Geerte Slappendel
@geertes.bsky.social
Policy advisor and researcher on EDI in biomedical sciences. Knits her way through meetings.
Reposted by Geerte Slappendel
Just imagining how much better it would be if ALL news stories about vaccine-preventable illnesses were illustrated with pictures of people with the disease, not pictures of needle injections. If you must show something that people will find scary & unpleasant, make it the disease, not the cure.
I'm so tired of measles.
I'm also tired of people using needle shots on stories like this.
Show what measles looks like.
I'm also tired of people using needle shots on stories like this.
Show what measles looks like.
Gallatin Co. reports 2nd measles case, warns of exposure sites nbcmontana.com/news/local/g...
December 2, 2025 at 4:40 AM
Just imagining how much better it would be if ALL news stories about vaccine-preventable illnesses were illustrated with pictures of people with the disease, not pictures of needle injections. If you must show something that people will find scary & unpleasant, make it the disease, not the cure.
Reposted by Geerte Slappendel
This is actually quite brilliant, up to and including the final sentence 🔥
December 1, 2025 at 11:09 AM
This is actually quite brilliant, up to and including the final sentence 🔥
Reposted by Geerte Slappendel
Are you one of the following?
🎓 vice-rector for academic affairs
🏛️ head of #learning & #teaching centre
🔖 programme director
🧑🏫 academic staff/researcher
Then join the 2026 #EUALearnTeach Forum:
📅 12-13 February, Universidade Católica Portuguesa
🔗 https://bit.ly/bs2026ltforum
#AcademicSky
🎓 vice-rector for academic affairs
🏛️ head of #learning & #teaching centre
🔖 programme director
🧑🏫 academic staff/researcher
Then join the 2026 #EUALearnTeach Forum:
📅 12-13 February, Universidade Católica Portuguesa
🔗 https://bit.ly/bs2026ltforum
#AcademicSky
December 1, 2025 at 8:07 AM
Are you one of the following?
🎓 vice-rector for academic affairs
🏛️ head of #learning & #teaching centre
🔖 programme director
🧑🏫 academic staff/researcher
Then join the 2026 #EUALearnTeach Forum:
📅 12-13 February, Universidade Católica Portuguesa
🔗 https://bit.ly/bs2026ltforum
#AcademicSky
🎓 vice-rector for academic affairs
🏛️ head of #learning & #teaching centre
🔖 programme director
🧑🏫 academic staff/researcher
Then join the 2026 #EUALearnTeach Forum:
📅 12-13 February, Universidade Católica Portuguesa
🔗 https://bit.ly/bs2026ltforum
#AcademicSky
Reposted by Geerte Slappendel
I don’t think many people realize how infinitely complex the human brain is and the difficulty level of many of the basic tasks it performs in relation to interacting with the world. With less data in less organized blocks than any LLM has ever received, human toddlers can speak multiple languages.
November 30, 2025 at 4:34 AM
I don’t think many people realize how infinitely complex the human brain is and the difficulty level of many of the basic tasks it performs in relation to interacting with the world. With less data in less organized blocks than any LLM has ever received, human toddlers can speak multiple languages.
Reposted by Geerte Slappendel
The simple reality of gen-AI/LLMs is that this is all a lot of hand waving to attempt to get to AGI before the bubble pops. But the chasm between what these models churn out now and what a human-equivalent intelligence could create with skill is larger than the Pacific.
November 30, 2025 at 4:31 AM
The simple reality of gen-AI/LLMs is that this is all a lot of hand waving to attempt to get to AGI before the bubble pops. But the chasm between what these models churn out now and what a human-equivalent intelligence could create with skill is larger than the Pacific.
Reposted by Geerte Slappendel
The bottom-up nature of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions must be preserved!
EUA is strongly opposed to the introduction of a top-down thematic focus or ‘directionality’ in the Commission’s proposal for Horizon Europe.
📄 Our analysis: https://bit.ly/4nxoFL4
#FP10 #MSCAactions
EUA is strongly opposed to the introduction of a top-down thematic focus or ‘directionality’ in the Commission’s proposal for Horizon Europe.
📄 Our analysis: https://bit.ly/4nxoFL4
#FP10 #MSCAactions
November 28, 2025 at 8:35 AM
The bottom-up nature of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions must be preserved!
EUA is strongly opposed to the introduction of a top-down thematic focus or ‘directionality’ in the Commission’s proposal for Horizon Europe.
📄 Our analysis: https://bit.ly/4nxoFL4
#FP10 #MSCAactions
EUA is strongly opposed to the introduction of a top-down thematic focus or ‘directionality’ in the Commission’s proposal for Horizon Europe.
📄 Our analysis: https://bit.ly/4nxoFL4
#FP10 #MSCAactions
Reposted by Geerte Slappendel
De toonaangevende filosoof Achille Mbembe (68) pleit voor meer aandacht voor het ‘Afrikaanse archief’. Hij ontving deze week de Spinozalens, onder meer omdat hij Europeanen een confronterende spiegel voorhoudt. ‘Het idee dat mensen verheven zijn boven andere wezens, is ons met geweld opgedrongen.’
Filosoof Achille Mbembe: ‘Westers denken leidt ons richting een catastrofe’
De Kameroense denker won deze week de Spinozalens.
buff.ly
November 27, 2025 at 7:00 AM
De toonaangevende filosoof Achille Mbembe (68) pleit voor meer aandacht voor het ‘Afrikaanse archief’. Hij ontving deze week de Spinozalens, onder meer omdat hij Europeanen een confronterende spiegel voorhoudt. ‘Het idee dat mensen verheven zijn boven andere wezens, is ons met geweld opgedrongen.’
Reposted by Geerte Slappendel
"a single person of this demographic may have committed a crime, therefore we must punish the entire demographic" is a policy response you may recognize from fascist governments dedicated to ethnic cleansing elsewhere.
November 27, 2025 at 5:52 AM
"a single person of this demographic may have committed a crime, therefore we must punish the entire demographic" is a policy response you may recognize from fascist governments dedicated to ethnic cleansing elsewhere.
Reposted by Geerte Slappendel
Dear professional society leadership:
People say “believe women”. Until the man is someone they know.
November 27, 2025 at 2:44 AM
Dear professional society leadership:
Reposted by Geerte Slappendel
Odi , odi Sranan! Wan switi Srefidensi gi alla Sranan Sma tap a grontapu!
Simons en Simons feliciteren alle Surinamers over de hele wereld met 50 jaar onafhankelijkheid.
Moge de komende 50 vooruitgang, eenheid en voorspoed brengen voor het mooiste land ter wereld!
🇸🇷🇸🇷🇸🇷
Simons en Simons feliciteren alle Surinamers over de hele wereld met 50 jaar onafhankelijkheid.
Moge de komende 50 vooruitgang, eenheid en voorspoed brengen voor het mooiste land ter wereld!
🇸🇷🇸🇷🇸🇷
November 25, 2025 at 11:55 AM
Odi , odi Sranan! Wan switi Srefidensi gi alla Sranan Sma tap a grontapu!
Simons en Simons feliciteren alle Surinamers over de hele wereld met 50 jaar onafhankelijkheid.
Moge de komende 50 vooruitgang, eenheid en voorspoed brengen voor het mooiste land ter wereld!
🇸🇷🇸🇷🇸🇷
Simons en Simons feliciteren alle Surinamers over de hele wereld met 50 jaar onafhankelijkheid.
Moge de komende 50 vooruitgang, eenheid en voorspoed brengen voor het mooiste land ter wereld!
🇸🇷🇸🇷🇸🇷
Reposted by Geerte Slappendel
Thanks, but no thanks. We don't want Amazon, Microsoft and Google to invest a trillion dollars in datacenters in Europe that will bring data of EU citizens within reach of Trump and will lock-in our digital dependence for decades to come.
We need to start building our own digital infrastructure.
We need to start building our own digital infrastructure.
US tells EU to 'roll back' digital rules against US tech companies | Euractiv
US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick dangled the "carrot" of US giants investing in EU data centres in exchange for "reasonable" laws – and the "stick" of tariffs
www.euractiv.com
November 25, 2025 at 12:45 PM
Thanks, but no thanks. We don't want Amazon, Microsoft and Google to invest a trillion dollars in datacenters in Europe that will bring data of EU citizens within reach of Trump and will lock-in our digital dependence for decades to come.
We need to start building our own digital infrastructure.
We need to start building our own digital infrastructure.
Reposted by Geerte Slappendel
You're told it'll sabotage your career if you're a vocally politically opinionated, queer, woman. But things sabotaging my career are systemic xenophobia, sexism, and horrible job market. Which are a direct consequences of people not being vocally opinionated in the first place.
November 25, 2025 at 2:27 AM
You're told it'll sabotage your career if you're a vocally politically opinionated, queer, woman. But things sabotaging my career are systemic xenophobia, sexism, and horrible job market. Which are a direct consequences of people not being vocally opinionated in the first place.
Social media, work floor, conferences…just because we’re part of the educational system doesn’t mean we should be stuck in high school.
Can we *please* stop rewarding bullying behavior in academic social media?
November 25, 2025 at 10:58 AM
Social media, work floor, conferences…just because we’re part of the educational system doesn’t mean we should be stuck in high school.
Reposted by Geerte Slappendel
Imagine you are in a post-apocalyptic world with zombies. There is a spray you can use to ward off zombies. It works well, but is short-acting.
Someone made a new spray that is more long-acting. You want to test it out to see the difference.
Someone made a new spray that is more long-acting. You want to test it out to see the difference.
November 22, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Imagine you are in a post-apocalyptic world with zombies. There is a spray you can use to ward off zombies. It works well, but is short-acting.
Someone made a new spray that is more long-acting. You want to test it out to see the difference.
Someone made a new spray that is more long-acting. You want to test it out to see the difference.
Reposted by Geerte Slappendel
If someone knits or crochets you a blanket or sweater, they want to keep you warm AND they dedicated many hours of their lives to making it for you.
There's no profit in fiber arts, not when you can get a machine made at Target for 30 bucks. So know fiber artists making for you? Is an act of love.
There's no profit in fiber arts, not when you can get a machine made at Target for 30 bucks. So know fiber artists making for you? Is an act of love.
November 21, 2025 at 4:01 PM
If someone knits or crochets you a blanket or sweater, they want to keep you warm AND they dedicated many hours of their lives to making it for you.
There's no profit in fiber arts, not when you can get a machine made at Target for 30 bucks. So know fiber artists making for you? Is an act of love.
There's no profit in fiber arts, not when you can get a machine made at Target for 30 bucks. So know fiber artists making for you? Is an act of love.
Reposted by Geerte Slappendel
It’s widely known (and, I think, pretty uncontroversial) that learning requires effort — specifically, if you don’t have to work at getting the knowledge, it won’t stick.
Even if an LLM could be trusted to give you correct information 100% of the time, it would be an inferior method of learning it.
Even if an LLM could be trusted to give you correct information 100% of the time, it would be an inferior method of learning it.
Relying on ChatGPT to teach you about a topic leaves you with shallower knowledge than Googling and reading about it, according to new research that compared what more than 10,000 people knew after using one method or the other.
Shared by @gizmodo.com: buff.ly/yAAHtHq
Shared by @gizmodo.com: buff.ly/yAAHtHq
November 21, 2025 at 12:49 PM
It’s widely known (and, I think, pretty uncontroversial) that learning requires effort — specifically, if you don’t have to work at getting the knowledge, it won’t stick.
Even if an LLM could be trusted to give you correct information 100% of the time, it would be an inferior method of learning it.
Even if an LLM could be trusted to give you correct information 100% of the time, it would be an inferior method of learning it.
Reposted by Geerte Slappendel
Well slap my ass and call me Suzy
Relying on ChatGPT to teach you about a topic leaves you with shallower knowledge than Googling and reading about it, according to new research that compared what more than 10,000 people knew after using one method or the other.
Shared by @gizmodo.com: buff.ly/yAAHtHq
Shared by @gizmodo.com: buff.ly/yAAHtHq
November 21, 2025 at 12:42 PM
Well slap my ass and call me Suzy
Reposted by Geerte Slappendel
Can’t believe the whole country has to suffer through the return of Dickensian childhood diseases because the worst, most ignorant attention-demanders decided other people’s expertise makes them feel bad
November 20, 2025 at 4:19 AM
Can’t believe the whole country has to suffer through the return of Dickensian childhood diseases because the worst, most ignorant attention-demanders decided other people’s expertise makes them feel bad
Reposted by Geerte Slappendel
Things that will get you kicked out of academia forever:
- taking maternity leave at the wrong time
- spending too much time with your kids
- reporting harassment
- not moving every 2-3 years
- taking a partner's job/preferences into account
- mouthing off before tenure
- taking maternity leave at the wrong time
- spending too much time with your kids
- reporting harassment
- not moving every 2-3 years
- taking a partner's job/preferences into account
- mouthing off before tenure
A guy makes ONE tiny mistake (has a years-long friendship with the world's worst sex trafficker; brags about sexually harassing colleagues; is racist; says women are stupid) and his whole LIFE is blown up (does slightly fewer speaking engagements; keeps teaching at #1 university)??!?!?!?!?!
So Harvard is keeping this guy, but Claudine Gay had to step down over ginned up plagiarism accusations and bad-faith accusations of anti-Semitism.
Got it.
Got it.
November 18, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Things that will get you kicked out of academia forever:
- taking maternity leave at the wrong time
- spending too much time with your kids
- reporting harassment
- not moving every 2-3 years
- taking a partner's job/preferences into account
- mouthing off before tenure
- taking maternity leave at the wrong time
- spending too much time with your kids
- reporting harassment
- not moving every 2-3 years
- taking a partner's job/preferences into account
- mouthing off before tenure
Reposted by Geerte Slappendel
Happy International Day of LGBTQIA+ People In STEM!
How are you celebrating it?
#LGBTQSTEMDay #PrideInSTEM
How are you celebrating it?
#LGBTQSTEMDay #PrideInSTEM
November 18, 2025 at 8:30 AM
Happy International Day of LGBTQIA+ People In STEM!
How are you celebrating it?
#LGBTQSTEMDay #PrideInSTEM
How are you celebrating it?
#LGBTQSTEMDay #PrideInSTEM
Reposted by Geerte Slappendel
Happy LGBTQ+ in STEM Day! I’m celebrating with the dapper Invisible Enby, who is a queer fashion metaphor for the way dark matter shapes visible matter in the cosmos. Want to learn more? Preorder my new book, where they appear! 🧪
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/746817...
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/746817...
November 18, 2025 at 3:26 PM
Happy LGBTQ+ in STEM Day! I’m celebrating with the dapper Invisible Enby, who is a queer fashion metaphor for the way dark matter shapes visible matter in the cosmos. Want to learn more? Preorder my new book, where they appear! 🧪
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/746817...
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/746817...
Reposted by Geerte Slappendel
Remember: they used thousands of academic books too! If you’re a scholar, check for your books too. This isn’t just novelists and pop writers, it’s academic books too!
AI advocates have warned that if every author in the class action filed a claim, it would "financially ruin" the entire industry.
Authors celebrate “historic” settlement coming soon in Anthropic class action
Advocates fear such settlements will “financially ruin” the AI industry.
arstechnica.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:32 AM
Remember: they used thousands of academic books too! If you’re a scholar, check for your books too. This isn’t just novelists and pop writers, it’s academic books too!
Reposted by Geerte Slappendel
authors you have the chance to do the funniest thing right now
AI advocates have warned that if every author in the class action filed a claim, it would "financially ruin" the entire industry.
Authors celebrate “historic” settlement coming soon in Anthropic class action
Advocates fear such settlements will “financially ruin” the AI industry.
arstechnica.com
November 18, 2025 at 4:35 AM
authors you have the chance to do the funniest thing right now
Reposted by Geerte Slappendel
Quick cartoon. I was hoping to stay unplugged this week but I saw some news and had to take a break to draw this out. I think we all needed to see it realized.
November 18, 2025 at 6:31 PM
Quick cartoon. I was hoping to stay unplugged this week but I saw some news and had to take a break to draw this out. I think we all needed to see it realized.
I’m going to need all of these people to be better. This is absurd.
POV: you are a young woman celebrating a recent academic success
November 18, 2025 at 8:30 AM
I’m going to need all of these people to be better. This is absurd.