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Ariel Steele, Ph.D. (she/her)

@arielsteele.bsky.social
152 followers 188 following 40 posts

Teaching Assistant Professor of Biology | DBER | equity in science pathways for undergraduate and graduate STEM students | avid fantasy reader & gamer | views are my own | she/her

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Ariel Steele, Ph.D. (she/her) @arielsteele.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
It was such a pleasure getting to be a part of this paper and being in community with everyone involved! My hope is that there's a little something for everyone in this paper and the take away is that we are not alone and we belong in science
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Reposted by Ariel Steele, Ph.D. (she/her)
Kelly Lane @aklane.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
New pub! New pub! Led by @arielsteele.bsky.social investigating the structures of doctoral education that initiate feelings of impostorism for biology doctoral students! #GradEd #DBER #BioEd www.lifescied.org/doi/10.1187/...
lifescied.org
Embedded Gatekeeping, Comparativeness, and Hidden Curriculum Create Feelings of Impostorism for Biology Doctoral Students | CBE—Life Sciences Education
Impostor phenomenon is a pervasive experience amongst doctoral students with negative consequences on mental health and persistence in graduate school. While the psychological consequences of impostor...
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Ariel Steele, Ph.D. (she/her) @arielsteele.bsky.social · 05/08/2025
I am two weeks away from starting my new faculty position - any advice for new faculty?
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Stephen Heard @stephenbheard.bsky.social · 31/07/2025
If you're teaching Scientific Writing this fall (especially if it's new to you!) and are getting worried about just how close the fall is getting: reminder that I share my syllabus and all my course materials. Here: scientistseessquirre...
scientistseessquirrel.wordpress.com
Steal this (updated) syllabus for Scientific Writing
I’ve just finished the 3rd go-around of my Scientific Writing course.  When I first signed up to teach it, I was very scared, but now that I’ve been through it a few times, I’m quite pleased with h…
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Holly Bik @hollybik.bsky.social · 13/07/2025
And “hard science” careers are also WRITING INTENSIVE jobs! Want to be an astronomer, biologist, or chemist? You’ll spend years writing reports, grants, papers, reviews, reference letters, etc. Writing is never easy, but it’s much *easier* if you’re trained how to outline and structure text.
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Reposted by Ariel Steele, Ph.D. (she/her)
Raul Pacheco-Vega @raulpachecovega.bsky.social · 13/07/2025
Thinking about description, analysis and interpretation in social science research. (I may have one too many coloured fineliners)
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Dr Craig R McClain @drcraigmc.bsky.social · 24/06/2025
I've wanted to write this article for years. About my and other's struggles to even survive sometime in #academia. Thank you to the amazing editors at @plosbiology.org that gave me the forum to write this piece. #science
journals.plos.org
Too poor to science: How wealth determines who succeeds in STEM
From student to researcher, a career in science can come with a high price tag. This Perspective explores how persistent financial barriers limit who can succeed in science, revealing how wealth shape...
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Reposted by Ariel Steele, Ph.D. (she/her)
Nature Portfolio @natureportfolio.nature.com · 03/07/2025
Birds have an excellent ability to learn to discriminate harmless insects from those that they mimic on the basis of subtle differences in appearance, according to a study in Nature. go.nature.com/44yj4M5 🧪
This is figure 1, which gives an overview of the methods used to generate artificial mimetic stimuli.
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Reposted by Ariel Steele, Ph.D. (she/her)
Science Magazine @science.org · 28/05/2025
Several mammal species live in cold-water environments thanks to adaptations like blubber and large size. A notable exception is the sea otter—so how does it stay warm? A 2021 Science study found an answer: skeletal muscle thermogenesis. Learn more on #WorldOtterDay: scim.ag/4jjvMDL
Fig. 2 Whole-body estimates of sea otter metabolism scaled to body mass.

Estimated scaled whole-body metabolic rates include predicted [BMR; predicted on the basis of scaled rate for eutherian mammals], sea otter resting metabolic rate, and whole-body skeletal muscle leak capacity.
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Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
You've got ~a week left to pre-order our collab w/@franzanth.bsky.social, Bigger Than Binaries! I'll order some extras in orange in a limited size range because I lack a warehouse, I have only a room full of lizards. Printed locally on 100% cotton. Get 'em while you can! squidfacts.bigcartel.com
2 versions of the same design, all of which say "Biology is bigger than binaries", with a central image of a bee, a clownfish, and a lily. The one on. the left is pink, the right is orange,
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Ariel Steele, Ph.D. (she/her) @arielsteele.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
Does anyone have any templates or guidance on writing letters of recommendation for undergraduate students? Especially for medical/dental school? I've gotten a bunch of requests since the end of the semester from students in my class and I've never written these before #academics #STEM #DBER
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Journal of Queer and Trans Studies in Education (JQTSIE) @jqtsie.bsky.social · 19/05/2025
🥳📣 Call for abstracts: Special Issue of JQTSIE: "Critical Approaches to Queering STEM Education" edited by @drjgutz.bsky.social & @ftmathteacher.bsky.social! Abstracts are due SOON: May 30, 2025! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ www.jqtsie.com @kamdenstrunk.bsky.social @drantonioduran.bsky.social @sashelton.bsky.social
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Ariel Steele, Ph.D. (she/her) @arielsteele.bsky.social · 14/05/2025
I'm grading final papers for my comparative animal physiology course and one group wrote in their conclusion a sentence that essentially said that physiology shows us there is more than one way to solve a common problem and THAT is such an important lesson!
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Reposted by Ariel Steele, Ph.D. (she/her)
Daniel Bolnick @danielbolnick.bsky.social · 05/05/2025
Thread with an email being sent to @asn-amnat.bsky.social @sse-evolution.bsky.social @systbiol.bsky.social members today calling for a Tri-society week of action for NSF: Dear members: The tri-societies (ASN, SSE,SSB) are running a ‘Week of Action for NSF’. Your engagement is crucial.
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Ariel Steele, Ph.D. (she/her) @arielsteele.bsky.social · 25/04/2025
Super excited to announce that I've accepted a Teaching Assistant Professor of biology position in the Lyman Briggs College at Michigan State University!
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Reposted by Ariel Steele, Ph.D. (she/her)
Tammie Visintainer @proftv.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
If you, like me, had you NSF granted terminated, here’s what I learned from a hopeful meeting with my VP of research: 1. We have 30 days to act! Meet with your admin asap 2. APPEAL: Everyone can appeal! It must go through your institution, there’s a template, sent registered mail. My VP told me ⬇️
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Ariel Steele, Ph.D. (she/her) @arielsteele.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
What are your most unhinged writing tips? For example, I wrote the first draft of my dissertation in Comic Sans because writing in Times New Roman feels permanent, and Comic Sans made it feel more like a draft. #academics #academicwritingtips #unhinged #dber #STEM
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Lydia Smith @seriouslydiaonly.bsky.social · 22/04/2025
"But it didn’t take me long to look around me and realize that some of the most effective people doing DEI work weren’t “doing DEI work.” They’re just excellent mentors, do things equitably and fairly, support institutional transparency, and all that."
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Reposted by Ariel Steele, Ph.D. (she/her)
Dr. K. Lotterhos @drk-lo.bsky.social · 22/04/2025
Action Alert: Ask Your U.S. Representative to Support Investment in NSF by signing a Dear Colleague Letter. AIBS has this nice template that you can send to your Rep! www.congressweb.com/AIBS/3?frame...
congressweb.com
Action Alert: Ask Your U.S. Representative to Support Investment in NSF
Congress has begun debating funding levels for federal programs for fiscal year (FY) 2026. Please show your support for the National Science Foundation (NSF) by asking your Representative to sign a De...
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Ariel Steele, Ph.D. (she/her) @arielsteele.bsky.social · 22/04/2025
My paper titled "Am I Doing Enough?" Exploring how neoliberal discourses inform women doctoral students' experiences in biology has been out for a while, but finally has an issue assigned! link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com
“Am I Doing Enough?”: Exploring How Neoliberal Discourses Inform Women Doctoral Students’ Experiences in Biology - Innovative Higher Education
While women make up over half of doctoral students in the biological sciences, that number decreases as they progress through academic job rankings. The “leaky pipeline” and other metaphors have been ...
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Ariel Steele, Ph.D. (she/her) @arielsteele.bsky.social · 22/04/2025
What's currently happening to science funding and higher education in the U.S. feels similar to what happened in Hungary several years ago. I reread a paper I co-authored on this topic, and oof, this is basically the same thing www.proquest.com/openview/db0...
proquest.com
Institutional Autonomy and Academic Freedom in Hungary: A Historiography of Hungarian Higher Education - ProQuest
Explore millions of resources from scholarly journals, books, newspapers, videos and more, on the ProQuest Platform.
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Reposted by Ariel Steele, Ph.D. (she/her)
Scott Delaney @scott-delaney.bsky.social · 19/04/2025
🙏 We need your help 🙏 The government continues to cancel grants at both NIH and NSF to censor science it doesn't like. We're tracking terminations to organize and advocate. Please report your terminated grants: NIH: forms.gle/J2znQ7y7YpeP... NSF: airtable.com/appGKlSVeXni... w/ @noamross.net
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Cissy Ballen @cissyballen.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
Undergrad biology instructors! Paid opportunity to participate in research that tests the impacts of highlighting scientist role models in instructional materials. 🐌 🧪 🦋 🔬 Check it out and apply! docs.google.com/document/d/1...
docs.google.com
Recruitment instructors_IUSE2.docx
Which elements of scientist role model stories are effective in improving equity and success in undergraduate STEM education? Interested? Fill out this poll! We are searching for undergraduate bio...
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Ariel Steele, Ph.D. (she/her) @arielsteele.bsky.social · 29/03/2025
New paper published in CBE-LSE describes the challenges of dual-career couples seeking jobs in academia and provides recommendations. www.lifescied.org/doi/full/10....
lifescied.org
Yours, Mine, Sometimes Ours: Uncovering the Experiences of Biologists Searching for Academic Jobs Together | CBE—Life Sciences Education
Biologists pursuing faculty jobs are often married to other biologists who may also desire faculty positions. This increases the complexity of the job search, with little guidance for early career res...
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Ariel Steele, Ph.D. (she/her) @arielsteele.bsky.social · 28/02/2025
Updating my "rejection prizes" spreadsheet, I am 2 rejections away from my next reward. Honestly, this is the best thing I've done to help soften the blow of the constant rejections in academia. This was not an original idea - someone suggested it on Twitter, I just don't remember who it was
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Dr. Kat Napaaqtuk❄️ @napaaqtuk.bsky.social · 12/02/2025
From reddit: a letter from a postdoc who survived the Bolsonaro years. This is helpful framing for how to science in this administration. 🧪 www.reddit.com/r/labrats/s/...
reddit.com
From the labrats community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the labrats community
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Reposted by Ariel Steele, Ph.D. (she/her)
Anne Fausto-Sterling @birdlady.bsky.social · 08/02/2025
I've started to take apart the first EO on Sex and Gender. I'm doing it in easy-to-digest bites. Here's part 1. open.substack.com/pub/sterling... #transrights #feministsky #lgbtSTem #transSTEM #womeninscience
open.substack.com
Biological truth? WTF? (Part 1)
On sex, gender, men, women, identity, ideology, science and truth
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Yasmiyn Irizarry @dryasmiyn.bsky.social · 01/02/2025
🚨 Are you "Too Quant to Crit?" New pub w/ @carltonfong.bsky.social in Contemporary Educational Psychology. We critique quant researchers' reliance on objectivity & neutrality by drawing attetion to methodological trauma & describing QuantCrit as an alternative approach. doi.org/10.1016/j.ce...
doi.org
Redirecting
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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 28/01/2025
Academic Skyers: I am compiling a list of policies and statements from various universities about how they are handling the "pause" in terms of stopping expenditures (or not). Please respond to this post with your institution and materials. THANK YOU!
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Reposted by Ariel Steele, Ph.D. (she/her)
Amy Orsborn @neuroamyo.bsky.social · 28/01/2025
How it feels to be working on a grant application right now.
media.tenor.com
a sign that says " what is even happening " next to a dumpster
ALT: a sign that says " what is even happening " next to a dumpster
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Reposted by Ariel Steele, Ph.D. (she/her)
Chris Martine | Plant People FTW @martinebotany.bsky.social · 23/01/2025
Incorporating Sex-Diverse and Gender-Inclusive Perspectives in Higher Education Biology Courses. Really glad to finally see this in print. And proud to have played a small role in writing it. #sex #gender #STEMeducation @sicbjournals.bsky.social #SICB2025 academic.oup.com/icb/article-...
First page of the journal article from the December 2024 issue of Integrative and Comparative Biology, which arrived in my mailbox yesterday.
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Ariel Steele, Ph.D. (she/her) @arielsteele.bsky.social · 21/01/2025
Today a student shared a screenshot of a meme I used in my slides to their discord - so I feel like I'm winning in some regard. Sidenote - please share your favorite biology memes. Bonus points for physiology-related memes
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Inside Higher Ed @insidehighered.com · 15/01/2025
Opinion | ‘What About Us?’ Institutions must invest in faculty and staff well-being at work, Vicki L. Baker and Rebecca Pope-Ruark write. #HigherEd #EDUSky #AcademicSky bit.ly/40xRr51
bit.ly
A call to invest in faculty and staff well-being (opinion)
Institutions must invest in faculty and staff well-being at work, Vicki L. Baker and Rebecca Pope-Ruark write.
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Reposted by Ariel Steele, Ph.D. (she/her)
Data Nuggets @datanuggets.bsky.social · 15/01/2025
We’re working on a proposal that includes Data Nugget development and would love your input to ensure it aligns with your needs! Please take a moment to complete this quick, one-question survey to help us determine the topics to include. Thank you! clemson.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
clemson.ca1.qualtrics.com
Qualtrics Survey | Qualtrics Experience Management
The most powerful, simple and trusted way to gather experience data. Start your journey to experience management and try a free account today.
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Reposted by Ariel Steele, Ph.D. (she/her)
Kelly Lane @aklane.bsky.social · 08/01/2025
Are you an undergraduate biology instructor? We are developing a tool to aid teaching about race and genetics, and we would love for it to reflect your students’ perspectives! Let us know if you’d like to include your course(s) in the survey pilot for this UMN research study! z.umn.edu/BRSurvey
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Reposted by Ariel Steele, Ph.D. (she/her)
Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 04/01/2025
Christina Sluka is looking at how urbanization and *self-domestication* (um, cool), is affecting raccoon skull shape. What animals eat affects what their jaws are like. When animals live in cities, they eat different stuff. I apologize to Christina and raccoons for this doodle. #SICB2025
A really really fucked up looking raccoon in sparkly blue gel pen with the commentary “wtf why can’t I draw raccoons”
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Jay Jinsing Falk @jjinsing.bsky.social · 04/01/2025
#SICB2025! Have you been sad about an animal-centric view of sex in your daily life? Well! Next year, at #SICB2026! Aramati Casper, Karen Warkentin, and I are excited to be hosting the symposium ✨Sex across origins: Questioning animal-centric assumptions and developing integrative frameworks✨
Text: SICB 2026 Symposium
Sex across origins: Questioning animal-centric assumptions and developing integrative frameworks.
Talk to us if you're interested in any way! 
There's a QR code to a link to: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeEndqEYOf-J3m2ZkO6qkv0ithWGHUJVsUnvDzYqusxF0KmIQ/viewform
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SABER @sabercommunity.bsky.social · 03/01/2025
Happy New Year from SABER! 🎉 We're thrilled to kick off spring with an exciting lineup of virtual events and regional meetings. Visit saberbio.org/events to explore the #BER Seminar Series, Professional Development Series, and Regional Meetings. Here's to an amazing 2025!
saberbio.org
Society for the Advancement of Biology Education Research - SABER Events
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Ariel Steele, Ph.D. (she/her) @arielsteele.bsky.social · 03/01/2025
Super excited to attend #sicb2025 for the first time since 2016, but this time I'm presenting on my biology education research and sharing some details about the Biology Education Research community with SABER!
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SICB Student Postdoc Affairs Committee (SPDAC) @sicb-spdac.bsky.social · 30/12/2024
Look at what we have prepared for you this SICB Friday 3 January 2025, 5:30 pm - Student & First Timers Orientation - Mandatory for Charlotte Mangum Students (Marquis Ballroom) Friday 3 January 2025, 8:30-10 pm - Social-Within-A-Social (at the Welcome Dessert Social) (Marquis Ballroom Foyer)
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Ariel Steele, Ph.D. (she/her) @arielsteele.bsky.social · 31/12/2024
For anyone attending #SICB2025 in Atlanta, I'll be presenting some of my research on doctoral students' experiences with imposter phenomenon on Monday, January 6th at 8:45 am (International Salon 4). Come check it out!
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Dr. Allison Master @allisonmaster.bsky.social · 14/08/2024
Fall semester is almost here! I'm resharing this link to a folder that has Powerpoint files with check-ins, warm-up activities, and exit tickets. You're welcome to download and use anything that's helpful! t.co/TSLOMJ52vE #AcademicSky #PsychSciSky #DevPsychSky #SocialPsyc #EduSky
t.co
Class Activity Slides - Google Drive
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Martha W. Alibali @marthaalibali.bsky.social · 17/12/2024
Postdoc positions in math cognition & math education! The RISE Postdoctoral Training Program at UW-Madison seeks applicants interested in inclusive mathematics education and in ensuring greater participation in STEM by learners from diverse groups. More info in the flyer and via the QR code.
Info about the training program, which is also at risepostdoc.wcer.wisc.edu
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Kelly Zamudio @kzutaustin.bsky.social · 18/12/2024
Hey All, plz repost, and share with grads, post-docs and disease folks! We are hiring a post-doc to work on mechanisms of immune responses of frog hosts to Bd infections. Deadline is February 1, 2025. Details for the position can be found at the link below. 🐸🐸🐸 zamudiolab.org/2024/12/17/p...
zamudiolab.org
Post-Doc position in the KZLab! Immune responses to pathogen infections in frogs
We are looking for an NSF-funded post-doc in our lab in the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of Texas at Austin. The work will examine immune mechanisms that potentially underlie…
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Ariel Steele, Ph.D. (she/her) @arielsteele.bsky.social · 06/12/2024
Any #DBER folks going to SICB in Atlanta this year?
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