Gillian Lynn Ryan
@gillianlynnryan.bsky.social
Associate professor of physics, drinker of tea, herder of cats, Bluenoser, Canadian in Pittsburgh. She/Her.
Statements and posts made here reflect only my own thoughts or feelings.
Statements and posts made here reflect only my own thoughts or feelings.
Reposted by Gillian Lynn Ryan
Go to your doctor and get your measles titers checked to make sure you are still immune and if not get re-vaccinated. It’s more and more likely all of us are going to eventually come in contact with it.
The thing about measles is that it’s the only known virus that triggers immune amnesia - it causes your immune system to forget everything it has previously learned. Meaning you essentially reset to zero and are now at risk of basically everything.
It can take 2-3 years to get immunities back.
It can take 2-3 years to get immunities back.
December 14, 2025 at 1:01 AM
Go to your doctor and get your measles titers checked to make sure you are still immune and if not get re-vaccinated. It’s more and more likely all of us are going to eventually come in contact with it.
Reposted by Gillian Lynn Ryan
I still can’t believe the National Science Foundation is being forced to move out of their brand new, purpose-built building because the HUD secretary thought his building was ugly.
The Trump administration is destroying the best parts of this country, and it will take decades to rebuild.
The Trump administration is destroying the best parts of this country, and it will take decades to rebuild.
NSF
- Forced reorg
- POs down ~ 40% (DRP, most rotators not renewed, retirements)
- Forced move (and we have to pack and clean) to a building with no furniture, little to no conference space for panels, inadequate 🛜, …)
I personally love the boxes they gave us for packing.
“Details matter” 🙃
- Forced reorg
- POs down ~ 40% (DRP, most rotators not renewed, retirements)
- Forced move (and we have to pack and clean) to a building with no furniture, little to no conference space for panels, inadequate 🛜, …)
I personally love the boxes they gave us for packing.
“Details matter” 🙃
December 11, 2025 at 1:58 PM
I still can’t believe the National Science Foundation is being forced to move out of their brand new, purpose-built building because the HUD secretary thought his building was ugly.
The Trump administration is destroying the best parts of this country, and it will take decades to rebuild.
The Trump administration is destroying the best parts of this country, and it will take decades to rebuild.
Reposted by Gillian Lynn Ryan
Panic! At the final grades submission.
December 11, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Panic! At the final grades submission.
Reposted by Gillian Lynn Ryan
we talk a lot about the weirdo techbro obsession with immortality these AI necromancy projects embody, but I'm arguably even MORE fascinated by the terror of allowing yourself to experience deep, complex emotions they so obviously reveal
you cannot prevent yourself from feeling grief with an app??
you cannot prevent yourself from feeling grief with an app??
IN DEPTH | If you could speak to your dead grandmother forever, would you?
If you could speak to your dead grandmother forever, would you?
www.independent.co.uk
December 10, 2025 at 8:31 PM
we talk a lot about the weirdo techbro obsession with immortality these AI necromancy projects embody, but I'm arguably even MORE fascinated by the terror of allowing yourself to experience deep, complex emotions they so obviously reveal
you cannot prevent yourself from feeling grief with an app??
you cannot prevent yourself from feeling grief with an app??
Reposted by Gillian Lynn Ryan
Yup.
Teaching is a two-way street. Student and teacher. It’s a process. It’s personal. A conversation of sorts.
Believing this isn’t “romantic.”
It’s true.
It’s good teaching.
Period.
Teaching is a two-way street. Student and teacher. It’s a process. It’s personal. A conversation of sorts.
Believing this isn’t “romantic.”
It’s true.
It’s good teaching.
Period.
YOUR STUDENTS ARE NOT YOUR CUSTOMERS.
Get the fuck out of education if that's the way you're talking about them.
Get the fuck out of education if that's the way you're talking about them.
Yes we all agree that this is the reason colleges are in trouble
December 9, 2025 at 10:41 PM
Yup.
Teaching is a two-way street. Student and teacher. It’s a process. It’s personal. A conversation of sorts.
Believing this isn’t “romantic.”
It’s true.
It’s good teaching.
Period.
Teaching is a two-way street. Student and teacher. It’s a process. It’s personal. A conversation of sorts.
Believing this isn’t “romantic.”
It’s true.
It’s good teaching.
Period.
Reposted by Gillian Lynn Ryan
on one hand, science isn't inclusive anymore. on the other hand, AI is plagiarism and research misconduct. so it's impossible to say if NSF is woke or cheugy
December 9, 2025 at 9:26 PM
on one hand, science isn't inclusive anymore. on the other hand, AI is plagiarism and research misconduct. so it's impossible to say if NSF is woke or cheugy
Reposted by Gillian Lynn Ryan
My students are not my customers. A person walks into a shop, they want a bag of oranges, they buy it+ leave. I check them out, having no interest in their well being or existence. A student walks into my classroom. I invite them on a quest to become a better thinker and human.
December 9, 2025 at 9:30 PM
My students are not my customers. A person walks into a shop, they want a bag of oranges, they buy it+ leave. I check them out, having no interest in their well being or existence. A student walks into my classroom. I invite them on a quest to become a better thinker and human.
You will be visited by 3 spirits
December 9, 2025 at 3:29 AM
You will be visited by 3 spirits
Reposted by Gillian Lynn Ryan
it's fewer. also bite me
December 8, 2025 at 5:00 PM
it's fewer. also bite me
Holding on for one more day (of classes).
Wilson Phillips - Hold On (Official Music Video)
YouTube video by WilsonPhillipsVEVO
youtu.be
December 5, 2025 at 2:14 AM
Holding on for one more day (of classes).
Reposted by Gillian Lynn Ryan
I think too often physics students unconsciously have the idea that some people have brains that are "natural" for physics and some don't and who knows maybe that's true to some extent but regardless of natural tendency at some point everyone has to practice practice practice
December 4, 2025 at 9:20 PM
I think too often physics students unconsciously have the idea that some people have brains that are "natural" for physics and some don't and who knows maybe that's true to some extent but regardless of natural tendency at some point everyone has to practice practice practice
Reposted by Gillian Lynn Ryan
If you feel like you are behind or underprepared, the only way out is through: spend the time on the things you don't know, figure out who will answer your "stupid" questions. Then ask them, even if it's anonymously online
Learn to do your own calculations, even when it's tempting to lean on others
Learn to do your own calculations, even when it's tempting to lean on others
December 4, 2025 at 9:19 PM
If you feel like you are behind or underprepared, the only way out is through: spend the time on the things you don't know, figure out who will answer your "stupid" questions. Then ask them, even if it's anonymously online
Learn to do your own calculations, even when it's tempting to lean on others
Learn to do your own calculations, even when it's tempting to lean on others
Reposted by Gillian Lynn Ryan
"are you enjoying duo mobile" does a hamburger enjoy being made of quarks. does a fish enjoy linear time. does the mountain enjoy the first taste of a cup of hot chocolate when you get back to the ski lodge. your question means nothing to me. i couldn't enjoy duo mobile even if i tried
December 3, 2025 at 7:36 PM
"are you enjoying duo mobile" does a hamburger enjoy being made of quarks. does a fish enjoy linear time. does the mountain enjoy the first taste of a cup of hot chocolate when you get back to the ski lodge. your question means nothing to me. i couldn't enjoy duo mobile even if i tried
Reposted by Gillian Lynn Ryan
Last week @theverge.com published my essay exploring the limitations of large-language models. This week, that same essay is cited by a federal judge in Michigan to distinguish the process of human reasoning from what these models do. Very, very gratifying.
h/t @robertfreundlaw.bsky.social
holy shit, an accurate legal critique of LLMs. LLMs don't reason because they're just stitching together plausible-looking sentences indifferent to the content
holy shit, an accurate legal critique of LLMs. LLMs don't reason because they're just stitching together plausible-looking sentences indifferent to the content
December 3, 2025 at 9:04 PM
Last week @theverge.com published my essay exploring the limitations of large-language models. This week, that same essay is cited by a federal judge in Michigan to distinguish the process of human reasoning from what these models do. Very, very gratifying.
Reposted by Gillian Lynn Ryan
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 Gillian Lynn Ryan
Frog knocked at Toad’s door. “Toad, wake up,” he cried. “Come out and see how wonderful the winter is!”
“I will not,” said Toad. “I am in my warm bed.”
“I will not,” said Toad. “I am in my warm bed.”
December 2, 2025 at 8:37 AM
Frog knocked at Toad’s door. “Toad, wake up,” he cried. “Come out and see how wonderful the winter is!”
“I will not,” said Toad. “I am in my warm bed.”
“I will not,” said Toad. “I am in my warm bed.”
Reposted by Gillian Lynn Ryan
The thing I keep coming back to about this is it’s the OU administration coming out against… learning
OU has put the professor here on administrative leave:
December 1, 2025 at 12:38 AM
The thing I keep coming back to about this is it’s the OU administration coming out against… learning
Reposted by Gillian Lynn Ryan
Does anyone want a survivorship bias shortbread
November 29, 2025 at 4:50 AM
Does anyone want a survivorship bias shortbread
These were my favorite candy growing up. Normally my dad mails me some every December, but the tariff shenanigans means he wasn’t able to do so this year. (He couldn’t figure out the online payment system.) Sad there will be no chicken bones this year.
November 29, 2025 at 2:35 AM
These were my favorite candy growing up. Normally my dad mails me some every December, but the tariff shenanigans means he wasn’t able to do so this year. (He couldn’t figure out the online payment system.) Sad there will be no chicken bones this year.
Reposted by Gillian Lynn Ryan
Every time someone jumps on socials and says there is no point to mass protest days and visible reaction in the streets, share this chart with them. The approval ratings are tanking not just because they're doing bad things but also because protestors won't let people forget it either.
Gallup poll | 11/3-11/25
President Trump approval
Disapprove 60% (+6)
Approve 36% (-5)
news.gallup.com/poll/699221/...
President Trump approval
Disapprove 60% (+6)
Approve 36% (-5)
news.gallup.com/poll/699221/...
November 28, 2025 at 8:32 PM
Every time someone jumps on socials and says there is no point to mass protest days and visible reaction in the streets, share this chart with them. The approval ratings are tanking not just because they're doing bad things but also because protestors won't let people forget it either.
Reposted by Gillian Lynn Ryan
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 Gillian Lynn Ryan
I don’t know if anyone else notices or cares, but when I see a presentation in which the speaker uses obviously generated-AI images to illustrate their slides, it makes me immediately less confident in whatever other content they’re presenting.
November 28, 2025 at 3:07 PM
I don’t know if anyone else notices or cares, but when I see a presentation in which the speaker uses obviously generated-AI images to illustrate their slides, it makes me immediately less confident in whatever other content they’re presenting.
Reposted by Gillian Lynn Ryan
Anybody who is like “Piracy is activism!”—trust me, supporting your local library is about 1000% more effective activism, and it’s still free for you and authors still get paid!
November 26, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Anybody who is like “Piracy is activism!”—trust me, supporting your local library is about 1000% more effective activism, and it’s still free for you and authors still get paid!
Reposted by Gillian Lynn Ryan
AND supporting your local library is super important! If you actually DO want books to be available to everyone, the library *already exists* and is staffed by the people who are deep in the trenches of fighting censorship! Supporting the library is doing actual good for your community!
TAPS SCREEN
For like the zillionth time: Libraries are FREE for you, but WE still get compensated for our work!!
For like the zillionth time: Libraries are FREE for you, but WE still get compensated for our work!!
Just saw someone claim that authors who want to be paid for their work are "class traitors" because we "only let the wealthy" read our books, and I think I need to go into the woods to scream into the night for a bit.
It's $5, not your first-born child! I need that $5 for health insurance!
It's $5, not your first-born child! I need that $5 for health insurance!
November 26, 2025 at 8:01 PM
AND supporting your local library is super important! If you actually DO want books to be available to everyone, the library *already exists* and is staffed by the people who are deep in the trenches of fighting censorship! Supporting the library is doing actual good for your community!
Reposted by Gillian Lynn Ryan
In a round about way, this is quite funny
So this happened in Oslo yesterday. Four articulated buses got stuck in a roundabout.
November 26, 2025 at 6:37 PM
In a round about way, this is quite funny