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Sarah Jean McPeek @sarahjmcpeek.bsky.social · Aug 9

Also when we do publish we should try to submit to scientific society-affiliated journals that actually do work for our community!

Sarah Jean McPeek @sarahjmcpeek.bsky.social · Aug 9

I've been thinking a lot this week about what it would mean to do science in an anti-capitalist way and how revolutionary that would be for our community's survival now (especially for ECRs!!) and for our brighter future when we can reclaim it. I'm curious what it would look like to others? 🧪

Sarah Jean McPeek @sarahjmcpeek.bsky.social · Aug 9

"There’s an obvious fix to the problem of reviewer overwhelm: do less peer review."

Or what if - hear me out - we acknowledged that the publishing quotas expected of us are unsustainable for doing good, rigorous science while being a human in this world?

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

The peer-review crisis: how to fix an overloaded system

Journals and funders are trying to boost the speed and effectiveness of review processes that are under strain.

www.nature.com

Reposted by Sarah Jean McPeek

Lydia Jennings, PhD @1nativesoilnerd.bsky.social · Aug 8

New article led by Tara McAllister & co-authored by Lelani Walker, @niiyokamigaabaw.bsky.social, myself, Bradley Moggridge, Serena Naepi, Brittany Kamai and @napaaqtuk.bsky.social

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Decolonize scientific institutions, don’t just diversify them

Indigenous scholars set out eight steps to stop marginalization in academia and to enable a shared Indigenous agenda in science.

www.nature.com

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Sarah Jean McPeek @sarahjmcpeek.bsky.social · Aug 9

We can't fully stop playing this hellish capitalistic game... yet.

But we can choose to play the game OUR way, in a way that strengthens scientific integrity and supports each other.

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Sarah Jean McPeek @sarahjmcpeek.bsky.social · Aug 9

The fascists want to weaken our community, say who is and isn't allowed to be a scientist, shrink and discredit our research, and bend us to their ideological will.

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Sarah Jean McPeek @sarahjmcpeek.bsky.social · Aug 9

Completing a peer review for a day may mean I have one less day to work on my own things. But it is still a day where I used my hard-earned skills and expertise and did my part to create good science even if my contribution will be anonymous.

It's my own tiny form of revolution.

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Sarah Jean McPeek @sarahjmcpeek.bsky.social · Aug 9

I am peer reviewing two papers this week. I'm in a postdoc position with stable funding where I can afford to use my time to move the scientific process along.

And it feels like resistance. Saying yes, I will, because I can, take time to help others bring the best science they can into the world.

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Sarah Jean McPeek @sarahjmcpeek.bsky.social · Aug 9

Focusing holistically on bringing good science into the world may be one of the best ways we in privileged positions who are able bodied, aren't caregivers or parents, aren't living paycheck to paycheck, aren't fighting for our right to exist as we are, can help our colleagues gain a solid foothold.

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Sarah Jean McPeek @sarahjmcpeek.bsky.social · Aug 9

What if we worked toward a scientific community that valued actual community and mutual aid, and understands that someone's success doesn't need to come at the expense of another person's failure? And by all committing to that, we forced the systems we work under, slowly, to change?

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Sarah Jean McPeek @sarahjmcpeek.bsky.social · Aug 9

What if for every paper we publish or grant we receive, we choose to accept one to two peer review requests? Soulless incentives be damned. We can choose work that lifts up our colleagues, upholds scientific integrity standards we value, and protects truth in an age when truth is under attack.

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Sarah Jean McPeek @sarahjmcpeek.bsky.social · Aug 9

What if we all, but especially those in positions of power and privilege, collectively agreed to publish just a little bit less?

Not to do less science, but to slow the pace a tiny bit, focus on quality work, and value peer review as part of our job of bringing more science into the world?

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Sarah Jean McPeek @sarahjmcpeek.bsky.social · Aug 9

What if we acknowledged that the current "publish relentlessly and probably still perish" system only benefits the AI-crazed capitalist white supremacist patriarchal overlords that run publishing companies and universities and governments and see us as glorified 'content creators'?

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Sarah Jean McPeek @sarahjmcpeek.bsky.social · Aug 9

"There’s an obvious fix to the problem of reviewer overwhelm: do less peer review."

Or what if - hear me out - we acknowledged that the publishing quotas expected of us are unsustainable for doing good, rigorous science while being a human in this world?

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

The peer-review crisis: how to fix an overloaded system

Journals and funders are trying to boost the speed and effectiveness of review processes that are under strain.

www.nature.com

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Reposted by Sarah Jean McPeek

Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽 @needhibhalla.bsky.social · Aug 8

“Bridging science and society is a problem everywhere...As someone passionate about science and society, I want the scientific workforce to reflect the diversity of the country, and these executive orders are going to stop that.” @jpflores.rbind.io

www.aaas.org/membership/m...

JP Flores brings science home, connecting science to community with op-eds | American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

www.aaas.org

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Sarah Jean McPeek @sarahjmcpeek.bsky.social · Aug 9

I couldn't agree more @jpflores.rbind.io! Continuing to do the scientific work that means the most to us is powerful resistance.

Scientist Network for Advancing Policy @snapcoalition.bsky.social · Aug 9

“Figure out what you value in your society and the people around you. Don’t let the state of science right now deter you from wanting to answer the questions that really mean something to you.” @jpflores.rbind.io

www.aaas.org/membership/m...

JP Flores brings science home, connecting science to community with op-eds | American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

www.aaas.org

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Reposted by Sarah Jean McPeek

jp flores (he/him) @jpflores.rbind.io · Aug 8

What the article DIDN’T mention is the Slack has a name! I’m so lucky to be a part of a team of passionate science communicators and advocates in @snapcoalition.bsky.social

Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽 @needhibhalla.bsky.social · Aug 8

“Bridging science and society is a problem everywhere...As someone passionate about science and society, I want the scientific workforce to reflect the diversity of the country, and these executive orders are going to stop that.” @jpflores.rbind.io

www.aaas.org/membership/m...

JP Flores brings science home, connecting science to community with op-eds | American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

www.aaas.org

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Sarah Jean McPeek @sarahjmcpeek.bsky.social · Jul 8

Beetles are historically viewed as 'mess and soil' pollinators that often cause more harm than good. So why does this Appalachian beetle-pollinated flower make THIS MUCH nectar? We explore the natural history of Amianthium nectar and its interactions with beetle pollinators in new work in #AJB! 🧪

Flowers with large droplets of visible floral nectar

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Sarah Jean McPeek @sarahjmcpeek.bsky.social · Jun 15

#nokings in Berlin Germany, right across from the US Embassy and the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Wonderful to meet so many American immigrants of all ages and many international supporters!🌎🌍🌏 we sang, shouted, and cheered for our democracy. NO DICTATORSHIP IN THE USA

Sarah Jean McPeek @sarahjmcpeek.bsky.social · May 9

#withoutNSF, scientists at all career stages will not have the resources to continue their careers in the US. And worse still, aspiring scientists will not have access to the opportunities, experiences, and support they need to begin theirs.

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Sarah Jean McPeek @sarahjmcpeek.bsky.social · May 9

#withoutNSF, my dream to build an integrative evolutionary ecology research lab in the US and train the next generations of curious scientists and scientifically informed citizens would be out of reach. I, and so many early career scientists like me, would be forced to seek our dreams elsewhere.

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Sarah Jean McPeek @sarahjmcpeek.bsky.social · May 9

#withoutNSF NRT fellowship affording me the funding and time to explore new research areas, I wouldn't have been inspired to pursue my current postdoc synthesizing chemical ecology, evolutionary ecology, and genomics to understand host-microbe mutualisms.

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Sarah Jean McPeek @sarahjmcpeek.bsky.social · May 9

#withoutNSF I wouldn't have received the @uvabio.bsky.social NSF EXPAND fellowship, funded through an NSF Research Traineeship grant, that allowed me to pursue new interdisciplinary perspectives in my research.

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Sarah Jean McPeek @sarahjmcpeek.bsky.social · May 9

#withoutNSF I wouldn't have been able to mentor these NSF REU scientists in their first major research experience @mlbs-uva.bsky.social. Young scientists that are now beer brewers, ecology grad students, conservation workers, and dentists.

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Sarah Jean McPeek @sarahjmcpeek.bsky.social · May 9

#withoutNSF I wouldn't have had the opportunity to work with the 6 phenomenal NSF REU students that helped my independent PhD project address my dream research questions in the field @mlbs-uva.bsky.social

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Reposted by Sarah Jean McPeek

Mark McPeek @mamcpeek.bsky.social · Mar 7

Stand Up For Science Rally at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire.

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