year—the NSWA Best of the Northwest Awards are upon us! Submit your outstanding entries in these three categories: 1) Journalism writing 2) Institutional Writing 3) Multimedia.
Award winners in each category will receive a $300 prize and an award certificate.
Award winners in each category will receive a $300 prize and an award certificate.
Reminder: take your Vitamin D!
Happy “Atmospheric River” to all who celebrate! 🌧️
December 8, 2025 at 7:21 PM
Reminder: take your Vitamin D!
Reposted by Virginia Gewin
Making America Poisonous Again.
"Chemical industry lobbyists have long pushed the government to adopt a less stringent approach to gauging the cancer risk from chemicals, one that would help ease regulations on companies that make or use them."
Under Former Chemical Industry Insiders, Trump EPA Nearly Doubles Amount of Formaldehyde Considered Safe to Inhale
Chemical industry lobbyists have long pushed the government to adopt a less stringent approach to gauging the cancer risk from chemicals, one that would help ease regulations on companies that make or...
www.propublica.org
December 8, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Making America Poisonous Again.
"Chemical industry lobbyists have long pushed the government to adopt a less stringent approach to gauging the cancer risk from chemicals, one that would help ease regulations on companies that make or use them."
Under Former Chemical Industry Insiders, Trump EPA Nearly Doubles Amount of Formaldehyde Considered Safe to Inhale
Chemical industry lobbyists have long pushed the government to adopt a less stringent approach to gauging the cancer risk from chemicals, one that would help ease regulations on companies that make or...
www.propublica.org
December 8, 2025 at 6:30 PM
"Chemical industry lobbyists have long pushed the government to adopt a less stringent approach to gauging the cancer risk from chemicals, one that would help ease regulations on companies that make or use them."
Happy “Atmospheric River” to all who celebrate! 🌧️
December 8, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Happy “Atmospheric River” to all who celebrate! 🌧️
Summoning all of my energy to write this feature.
It's gonna be a doozy.
It's gonna be a doozy.
December 8, 2025 at 1:50 AM
Summoning all of my energy to write this feature.
It's gonna be a doozy.
It's gonna be a doozy.
Reposted by Virginia Gewin
“We are losing so much water that groundwater loss is driving up sea level rise and it is doing more damage than glaciers are in terms of sea level rise. So that’s a new one.”
A great conversation with @jayfamiglietti.bsky.social on Water Talk out today www.watertalkpodcast.com/episodes/epi...
A great conversation with @jayfamiglietti.bsky.social on Water Talk out today www.watertalkpodcast.com/episodes/epi...
Episode 81: Groundwater depletion, sea level rise, and satellites — Water Talk
A conversation with Jay Famiglietti (Global Futures Professor at Arizona State University and Director of the Arizona Water Innovation Initiative) about groundwater depletion, sea level rise, mega-dry...
www.watertalkpodcast.com
December 5, 2025 at 4:24 PM
“We are losing so much water that groundwater loss is driving up sea level rise and it is doing more damage than glaciers are in terms of sea level rise. So that’s a new one.”
A great conversation with @jayfamiglietti.bsky.social on Water Talk out today www.watertalkpodcast.com/episodes/epi...
A great conversation with @jayfamiglietti.bsky.social on Water Talk out today www.watertalkpodcast.com/episodes/epi...
Reposted by Virginia Gewin
Extremely difficult to understand the end game in risking the lives of infants
The hepatitis B vaccine had been recommended for all newborns since 1991.
From 1990-2019, acute hepatitis B infections reported among children and teens fell 99 percent. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/16/w...
From 1990-2019, acute hepatitis B infections reported among children and teens fell 99 percent. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/16/w...
Breaking: After contentious debates and three failed attempts at a vote, a federal vaccine committee decided on Friday to end the decades-long recommendation that all newborns be immunized at birth against hepatitis B.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/h...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/h...
December 5, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Extremely difficult to understand the end game in risking the lives of infants
Wow! Big news on the investigative journalism funding front!
Alicia Patterson Foundation to merge with the Fund for Investigative Journalism.
Alicia Patterson Foundation to merge with the Fund for Investigative Journalism.
Deepening support for public-service reporting, Alicia Patterson Foundation merges into Fund for Investigative Journalism - The Fund for Investigative Journalism
WASHINGTON, DC; December 4, 2025 – The Fund for Investigative Journalism and the Alicia Patterson Foundation announced today that the two organizations are merging, bringing together two of the oldest...
fij.org
December 4, 2025 at 8:46 PM
Wow! Big news on the investigative journalism funding front!
Alicia Patterson Foundation to merge with the Fund for Investigative Journalism.
Alicia Patterson Foundation to merge with the Fund for Investigative Journalism.
Reposted by Virginia Gewin
America’s top vaccines official promised, in a long and argumentative memo to staff, to revamp vaccine regulation after claiming 10 children died from Covid vaccines. But Vinay Prasad offered no evidence for that allegation and scant details on the new approach.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
‘Never seen anything like this’: alarm at memo from top US vaccine official
Vinay Prasad memo said at least 10 children had died from Covid vaccination – but offered scant evidence for claim
www.theguardian.com
December 4, 2025 at 2:43 PM
America’s top vaccines official promised, in a long and argumentative memo to staff, to revamp vaccine regulation after claiming 10 children died from Covid vaccines. But Vinay Prasad offered no evidence for that allegation and scant details on the new approach.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
“Globally, there are 9,919 billionaires this year, up from 2,682 in 2024, UBS found.”
Record numbers becoming billionaires through inheritance, UBS report finds
Swiss bank says bequests made 91 people billionaires, while overall number jumped from 2,682 in 2024 to 9,919 this year
www.theguardian.com
December 4, 2025 at 2:54 PM
“Globally, there are 9,919 billionaires this year, up from 2,682 in 2024, UBS found.”
Reposted by Virginia Gewin
‘A total of 34% of Republican survey respondents between the ages of 30 and 49 answered “I am such person” when asked for their views on individuals who openly express racist views. Only 3% of survey respondents over the age of 65 answered “I am such person.”’ www.newsweek.com/millennial-r...
Millennial Republicans more likely to identify as racist than Boomers: poll
A national survey found that Millennial Republicans are more likely to call themselves racist than Baby Boomer Republicans.
www.newsweek.com
December 4, 2025 at 1:35 AM
‘A total of 34% of Republican survey respondents between the ages of 30 and 49 answered “I am such person” when asked for their views on individuals who openly express racist views. Only 3% of survey respondents over the age of 65 answered “I am such person.”’ www.newsweek.com/millennial-r...
“The coalition of Democratic states have argued that the data could be used for other policies not related to administering food stamps, including immigration enforcement. The Trump administration contends that the information will be used to root out waste, fraud and abuse.”
Agriculture Dept. Threatens to Withhold Food Stamps From Democratic States
www.nytimes.com
December 3, 2025 at 3:53 PM
“The coalition of Democratic states have argued that the data could be used for other policies not related to administering food stamps, including immigration enforcement. The Trump administration contends that the information will be used to root out waste, fraud and abuse.”
Reposted by Virginia Gewin
Journalists and researchers we have a resource for you!
The second part of “How To Track Ships Like a Pro Using OSINT” is published!
This a step to step guide will show you how to uncover leads on vessels and ports.
Read it here 👉 bit.ly/43iCtkt
The second part of “How To Track Ships Like a Pro Using OSINT” is published!
This a step to step guide will show you how to uncover leads on vessels and ports.
Read it here 👉 bit.ly/43iCtkt
November 26, 2025 at 10:23 PM
Journalists and researchers we have a resource for you!
The second part of “How To Track Ships Like a Pro Using OSINT” is published!
This a step to step guide will show you how to uncover leads on vessels and ports.
Read it here 👉 bit.ly/43iCtkt
The second part of “How To Track Ships Like a Pro Using OSINT” is published!
This a step to step guide will show you how to uncover leads on vessels and ports.
Read it here 👉 bit.ly/43iCtkt
Reposted by Virginia Gewin
Soooooo a decimated media ecosystem that requires individual reporters to be their own publishers, editors, and distributors and forces us all to fight for the same shrinking pool of people willing to pay…well. It’s gonna reward some really bad actors.
November 26, 2025 at 10:23 PM
Soooooo a decimated media ecosystem that requires individual reporters to be their own publishers, editors, and distributors and forces us all to fight for the same shrinking pool of people willing to pay…well. It’s gonna reward some really bad actors.
Reposted by Virginia Gewin
The National Park Service says it is going to start charging international tourists an extra $100 to enter popular parks. They will be left out of fee-free days, reserved for American residents. n.pr/48CbbII
National Parks to raise fees by $100 for international tourists to popular U.S. parks
The National Park Service says it is going to start charging international tourists an extra $100 to enter popular parks. They will be left out of fee-free days, reserved for American residents.
n.pr
November 26, 2025 at 7:28 AM
The National Park Service says it is going to start charging international tourists an extra $100 to enter popular parks. They will be left out of fee-free days, reserved for American residents. n.pr/48CbbII
Reposted by Virginia Gewin
I always try to talk up the great work of my colleague Jen Lundquist (not on bsky) who developed UMass’ Academic Freedom Crisis Toolkit, as a public resource, especially to help guide faculty who face online harassment, doxxing, weaponized FOIA… www.umass.edu/faculty-deve...
Academic Freedom Crisis Toolkit : Office of Faculty Development : UMass Amherst
Academic Freedom Crisis Toolkit
www.umass.edu
November 26, 2025 at 2:08 AM
I always try to talk up the great work of my colleague Jen Lundquist (not on bsky) who developed UMass’ Academic Freedom Crisis Toolkit, as a public resource, especially to help guide faculty who face online harassment, doxxing, weaponized FOIA… www.umass.edu/faculty-deve...
Reposted by Virginia Gewin
'It's like arguing with robots': negotiators on the state of #COP30 talks - @fionaharvey.bsky.social @theguardian.com
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
‘It’s like arguing with robots’: negotiators on the state of Cop30 talks
Three representatives of developing countries speak candidly about meetings behind closed doors in Belém
www.theguardian.com
November 21, 2025 at 11:32 PM
'It's like arguing with robots': negotiators on the state of #COP30 talks - @fionaharvey.bsky.social @theguardian.com
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Scientists: have you been the target of an online harassment campaign, doxxing, or weaponized FOIA requests? I'd like to talk to you about steps you had to take to protect your digital security for an upcoming Nature story. (You can be anonymous if necessary.)
RTs appreciated.
RTs appreciated.
November 26, 2025 at 12:18 AM
Scientists: have you been the target of an online harassment campaign, doxxing, or weaponized FOIA requests? I'd like to talk to you about steps you had to take to protect your digital security for an upcoming Nature story. (You can be anonymous if necessary.)
RTs appreciated.
RTs appreciated.