Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Rachel Smith-Bolton

Siva @sivav.bsky.social · 1d

I wrote about the “compact” for higher education

newrepublic.com/article/2013...

Why This Essay Could Cause the University of Virginia to Shut Down

How Linda McMahon’s latest “compact” would do deep and permanent harm to American higher education

newrepublic.com

2 58 94

Rachel Smith-Bolton @rachelsmithbolton.bsky.social · 8d

Ah I see. I wonder if they’ll allow “conversion” of that when the time comes?

1 1

Rachel Smith-Bolton @rachelsmithbolton.bsky.social · 8d

You should be able to apply for a regular MIRA as a new investigator - I serve on study section and we see many of these. Talk to the SRO.

1 1

Rachel Smith-Bolton @rachelsmithbolton.bsky.social · 11d

I submitted a comment.

Dr. Kat Napaaqtuk❄️ @napaaqtuk.bsky.social · 11d

Comment period ends on Monday for a proposed rule change that would terminate student visas after 4 years. It also puts limits on exchange visitors and reps of foreign media, and shortens the length of time at the end of the visa from 60 days to 30 days.

www.federalregister.gov/documents/20...

Establishing a Fixed Time Period of Admission and an Extension of Stay Procedure for Nonimmigrant Academic Students, Exchange Visitors, and Representatives of Foreign Information Media

Unlike most nonimmigrant classifications, which are admitted for a fixed time period, aliens in the F (academic student), J (exchange visitor), and most I (representatives of foreign information media...

www.federalregister.gov

1

Reposted by Rachel Smith-Bolton

@LaBonneLaB @labonnelab.bsky.social · 12d

Continuing efforts to hurt the research pipeline, the very late NSF GFRP solicitation no longer allows 2nd year PhD students to apply. Lots of these students chose not to apply last year because they were told they would have a better change once in their thesis lab www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)

www.nsf.gov

1 19 30

Rachel Smith-Bolton @rachelsmithbolton.bsky.social · 12d

Ditto

Erica D. Pratt @pratted.bsky.social · 12d

Announcing such a major change to NSF GRFP this late in the cycle is incredibly cruel. 2nd yr students (mine included) have been working so hard on their proposals despite ongoing uncertainty. They are driven and passionate about being outstanding scientists and helping those coming up behind them.

This means individuals in the following statuses at the time of application are eligible:

Undergraduate in the final (senior) year of a bachelor’s degree program
Bachelor’s degree-holder with NO enrollment in a graduate degree program (non-degree graduate coursework allowed)
Individual enrolled in a joint bachelor’s-master’s degree program with at least three undergraduate years completed
First-year graduate student in their first graduate degree program with less than one academic year completed in the degree program (according to institution’s academic calendar)
Individuals enrolled in joint bachelor’s-master’s degree programs are considered graduate students. For GRFP, joint bachelor’s-master’s degrees are defined as degrees concurrently pursued and awarded.
Not be a current NSF employee.

Applications that do not meet eligibility requirements will be returned without review as being ineligible for a fellowship.

1

Rachel Smith-Bolton @rachelsmithbolton.bsky.social · 12d

Very disappointed that second-year students are no longer eligible, as this restriction shuts out my outstanding new student. 😢

Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 12d

NSF Graduate Fellowship announcement is finally posted!

www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...

1/2

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)

www.nsf.gov

1

Rachel Smith-Bolton @rachelsmithbolton.bsky.social · 23d

We are hiring! The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Department of Cell and Developmental Biology is hiring a faculty member in the area of Aging, broadly defined. Come join us! Deadline is soon! www.nature.com/naturecareer...

Assistant or Associate Professor - Urbana, Illinois job with University of Illinois, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology | 12843703

Tenure-track Assistant or Associate Professor Department of Cell and Developmental Biology School of Molecular and Cellular Biology University of I...

www.nature.com

18 17

Reposted by Rachel Smith-Bolton

Vaughn Cooper @vscooper.micropopbio.org · 27d

Fundamental science producing life-saving treatment

www.the-scientist.com/triple-drug-...

Triple-Drug Combination for Cystic Fibrosis Wins Lasker Award

Jesús (Tito) González, Paul Negulescu, and Michael Welsh received the 2025 Lasker Clinical Medical Research Award for the development of a life-saving cystic fibrosis treatment.

www.the-scientist.com

12 33

Reposted by Rachel Smith-Bolton

Casey terHorst @ecoevolab.bsky.social · Sep 8

The GRFP lives!! (due end of October)
www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)

www.nsf.gov

6 280 340

Rachel Smith-Bolton @rachelsmithbolton.bsky.social · Sep 1

I cried when I first saw these graphs.

Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · Sep 1

Yes, it was carefully hidden in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine (www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1... )

1/2

A graph comparing COVID incidence after the Pfizer vaccine compared to placebo

1 1 3

Reposted by Rachel Smith-Bolton

Mia Levine @levine-lab.bsky.social · Aug 24

Hey Drosophilists: Might you maintain Fuyama's original gynogenetic "gyn-F9" (BDSC #5353) stock in your library?

The current stock from Bloomington is not producing progeny with ms(k81) males.

Thank you!!!

8 5

Rachel Smith-Bolton @rachelsmithbolton.bsky.social · Aug 22

As of today I am not only an Illinois professor, I’m also an Illini Mom! Moved Kid#1 into the dorms today, and he starts classes in the Grainger College of Engineering on Monday. So proud!

14

Rachel Smith-Bolton @rachelsmithbolton.bsky.social · Aug 21

Congratulations to Connor Powers @cpowers141.bsky.social for winning a poster award at the MCB retreat as only a second-year student! I think he’s on to something with his project!

4

Rachel Smith-Bolton @rachelsmithbolton.bsky.social · Aug 15

Huge congratulations to Anish Bose @anishbose.bsky.social for winning the Development talk award at the International Society for Regenerative Biology meeting!! Presented by Elly Tanaka.

2 11

Rachel Smith-Bolton @rachelsmithbolton.bsky.social · Aug 12

Oh no. This is devastating.

Dr Sian Gramates @drglam.bsky.social · Aug 11

I just got the notice that all the FlyBase people at Harvard, including me, will be laid off on October 12. I'm devastated.

1

Reposted by Rachel Smith-Bolton

Biomedical Picture of the Day BPoD @bpodaily.bsky.social · Aug 3

Zelda's Link: The role of gene activity-switching transcription factor Zelda in controlling tissue regeneration

📷 Anish Bose et al‪ @rachelsmithbolton.bsky.social lab @uofillinois.bsky.social
in @science.org ScienceAdvances

➡️ bpod.org.uk/archive/2025... with
John Ankers

4 3

Reposted by Rachel Smith-Bolton

Jonas Neipel @neipel.bsky.social · Jul 20

(1/10)
I am excited to finally share our work on avian left/right symmetry breaking with you. We reveal a tissue-scale active torque dipole generated at the Hensen’s node, thanks to crazy experiments by Julia @juliapfanzelter.bsky.social and some analysis by me.
doi.org/10.1101/2025...

An active torque dipole across tissue layers drives avian left-right symmetry breaking

Unlike in mice, frogs, and fish, left-right (L/R) body axis formation in avian embryos does not arise from the chiral beat of cilia. Instead, a counter-clockwise tissue rotation around Hensen′ node, t...

doi.org

1 20 46

Rachel Smith-Bolton @rachelsmithbolton.bsky.social · Jul 1

Writeup of our latest work on how Zelda controls the exit from regeneration.

School of Molecular & Cellular Biology at Illinois (U. of I.) @mcbillinois.bsky.social · Jul 1

How does regeneration come to a successful close when a tissue has healed?

New research from @rachelsmithbolton.bsky.social
explores this question in an article in Science Advances:

go.mcb.illinois.edu/sbJune2025

#drosophila #regeneration #ILLINOIS

Fruit fly study reveals a gene’s hidden ability to keep regrowth on the right track | School of Molecular & Cellular Biology | Illinois

Regeneration, the ability to heal damaged or lost tissues, is both everyday and a real life superpower.

go.mcb.illinois.edu

1 4 24

Reposted by Rachel Smith-Bolton

Crystal Rogers, PhD @rogerslabucd.bsky.social · Jun 30

Please check it out! In this paper with lead author- Tess Leathers- we visualized the expression of enzymes that regulate the COX-mediated inflammation pathway during embryonic development. We are continuing to study this pathway to discover its early roles in brain and neural crest development!

Developmental Biology @devbiol.bsky.social · Jun 30

#DBfeature #Avian

Spatiotemporal characterization of cyclooxygenase pathway enzymes during vertebrate embryonic development

by Tess Leathers, Raneesh Ramarapu, Crystal Rogers @rogerslabucd.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

1 12 34

Rachel Smith-Bolton @rachelsmithbolton.bsky.social · Jun 22

Congratulations!

1 3

Rachel Smith-Bolton @rachelsmithbolton.bsky.social · Jun 14

So excited that our latest work is out! We have been working to understand how damaged tissue exits regeneration and returns to normal gene expression, and found a major role for the pioneer transcription factor Zelda in flies. Kudos to @anishbose.bsky.social @keatonschuster.bsky.social et al!

The pioneer transcription factor Zelda controls the exit from regeneration and restoration of patterning in Drosophila

The pioneer factor Zelda activates a specific set of developmental and structural genes to end tissue regeneration.

www.science.org

1 11 47

Reposted by Rachel Smith-Bolton

EPIGENETIC HULK @epigenetichulk.bsky.social · Jun 13

EPIGENETIC HULK READY TO SMASH AGAIN! GET IN LOSERS!

11 49 160

Rachel Smith-Bolton @rachelsmithbolton.bsky.social · Jun 10

Where did you find that?!? When I first set up my lab I looked all over for a dissecting scope with double eyepieces.

1 1

Reposted by Rachel Smith-Bolton

Bardin Lab @bardinlab.bsky.social · Jun 5

Very happy to share our latest lab publication!
The hard work of @bboumard.bsky.social, Gwenn Le Meur and collaborators!
Cell-type-specific nucleotide sharing through gap junctions impacts sensitivity to replication stress in Drosophila: Developmental Cell
authors.elsevier.com/a/1lDFi_Yv6z...

Cell-type-specific nucleotide sharing through gap junctions impacts sensitivity to replication stress in Drosophila

Boumard et al. demonstrate gap-junction-dependent tissue-scale nucleotide sharing, which impacts cellular sensitivity to perturbation of nucleotide homeostasis and replication stress. Drosophila wing ...

www.cell.com

8 34 88