Marko Spasojevic
@m-j-spasojevic.bsky.social
1.7K followers 290 following 88 posts
Associate prof. at UC-Riverside studying biodiversity, plant traits, biogeography, global change. Niwot LTER. Dad, Army Veteran, He/Him.
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Reposted by Marko Spasojevic
instaar.bsky.social
🙏🏽 A big thank you to Andrew Mayock, @colorado.edu's VC for Sustainability. He recently toured the Mountain Research Station & the Tundra Lab at Niwot Ridge, meeting with INSTAAR faculty & discussing future collaborations.

Read our story about his visit: www.colorado.edu/instaar/2025...
Vice chancellor for sustainability visits the Mountain Research Station and Niwot Ridge
CU Boulder’s Andrew Mayock recently toured the Mountain Research Station, a high-altitude climate station and the Tundra Lab at Niwot Ridge. INSTAAR faculty
www.colorado.edu
Reposted by Marko Spasojevic
seemasheth.bsky.social
We begin reviewing applications next week!
Reposted by Marko Spasojevic
aoc.bsky.social
Hell yeah. Hold the line. This is what we need people to do.

Slow things down, don’t comply in advance so the courts have time to stop them. It’s starting to work.
ellenlweintraub.bsky.social
Received a letter from POTUS today purporting to remove me as Commissioner and Chair of the FEC. There's a legal way to replace FEC commissioners-this isn't it. I've been so fortunate to serve the American people and stir up some good trouble along the way. That's not changing anytime soon.
Reposted by Marko Spasojevic
Reposted by Marko Spasojevic
funeco.bsky.social
The criteria for flagging grants: “broadening participation” language, foreign assistance, climate science, domestic energy, and “discriminatory programs, including illegal DEI”.

“To see ‘women’ and ‘woman’ and ‘people of colour’— that was a gut punch,"
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Exclusive: how NSF is scouring research grants for violations of Trump’s orders
The US National Science Foundation has unfrozen grant funding, but it continues to scrutinize research projects, sowing turmoil.
www.nature.com
Reposted by Marko Spasojevic
carlbergstrom.com
NSF FUNDING FREEZE UPDATE

I received this email from the NSF about 45 minutes ago. Attached are the links.

I believe this should restore trainee funding but await confirmation on that.

nsf-gov-resources.nsf.gov/files/TRO-NY...

new.nsf.gov/executive-or...
MESSAGE to the NSF PI Community,
 
On Friday, January 31, 2025, a Federal Court issued a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) directing Federal grant-making agencies, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), to “...not pause, freeze, impede, block, cancel, or terminate... awards and obligations to provide federal financial assistance to the States, and... not impede the States’ access to such awards and obligations, except on the basis of the applicable authorizing statutes, regulations, and terms.” Although the language of the TRO is directed at State institutions, the Department of Justice has determined that it applies to all NSF award recipients. You can review the TRO here.
 
In order to comply with the TRO, the NSF Award Cash Management Service (ACM$) system is available for awardees to request payments as of 12:00pm EST, February 2, 2025. 
 
This message is also available on the Executive Order Implementation webpage.  Please check back regularly as we add frequently asked questions (FAQs) based on community feedback.
 
Sethuraman Panchanathan
Director
Reposted by Marko Spasojevic
aoc.bsky.social
I honestly believe our most powerful position in a toxic time that feeds on cynicism, apathy,& despair is to genuinely care and act for a better world.

Cynicism is our enemy. We should check it, incl. on the left. It’s not intellectually superior. It’s the virus they’re trying to infect us with. NO
Reposted by Marko Spasojevic
daveyfwright.bsky.social
Also worth keeping in mind: every program director, program officer, and other NSF staff I've ever interacted with are kind, thoughtful, & professional. They are working through a challenging situation & deserve kindness on the other side of this. Direct anger & frustration at leadership, not them
phoebefossil.bsky.social
Just a reminder that NSF program officers aren't reaching out to you because they can't - no communications allowed.
Reposted by Marko Spasojevic
mattbetts42.bsky.social
This is causing major issues for us at the HJ Andrews LTER. Possible disruptions to >40 years of data on water, tree growth and survival, ecosystem response to fire. As well as three long-term employees whose livelihoods are now uncertain.
m-j-spasojevic.bsky.social
A) I’m not talking about our society in general but our scientific societies: ESA, AGU, AAAS where I would hope science is a priority.
B) the director of NSF is still complying with the EO to freeze funding even though the courts halted it - i.e. PRFBs are not getting paid. This isn’t alarmism
m-j-spasojevic.bsky.social
Where are our leaders? Why aren’t our societies having a joint press conference on the steps of NSF? Why aren’t they organizing a march on NSF? Why aren’t they sending us call scripts?

What are ESA and AGU doing? As far as I can tell, nothing
Reposted by Marko Spasojevic
aoc.bsky.social
Yes, this administration is dangerous and cruel, but they are also shockingly dim and incompetent.

Opportunities are everywhere.

Make everything as hard as possible. Resist every demand. Refuse entry without a warrant. Don’t take the buyout. Their problem solving skills are 📉
Reposted by Marko Spasojevic
jalene-lamontagne.bsky.social
Lots! Recently, our @uslter.bsky.social Synthesis Working Group published a synthesis paper in an #EcologyLetters Very Long-Term Data special issue! We explored a new area of research, looking at Community-Level synchrony in woody plant reproduction. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
A map showing 7 long-term ecological research sites in the US, and graphs showing varying synchrony in reproduction of woody plants.
Reposted by Marko Spasojevic
Reposted by Marko Spasojevic
ljrissler.bsky.social
The Oath of Office taken by me and my colleagues at the NSF -

“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; …”
m-j-spasojevic.bsky.social
Patriotic names will confuse them (Advancing American Freedom committee). Obtuse names will confuse them more (Chewbacca's student excellence committee). We can sit and do nothing, or we can act. Every small action that slows them down adds up. Think of other ways to make it harder for them.
m-j-spasojevic.bsky.social
It is the work that matters, not the name. Make them check every damn committee in existence. Right now, they can Control-F on Diversity and find all our committees. Sow confusion among them while we keep doing the work. If they find your committee, change the name again. The name doesn’t matter.
m-j-spasojevic.bsky.social
The name change has worked so far because they are just looking for key words. I suggest we all do the same now. Change your committee to the Advancing American Freedom committee and keep doing the same work. Pick a name that will make it hard for them to find what we are doing.
m-j-spasojevic.bsky.social
Let’s take "those" committees as an example. I have served as chair of one for over 5 years now and am involved in many efforts. A few months ago, we changed our name to the Broadening Participation committee because politicians in hostile states were finding links to us and targeting our colleagues
m-j-spasojevic.bsky.social
So how is this relevant? They are trying to sow confusion and push things through while we still cling to the old rules. We need to change the way we fight and slow them down until the courts can do their work (assuming they will).
m-j-spasojevic.bsky.social
As a veteran, this is something we are taught as the military learned this many times. During the revolutionary war the red coats kept trying to fight by the old rules (line up in formations) while the American used new tactics and won. Similar lessons were learned in Vietnam and Somalia.
m-j-spasojevic.bsky.social
Long thread but hear me out. If we keep trying to play by the old rules we lose. We can’t keep turning to the rules and crying foul, hoping they suddenly start following them.
Reposted by Marko Spasojevic
benstemon.bsky.social
NSF PRFB POSTDOCS:

Pull the remainder of this funding cycle’s stipend, all remaining research funds, and all remaining travel funds (if you have them). Do it before 5PM today. Per instructions from multiple NSF POs.

If you’re not already on the PRFB slack, DM me and I’ll send you an invite