Steve Semken
@azgeologo.bsky.social
Husband, father, tío, acheii, geologist, ASU professor, Sun Devil, desert dweller, Southwesterner. He/him. All opinions that originate here, no matter how loco, are my own, and are not those of any organization with which I am connected.
"Although this is an extraordinarily difficult time to be a scientist, there are grounds for optimism."
How Scientists Can Be Good Citizens
We have a responsibility to ensure that our discoveries are used in the public interest. That isn’t always easy.
www.theatlantic.com
May 4, 2025 at 7:25 PM
"Although this is an extraordinarily difficult time to be a scientist, there are grounds for optimism."
“Universities Are the Invisible Hand.” An article well worth reading, co-authored by my boss and by the head of the NAS, a geoscientist: two people who know what they are talking about here. issues.org/interview-mc...
“Universities Are the Invisible Hand.”
The leaders of the National Academy of Sciences and Arizona State University offer their thoughts on the challenges facing the scientific enterprise and how science institutions should respond.
issues.org
May 4, 2025 at 1:13 AM
“Universities Are the Invisible Hand.” An article well worth reading, co-authored by my boss and by the head of the NAS, a geoscientist: two people who know what they are talking about here. issues.org/interview-mc...
Another maga-instigated crime against the US STEM community. Many of us know Panch as an ASU colleague and our former chief research officer. He was definitely between the proverbial rock and hard place.
Exclusive: NSF director to resign amid grant terminations, job cuts, and controversy
“I have done all I can,” says Sethuraman Panchanathan, a Trump appointee who has led agency since 2020
www.science.org
April 28, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Another maga-instigated crime against the US STEM community. Many of us know Panch as an ASU colleague and our former chief research officer. He was definitely between the proverbial rock and hard place.
Wildlife is a powerful geomorphic agent just as humanity is.
Researchers Put a Number on Animals’ Earth-Shaping Effects - Eos
Wild animals expend 76,000 gigajoules of energy—the equivalent of hundreds of thousands of monsoons or floods—shaping our planet’s terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems.
eos.org
March 27, 2025 at 6:38 PM
Wildlife is a powerful geomorphic agent just as humanity is.
This is a solvable problem! More students should consider geology for a career. We're ready and eager to teach them!
The geologist shortage is already getting worse
Trump and Musk’s cuts to federal workers could have severe long-term consequences for the country's competitiveness in critical minerals.
www.latitudemedia.com
March 24, 2025 at 2:30 PM
This is a solvable problem! More students should consider geology for a career. We're ready and eager to teach them!
Another excellent article on climate change—and Greenland!—by my friend and distinguished colleague Paul Bierman, who notes: "The military knows climate change affects national security."
They understand it even though Trump does not, and is actively putting all of us in danger with his policies.
They understand it even though Trump does not, and is actively putting all of us in danger with his policies.
The US military has cared about climate change since the dawn of the Cold War – for good reason
During the Cold War, the US poured support into Arctic military outposts and climate research amid fears of a Russian invasion. Climate change is still on the military’s radar as a threat multiplier.
theconversation.com
March 17, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Another excellent article on climate change—and Greenland!—by my friend and distinguished colleague Paul Bierman, who notes: "The military knows climate change affects national security."
They understand it even though Trump does not, and is actively putting all of us in danger with his policies.
They understand it even though Trump does not, and is actively putting all of us in danger with his policies.
Perfect day to be out in the Sonoran Desert with good colleagues, collecting some narrated digital panoramas for a virtual geological field trip in the volcanic Goldfield Mountains. Not enough time to get up into the rocks today, but it was a fun time on the pediment nevertheless!
March 9, 2025 at 2:17 AM
Perfect day to be out in the Sonoran Desert with good colleagues, collecting some narrated digital panoramas for a virtual geological field trip in the volcanic Goldfield Mountains. Not enough time to get up into the rocks today, but it was a fun time on the pediment nevertheless!
Reposted by Steve Semken
Federal grants are going to sound like an unhinged “Up Goer Fiver” exercise.
Federal government agencies have flagged hundreds of words to limit or avoid, including clean energy, climate crisis, climate science, environmental quality, and pollution.
These words literally refer to the quality of our life support system on Earth.
These words literally refer to the quality of our life support system on Earth.
The Words Federal Agencies Are Discouraged From Using Under Trump (Gift Article)
Federal agencies have issued guidance to employees on hundreds of terms to limit or avoid using. An analysis of government websites shows many of the same words being removed.
www.nytimes.com
March 8, 2025 at 12:29 PM
Federal grants are going to sound like an unhinged “Up Goer Fiver” exercise.
"The Trump administration has blocked key parts of the federal government’s apparatus for funding biomedical research, effectively halting progress on much of the country’s future work on illnesses like cancer and addiction despite a federal judge’s order...."
What incredible, dangerous stupidity.
What incredible, dangerous stupidity.
Trump Administration Stalls Scientific Research Despite Court Ruling (Gift Article)
Using an arcane law, officials have effectively delayed funding from the National Institutes of Health, leaving medical studies in jeopardy.
www.nytimes.com
February 25, 2025 at 2:52 PM
"The Trump administration has blocked key parts of the federal government’s apparatus for funding biomedical research, effectively halting progress on much of the country’s future work on illnesses like cancer and addiction despite a federal judge’s order...."
What incredible, dangerous stupidity.
What incredible, dangerous stupidity.
Our Annual Reviews paper on VFE in geoscience teaching is published! Apologies for the paywall.
www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
Research on Teaching Geoscience with Virtual Field Experiences | Annual Reviews
Field experiences are highly valued in geoscience education. However, logistical, financial, and accessibility challenges associated with fieldwork and rapid advancements in technology have all prompt...
www.annualreviews.org
February 17, 2025 at 2:03 PM
Our Annual Reviews paper on VFE in geoscience teaching is published! Apologies for the paywall.
www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
Reposted by Steve Semken
Welcome to the Bluesky account for Stand Up for Science 2025!
Keep an eye on this space for updates, event information, and ways to get involved. We can't wait to see everyone #standupforscience2025 on March 7th, both in DC and locations nationwide!
#scienceforall #sciencenotsilence
Keep an eye on this space for updates, event information, and ways to get involved. We can't wait to see everyone #standupforscience2025 on March 7th, both in DC and locations nationwide!
#scienceforall #sciencenotsilence
February 12, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Welcome to the Bluesky account for Stand Up for Science 2025!
Keep an eye on this space for updates, event information, and ways to get involved. We can't wait to see everyone #standupforscience2025 on March 7th, both in DC and locations nationwide!
#scienceforall #sciencenotsilence
Keep an eye on this space for updates, event information, and ways to get involved. We can't wait to see everyone #standupforscience2025 on March 7th, both in DC and locations nationwide!
#scienceforall #sciencenotsilence
I'll be the geologist for this event Friday afternoon and welcome all to join us!
www.phoenix.gov/newsroom/avi...
www.phoenix.gov/newsroom/avi...
Phoenix Sky Harbor Celebrates the State that Rocks
www.phoenix.gov
February 12, 2025 at 7:09 PM
I'll be the geologist for this event Friday afternoon and welcome all to join us!
www.phoenix.gov/newsroom/avi...
www.phoenix.gov/newsroom/avi...
Reposted by Steve Semken
Crockett: “I’m tired of the white tears. If you’re competent you’re not concerned. When you compare me to Greene/Boebert there’s no comparison… The only ppl crying are mediocre white boys beaten out by people that had to work much harder.”
Full: www.instagram.com/reel/DFp8K0M...
Full: www.instagram.com/reel/DFp8K0M...
February 4, 2025 at 3:08 PM
Crockett: “I’m tired of the white tears. If you’re competent you’re not concerned. When you compare me to Greene/Boebert there’s no comparison… The only ppl crying are mediocre white boys beaten out by people that had to work much harder.”
Full: www.instagram.com/reel/DFp8K0M...
Full: www.instagram.com/reel/DFp8K0M...
Here is a must-read, must-share article on the true importance of Greenland to the USA and the world, written by someone who knows it very well: my friend and colleague Paul Bierman of UVM.
We Need Greenland. But Not in the Way Trump Thinks.
Opinion | The newly inaugurated U.S. president is missing the real strategic and economic value of the island: its ice.
undark.org
February 4, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Here is a must-read, must-share article on the true importance of Greenland to the USA and the world, written by someone who knows it very well: my friend and colleague Paul Bierman of UVM.
More power to my friend and colleague Anita Marshall and the work of the IAGD! This is DEI in action making science better!
How scientists with disabilities are making research labs and fieldwork more accessible
Disabled scientists are trying to make research labs and fieldwork more accessible. They say labs and field sites aren’t designed to serve them.
apnews.com
January 28, 2025 at 3:01 PM
More power to my friend and colleague Anita Marshall and the work of the IAGD! This is DEI in action making science better!
Don't try to tell me Trump's agenda isn't creeping P2025 white nationalism.
Donald Trump DEI order sees female and black WWII pilots cut from air force training
It comes after the US president imposed a ban on diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) programmes.
bbc.com
January 26, 2025 at 9:14 PM
Don't try to tell me Trump's agenda isn't creeping P2025 white nationalism.
Reposted by Steve Semken
Really looking forward to working with someone on Indigenizing quantitative methods! The position is very flexible (FT or part time, remote or in person, can be made a postdoc) anticipating a range of researchers. #IndigeousSTEM
civiclaboratory.nl/2025/01/18/p...
civiclaboratory.nl/2025/01/18/p...
Position: Research Associate in Indigenous approaches to quantitative research
We are looking for two experienced researchers who are fluent in Indigenous approaches to quantitative methods. Experience can come from community research, graduate degrees, and/or research positi…
civiclaboratory.nl
January 21, 2025 at 11:19 AM
Really looking forward to working with someone on Indigenizing quantitative methods! The position is very flexible (FT or part time, remote or in person, can be made a postdoc) anticipating a range of researchers. #IndigeousSTEM
civiclaboratory.nl/2025/01/18/p...
civiclaboratory.nl/2025/01/18/p...
Hola geo-friends! Steve Reynolds & Julia Johnson's complete revision of Roadside Geology of Arizona is published, and I absolutely recommend it!
mountain-press.com/products/roa...
mountain-press.com/products/roa...
Roadside Geology of Arizona
Second Edition Available Now Stephen J. Reynolds and Julia K. Johnson Illustrated by Chelsea M. Feeney Nowhere in the country is the roadside geology better exposed than in the mountains and deserts o...
mountain-press.com
January 23, 2025 at 2:22 AM
Hola geo-friends! Steve Reynolds & Julia Johnson's complete revision of Roadside Geology of Arizona is published, and I absolutely recommend it!
mountain-press.com/products/roa...
mountain-press.com/products/roa...
Final AP ranking: 7. Pretty good year for our Sun Devils. We won't be surprising anyone next season, though.
January 21, 2025 at 6:51 PM
Final AP ranking: 7. Pretty good year for our Sun Devils. We won't be surprising anyone next season, though.