Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Nelson Niu

@nelsonniu.bsky.social

78 followers 120 following 49 posts

he/they • math phd student at uw • uaw4121 unit chair • actor • uw ms ’23 • mit sb ’21 • http://nelsonniu.com

nelsonniu.com

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Nelson Niu @nelsonniu.bsky.social · Feb 19

Some photos from @jayapal.house.gov’s Town Hall last night and today’s @uaw4121.bsky.social rally to defend federal funding for our scientists and researchers!

4 4

Nelson Niu @nelsonniu.bsky.social · Aug 26

Registration for the SUBgroups program for first-year math grad students is now open!

Find out more and register here: gradsubgroups.org

Please share with any first-year math grad students you know who are looking for some regular peer support!

SUBgroups

Online peer groups for first-year math graduate students.

gradsubgroups.org

1 5 8

Nelson Niu @nelsonniu.bsky.social · Aug 6

In NYC, @uaw.org was the first union to endorse @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social for Mayor, leading to his primary victory last month.

Here in Seattle, we at @uaw.org were the first union to endorse @wilsonforseattle.bsky.social for Mayor, leading to her primary victory last night.

We pick winners ✊

Nelson Niu @nelsonniu.bsky.social · Aug 6

okaaaay, boomers! 👏 [affectionate]

Reposted by Nelson Niu

Qagggy! @qagggy.bsky.social · Aug 6

‼️‼️‼️

4 9 160

Reposted by Nelson Niu

The Urbanist @theurbanist.org · Aug 6

The mood is jubilant at Katie Wilson's primary election night party. Wilson is leading Harrell 46.2% to 44.8% in early results.

8 55 420

Nelson Niu @nelsonniu.bsky.social · Jul 23

Absolutely! Here at the University of Washington, our academic worker union is hosting a town hall with our congressperson next month to demand an end to cuts to NSF & NIH. Would be great to hear that folks at other schools are doing the same.

1 2

Reposted by Nelson Niu

Álvaro Lozano-Robledo @mathandcobb.bsky.social · Jul 23

Scientific American thinks mathematicians are being quiet about the devastating NSF funds to our field. We need to be LOUDER.

www.facebook.com/share/r/1J3Z...

Redirecting...

www.facebook.com

3 3 17

Nelson Niu @nelsonniu.bsky.social · Jul 18

I am in fact still in grad school haha

Nelson Niu @nelsonniu.bsky.social · Jun 13

I love when I tell people I study category theory and their first reaction is “oh, no!”

Nelson Niu @nelsonniu.bsky.social · May 23

Oh man, no, I’m just on AT and CT which are both generally pretty reasonable!

Nelson Niu @nelsonniu.bsky.social · May 23

I have email updates turned on and read through them eventually as well. If I see a paper that’s really interesting I’ll actually open it up on the arXiv. But then I just end up with a bunch of open tabs of arXiv papers I don’t know what to do with 😅

1 2

Reposted by Nelson Niu

Daniel Litt @littmath.bsky.social · May 22

Incredibly bad (changes to N.S.F. funding for math):

6 35 140

Nelson Niu @nelsonniu.bsky.social · May 22

Got it 🫡

Nelson Niu @nelsonniu.bsky.social · May 22

And they worked! Turns out speaking up actually does shit

Nelson Niu @nelsonniu.bsky.social · May 22

We’re gonna keep organizing and voting in MLKLC for Wilson, but we’ll see how June goes. My dream is regardless of what other big union leadership says, actual membership will organize unofficial Wilson voucher parties anyway, which is probably hopelessly over-optimistic but hey

1 4

Nelson Niu @nelsonniu.bsky.social · May 22

lol we’re already seeing buyers’ remorse, mlk labor just voted not to give him the $650 donation he asked for

2 2 8

Reposted by Nelson Niu

UAW Region 6 @uawregion6.bsky.social · May 20

Today was a big win for workers in Washington state as unemployment insurance for striking workers was signed into law! UAW members joined @wslc.bsky.social, fellow union members from across the state, and bill sponsor (and former
@uaw4121.bsky.social member) Sen. Riccelli for the signing.

Dozens of Washington union members gathered in a conference room for the bill signing

2 6

Reposted by Nelson Niu

UAW Local 4121 @uaw4121.bsky.social · May 16

UW changed its layoff policy without bargaining- risking the job security of 1000s of UW research workers 👎

1,200+ have signed the open letter demanding they reverse this policy. Join us next Monday @ noon in UW's Red Square to deliver the letter and tell admin to follow our contracts! 💥💥💥

Temporary letter layoff delivery. 12 to 12:30PM PST. Red Square, Monday May 19. For more information, visit: www.uaw4121.org/2025-layoff-policies/

2 4

Nelson Niu @nelsonniu.bsky.social · May 8

meanwhile uw's facing a budget crisis and all ana mari can muster up at her "town hall" this morning is assuring us there will be no cuts to her personal police force

"we absolutely need to keep them strong. we've seen that this week" 🙄

www.youtube.com/live/o5EKy4a...

Nelson Niu @nelsonniu.bsky.social · May 8

I’m in this article along with other @uaw4121.bsky.social members to explain what’s happening to grad student researchers in the US right now.

It’s not looking great for us, and it’s looking even worse for America.

NBC News @nbcnews.com · May 7

The Trump administration’s slowdown in science funding has left U.S.-based scientists and researchers scrambling to find homes for promising work that could lead to medical treatments and cures.

Now, many are looking abroad.

The best and brightest young scientists are looking beyond the U.S. as cuts hit home

Top scientists are cutting staff at their labs. Postdocs are leaving the country. Here's how the Trump cuts are playing out at the University of Washington.

nbcnews.to

2 3

Nelson Niu @nelsonniu.bsky.social · May 7

It sure is encouraging when the Trump administration personally praises the way my university deployed riot police on a student protest 🫠

Same cops that our university called on me and my union siblings during our peaceful labor action last year, by the way!

Reuters @reuters.com · May 7

US reviews occupation of University of Washington building by pro-Palestinian protesters reut.rs/4k2c7ZH

US reviews occupation of University of Washington building by pro-Palestinian protesters

The U.S. government said on Tuesday it will review an incident at the University of Washington in which pro-Palestinian protesters occupied a university building while demanding the school cut ties with Boeing over its contracts with the Israeli military.

reut.rs

Reposted by Nelson Niu

Quanta Magazine @quantamagazine.bsky.social · May 5

A new proof represents the culmination of a 65-year-old story about anomalous shapes in special dimensions. @ericaklarreich.bsky.social reports: www.quantamagazine.org/dimension-12...

Dimension 126 Contains Strangely Twisted Shapes, Mathematicians Prove | Quanta Magazine

A new proof represents the culmination of a 65-year-old story about anomalous shapes in special dimensions.

www.quantamagazine.org

6 26

Reposted by Nelson Niu

Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · Apr 25

PhD Timeline xkcd.com/3081

600 21K 60K

Reposted by Nelson Niu

Liz Neeley @lizneeley.bsky.social · Apr 24

URGENT ACTION FOR NSF GRANTEES.

For current & recent (since 2020) awards, archive your award history this afternoon/tonight. Screenshot/download/print your work in research.gov & alert your partners.

We have credible threats to integrity of awards tracking systems (via @jeremymberg.bsky.social)

2 330 320

Nelson Niu @nelsonniu.bsky.social · Mar 26

i used to always immediately get sick once spring break started 😭