Anna Ritz
banner
annamritz.bsky.social
Anna Ritz
@annamritz.bsky.social
Computational biologist & computer scientist. Teacher, mentor, spouse, parent. Getting through life one step at a time.

Thoughts are my own. She/her.
Reposted by Anna Ritz
In this GitHub repository, I talked about the differences between length-based and position-based visualizations, and why starting the y-axis at 0 is important for length-based graphics such as bar graphs.

github.com/cxli233/Frie...
February 3, 2026 at 1:07 PM
“In a well-functioning constitutional democratic republic, free speech, courageous newsgathering, and nonviolent protest are all permitted, respected, and even celebrated. In an authoritarian regime, that is not the case." - U.S. District Court Judge Michael Simon
opb.org OPB @opb.org · 21h
A federal judge in Oregon has temporarily limited federal officers’ use of force on peaceful protesters outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland. The ruling blocks federal officers from directing or using munitions such as pepper balls and tear gas.
Judge limits federal officers’ use of crowd control munitions at Portland ICE building
The decision Tuesday applies only outside the federal facility in Portland. It blocks federal officers from directing or using “chemical or projectile munitions,” including pepper balls, tear gas and other crowd control munitions.
www.opb.org
February 3, 2026 at 11:29 PM
Reposted by Anna Ritz
Hey everyone!

Huge news! Our trans girl scout list has sold a total of 146,000 boxes as of today!

But MANY trans girl scouts only have 20, 30, 40 boxes sold.

I just resorted our list to put those on the top.

Go get your girl scout cookies and make a trans kid's day!
2026 Trans Girl Scouts To Order Cookies From!
This year, consider ordering your Girl Scout cookies from a trans girl scout to make their day!
www.erininthemorning.com
February 3, 2026 at 12:18 AM
Reposted by Anna Ritz
If you are a student whose NSF GRFP application was returned without review for vague 'eligibility' reasons:
1) Let your department chair & Graduate School know. Encourage them to contact NSF & congress
2) Write to your congressional reps.
3) Write to [email protected] to request re-consideration;
January 30, 2026 at 5:15 PM
Reposted by Anna Ritz
Join us for a webinar next Wednesday with Dr. Rebecca Mellema of Getting Science Write to learn how to engage non-scientists in your community about science and your research! Spoiler alert: It's all about developing those captivating communications skills.

Sign up at zurl.co/S7VlH & join on Zoom!
February 2, 2026 at 4:12 PM
Reposted by Anna Ritz
Academia is so incredibly fucked up and also a lot of the intellectual work that goes on in the academy is incredibly important

Part of what makes life in the academy tough is holding and navigating both of these truths at the same time
February 2, 2026 at 4:30 PM
Reposted by Anna Ritz
Today I saw ICE gas little white kids in the streets of Portland with chemical weapons. Imagine what they're doing to brown and black kids in the detention camps
February 1, 2026 at 2:08 AM
I just finished 500 (very modified) burpees this January. Sometimes they were ugly, sometimes they were slow, but I did it!

Then I saw that ICE tear-gassed a family friendly peaceful protest in downtown Portland. And 500 burpees don't seem to matter anymore.
February 1, 2026 at 3:46 AM
Reposted by Anna Ritz
Just experienced the most intense tear gassing of my life by federal officers outside the ICE facility in Portland where marchers gathered. There was no fast exit as they indiscriminately threw loads of gas and flash bangs. Children were in the crowd screaming. @oregoncapitalchronicle.com
February 1, 2026 at 12:50 AM
Reposted by Anna Ritz
Quilicura, Chile, one of the communities I wrote about in EMPIRE OF AI, has launched a brilliant initiative to inspire more responsible AI prompting. Today, don't use AI; ask the townspeople instead: quili.ai. So heartened to see this creative act of resistance.
January 31, 2026 at 1:25 PM
Reposted by Anna Ritz
NEW: School hallways are silent. Grandparents patrol outside in shifts. Two more kids taken from Liam Ramos' school.

Trump isn't deescalating ICE at all at MN schools.

“I stopped wearing my high heels to work. I wear my boots to work because I have had to run." www.huffpost.com/entry/ice-mi...
ICE Is Circling Minnesota Schools, Looking For Children to Take
Liam Ramos, 5, isn’t the only child in detention. Teachers and parents describe kids being hunted by federal agents.
www.huffpost.com
January 31, 2026 at 1:32 PM
Reposted by Anna Ritz
We're hiring multiple faculty positions! Full time positions in CS for 1 or maybe 2 years.

We care about and support both teaching and research, and past visiting faculty have gone on to TT R1 and SLAC jobs. We're located near Philadelphia.

Happy to answer Qs!

www.haverford.edu/provost-comp...
Visiting Assistant Professor of Computer Science
Haverford College invites applications for a full-time Visiting Assistant Professor of Computer Science.
www.haverford.edu
January 31, 2026 at 1:17 AM
Reposted by Anna Ritz
If you recruit great, creative students, this kind of stuff just appears on whiteboards and makes everyone happy.
January 30, 2026 at 2:30 AM
Reposted by Anna Ritz
For nearly a century, the @washingtonpost’s foreign correspondents have been on the ground for the world’s most pressing stories. Now, our desk is facing potential steep cuts. Washington needs us. The world needs us. If you read us and need us, please watch this video and share.
January 29, 2026 at 11:32 PM
Reposted by Anna Ritz
The number of children in ICE detention on a given day has skyrocketed, jumping more than sixfold since the start of the second Trump administration. We analyzed data obtained by the Deportation Data Project and found that ICE held around 170 children on an average day under Trump.
Children in ICE Detention Skyrocket in Trump’s Second Term
With a six-fold jump in children in detention, advocates allege harrowing conditions are putting kids’ lives at risk.
www.themarshallproject.org
January 29, 2026 at 9:19 PM
Reposted by Anna Ritz
Hey @leahgreenberg.bsky.social and I are both Carleton grads and this fucking rocks - love to see a college protect its students from the goons instead of cutting deals with the regime.
January 27, 2026 at 2:55 AM
Happy first day of spring semester classes. My first lecture slide had a typo, my first programming lab had GitHub permissions issues. Onwards and upwards.
January 27, 2026 at 5:35 AM
Reposted by Anna Ritz
If you are a scientist funded by NIH and agree that if the HHS/NIH bill is held hostage by linkage for funding to DHS/ICE, we need to shutdown both and save lives, its time to speak up. Right now, with a few exceptions, the silence is deafening
As a someone with a 33 year NIH-funded lab whose grant is supposed to be reviewed this week, shut NIH down if that is what's needed to end ICE terrorism. Innocent lives are more important 🧪
The Senate may choose to vote together on the DHS and LHHS bills. Thus, a filibuster on DHS may mean no funding for NIH. What my colleagues are saying:

“Shut it down, public health will understand. I’ll work without pay again.”
- anonymous NIHer
January 26, 2026 at 1:46 PM
Ok, I finally made it here. Took a couple years. Maybe it's not a good idea, maybe we're past the bluesky hype, but "past the hype" is where I thrive. I came here to say that ICE needs to get off our streets, out of our schools and homes, and stop killing people and abducting people.
January 26, 2026 at 4:31 AM