Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Julie Johnston @queermsfrizzle.bsky.social · 9d

“were testing ammonia concentrations next week! samples will be from the campus reservoir and throughout the farm unless someone is brave enough to get us our nitrogen source from animal fertilizer aka urine!”

::unflinching student who takes care of our pigs”
“Yup.”

The dedication ::chefs kiss::

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Julie Johnston @queermsfrizzle.bsky.social · 19d

My student helped me modify Harpers urn!
Now she can continue to growl at me!

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Julie Johnston @queermsfrizzle.bsky.social · Sep 3

first day of the semester. two classes and too many student project.

What fun.

three men in armor are standing next to each other with the words so it begins written on the bottom

ALT: three men in armor are standing next to each other with the words so it begins written on the bottom

media.tenor.com

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Julie Johnston @queermsfrizzle.bsky.social · Aug 21

Finally got my dissertation artwork tattooed (art by @fsantoriello.bsky.social)

They're super adorable, based on the Ramones and the colors are the seasons since my work was seasonal changed in wastewater microbiome (red-summer, orange-fall, blue-winter spring-green)

4 microbes acting all moody like they are on cover of an album. two have some pilli, one has a big flagella, and they all have vacant eyes. they are on my left wrist.

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Reposted by Julie Johnston

Dr. Jennifer Glass (she/her) @methanojen.bsky.social · Jul 16

Is there another way to BLAST the entire NCBI-nr database using a server other than NCBI?

I tried ENA browser SSS & it’s taking hours for a single protein.

Broader question: are there contingency plans being made by international bioinformatics community in case NCBI is no longer supported?

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Reposted by Julie Johnston

Zen Faulkes @doctorzen.net · Jul 3

Six 6️⃣ tips on communicating effectively with politicians.

From @jacquelyngill.bsky.social some time ago.

Effective communication with elected officials: 1. Petitions are useless. 2. Posting is useless. 3. Phone calls are effective. 4. Contacting people who do not represent you is useless. 5. Written letters are effective. 6. Elected officials get Google alerts for their names, and may see mentions in small blogs.

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Julie Johnston @queermsfrizzle.bsky.social · Jul 3

I’ll rip up my phd in shame.

Wait, sorry! “PhD”

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Julie Johnston @queermsfrizzle.bsky.social · Jul 2

i did 16s rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and 16s rRNA (the transcript) amplicon sequencing and had to write out those long annoying words so many times to not confuse the reader and made it feel more confusing in the long run… so now I don’t complain when I see rDNA ::whispers:: but you’re right

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Reposted by Julie Johnston

Dr. Kat Napaaqtuk❄️ @napaaqtuk.bsky.social · Jul 2

$53.5M for Connecticut

Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · Jul 2

The Trump administration is currently holding hostage nearly $7B in federal funding for K-12 schools--funding that was supposed to be distributed yesterday.

They've stolen $80M from Wisconsin students and teachers alone. How much have they stolen from your state?

www.edweek.org/policy-polit...

See How Much School Funding Trump Is Holding Back From Your State

The administration is holding back nearly $7 billion for English learners, after-school programs, professional development, and more.

www.edweek.org

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Reposted by Julie Johnston

Max Kennerly @maxkennerly.bsky.social · Jul 2

"Alligator Alcatraz" is wrong and media should not use it. It's propaganda. Alcatraz held people convicted of crimes, particularly violent crimes.

The Florida camp holds people *not* convicted of any crime. If they had been, they'd be in prison elsewhere.

The site is a textbook concentration camp.

Charles Johnson Antifa ID Confirmed @charles.littlegreenfootballs.com · Jul 1

I know the media is going to unthinkingly start using “Alligator Alcatraz,” but it’s disgusting and sadistic and I intend to call it what it is, a fucking concentration camp, and fuck those people who are doing this and giving it a cutesy name.

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Julie Johnston @queermsfrizzle.bsky.social · Jul 1

The good scritches.

Husky dog splayed out on a green couch enjoying some scritches

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Julie Johnston @queermsfrizzle.bsky.social · Jun 30

just left a message to my senators to get their shit together and push back again the budget reconciliation bill.

reminder for you to do the same.

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Julie Johnston @queermsfrizzle.bsky.social · Jun 28

I went pretty hard in Fall 2024 with my labs… my class was confused but I had fun!

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Julie Johnston @queermsfrizzle.bsky.social · Jun 28

Abby Howells. Pattern recognition. She has my heart.

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Julie Johnston @queermsfrizzle.bsky.social · Jun 28

favorite season since 13 (they’re all amazing tho)

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Reposted by Julie Johnston

Elizabeth Wrigley-Field @wrigleyfield.bsky.social · Jun 27

There is no ceiling on how bad things can get until we make the ceiling. No institution will make it for us.

As someone I used to organize with loved to say, “No one is coming to save us, but us”

And yeah, it’s scary as fuck

Mark Joseph Stern @mjsdc.bsky.social · Jun 27

🚨By a 6–3 vote, the Supreme Court rules that universal injunctions likely exceed federal courts' authority and rolls back the injunctions protecting birthright citizenship from Trump's attack. www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24p...

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Reposted by Julie Johnston

Harmit Singh Malik @harmitmalik.bsky.social · Jun 26

Dan Garisto @dangaristo.bsky.social · Jun 25

The 500 additional GRFPs NSF awarded were not very evenly distributed across fields, it seems.
www.science.org/content/arti...

Plot showing skewed distribution toward comp science and applied physics

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Reposted by Julie Johnston

Kristen DeAngelis 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🍉 @kristenobacter.bsky.social · Jun 25

holy smokes, house is on fire y'all 🚨🚨🚨

Dan Garisto @dangaristo.bsky.social · Jun 24

NEW: NSF will be kicked out of their building. Announcement will be made tomorrow by HUD Sec. and Governor of VA. HUD will take over the NSF building over the next two years.

NSF staffer: "There is no planning for NSF, no identified future location, appropriation for a new building or a move."

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Reposted by Julie Johnston

Brittany Bennett @greenwoodbritt.bsky.social · Jun 21

Well this is f’in sad #ASMicrobe

An empty booth at ASM that should have housed the NSF

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Reposted by Julie Johnston

Ryan Cox @coxitron.com · Jun 18

Ask your doctor what treatment the supreme court decided is right for you.

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Julie Johnston @queermsfrizzle.bsky.social · Jun 19

Protect Trans Scientists.

cowritten with a lot of amazing people (I tagged those I could find but there are so many more incredible folks)
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
@thepunkscientist.bsky.social @jlw-ecoevo.bsky.social @bfrancescol.bsky.social @drsueishaq.bsky.social

Protect transgender scientists

Transgender and gender nonconforming (TGnC) people are a primary target of the Trump administration. Multiple executive orders seek to erase TGnC protections; mandate denial of gender identity; and ba...

www.science.org

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Julie Johnston @queermsfrizzle.bsky.social · Jun 15

Strawberry picking!!!

A bunch of strawberry bushes in a field.

A wagon filled with 9 cartons of hand picked strawberries in a giant farm field of strawberry bushes on and overcast day

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Reposted by Julie Johnston

Dr. Kat Napaaqtuk❄️ @napaaqtuk.bsky.social · Jun 10

For non-scientists: the funding rate is somewhere between 7% to ~25% (rare) for NIH or NSF grants, depending on where you are applying. Grants are reviewed by a panel of peers who read the grants, score them, then debate the ratings for 1-2 days to rank them. It is INCREDIBLY competitive already.

Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · Jun 10

Republican Senator Katie Britt: We need to create a system "where the beat idea wins... This is our opportunity to make a dollar go further and to make it have a greater impact."

(NIH already generates $2.56 for every $1 spent it spends on research.)

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Reposted by Julie Johnston

Isabel @isabelott.bsky.social · Jun 10

We can’t afford cancer centers, HIV vaccines, training grants for people who work on these problems, diabetes or Alzheimer’s or addiction research, but there’s a blank check to the tune of hundreds of millions any time this admin decides to make up a problem to terrorize a city over. Asinine.

The Associated Press @apnews.com · Jun 10

BREAKING: The Pentagon said the deployment of National Guard members and Marines to protests over immigration raids in LA will cost $134 million.

Hegseth faces sharp questions from Congress on deploying troops to Los Angles and Pentagon chaos

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been quickly met with sharp questions and criticism by lawmakers who pressed him about his early moves to fire key military leaders and and purge diversity programs.

bit.ly

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Reposted by Julie Johnston

Kendra Maas, PhD @dnakendra.bsky.social · Jun 8

It's queer science day!

I'm holding down the Hub while the rest of the volunteers are touring Pathobiology, dissecting brains, or looking small (bacterial microscopy) and big (solar telescope).

This year we have @queermsfrizzle.bsky.social joining us!
🧪🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

Woman with short curly hair and clear glasses, wearing a tiedye shirt that says "QUEER SCIENCE"

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