iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Alyssa Smith @cetaceanneeded.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Thanks for having me on the podcast! I hope that my yapping will be useful to others in the future!

Alyssa Smith @cetaceanneeded.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Since it's the first day of fall, the first day of libra season, and also world narcolepsy day, I think today is my day of peak power (so it is time to actually work on my R&Rs)

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Alyssa Smith @cetaceanneeded.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

My department (Math & CS) at Holy Cross is hiring (one person in algebra + one person in math writ large). I have been officially teaching here less than a month, but everyone has been delightful so far, including the local wildlife (pictured here). apply.interfolio.com/192763

An open dumpster with trash in it sits in an alcove behind a partial fence. A squirrel is perched on the fence, holding some food in its paws.

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Alyssa Smith @cetaceanneeded.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

A student (not one of mine) peeked into my office during office hours today and asked me whether I thought a kangaroo or a slightly above average man would win in a fight. What do you think? 1️⃣ kangaroo 2️⃣ slightly above average man 📊 Show results

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Alyssa Smith @cetaceanneeded.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

ooh it’s so official now (my office is labeled)

The sign outside my door. It has 134 in large letters, and below it is a purple nametag that says Prof. A. Smith.

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Alyssa Smith @cetaceanneeded.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

The weird-ass college classes that changed my life were Credit for Reddit and Network Cultures, both of which focused on understanding how people have existed in, and made sense of, the internet since its invention. This is (approximately) what I got a whole-ass PhD in almost 10 years later.

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Peter @notalawyer.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

“if we don’t stand up for the free speech of racists, it puts everyone’s free speech in danger.” - guy who only ever talks about free speech when it’s racism

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Alyssa Smith @cetaceanneeded.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Thank you so much for sharing ♥️

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Rebecca R Helm @rebeccarhelm.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Today is the day the story There Will Come Soft Rain is set. An amazing and heartbreaking work of fiction for our modern age. Read it here:

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Alyssa Smith @cetaceanneeded.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Finding and admitting to such a big mistake is never fun, but it was survivable only because of these folks, as well as the support of my family and friends. I still doubt myself as a scientist most days, but the community around me keeps me going as I rebuild.

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Alyssa Smith @cetaceanneeded.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

my dept chair, Eric Ruggieri, for reacting so compassionately when I told him about the retraction; @nwlandry.bsky.social, for reminding me over + over that I was doing the right thing and for writing the nomination letter; and @jkbren.bsky.social for helping me track down that fatal coding error.

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Alyssa Smith @cetaceanneeded.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

I also want to convey my gratitude to so many people: my coauthors @jongreen.bsky.social, @davidlazer.bsky.social, and @foucaultwelles.bsky.social, for their encouragement and wisdom; the editorial staff at @pnasnexus.org for their thoughtful, kind handling of the retraction/resubmission process...

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Alyssa Smith @cetaceanneeded.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

I'm incredibly honored to be one of the inaugural winners of the Ctrl-Z award. The sequence of events preceding and following this retraction were harrowing (and are honestly still stressful), but I hope this will be an opportunity for more open dialogue about mistakes + self-retraction in science.

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Alyssa Smith @cetaceanneeded.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

Hi! I’m one of the coauthors on this paper, and I’m so excited someone read it, remembered it, and found it useful!

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Alyssa Smith @cetaceanneeded.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

Making this hackathon happen with @philchodrow.bsky.social and @nwlandry.bsky.social was an absolute delight, and I loved watching the delightful teamwork showcased by every team of hackers! Thank you so much to all our participants and speakers!! @netsciconf.bsky.social

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Alyssa Smith @cetaceanneeded.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

very very grateful for the past 5 years I’ve spent building community and doing science with so many wonderful people ❤️

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Alyssa Smith @cetaceanneeded.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

omg!! it made its way all the way to michigan!!!!! ♥️

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Charles Logan @charleswlogan.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

Solidarity with Emily Tucker and her open letter to students. Tucker writes, "But the great thing is, you don’t have to go along with this, and I urge you not to. You can refuse to use the chatbot. You can tell your professors that you don’t want them to use it or to require you to use it."

medium.com

An Open Letter to Georgetown Students, In Response to Recent Announcements about "Generative AI"

Image source: Bibliothèque nationale de France An Open Letter to Georgetown Students, In Response to Recent Announcements by the University about “Generative AI” Dear students, As you know, in …

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Alyssa Smith @cetaceanneeded.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

the fact that's recorded is heinous lol

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Alyssa Smith @cetaceanneeded.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

once again, i’m not *not* crying 🥹

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Alyssa Smith @cetaceanneeded.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

the states are small! we gotta cram cities in them somehow!!

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Alyssa Smith @cetaceanneeded.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

tysm!! good news is i won't be going far from boston and i will def still be in your corner ♥️

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Alyssa Smith @cetaceanneeded.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

I'm not *not* crying 🥹 Thank you!!!

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Alyssa Smith @cetaceanneeded.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

In the fall, I'll be starting as an assistant professor of Statistics & Data Science in the department of Mathematics & Computer Science at the College of the Holy Cross, in Worcester. I'm so excited for this new chapter and so grateful for the past 5 years of learning & growth.

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Alyssa Smith @cetaceanneeded.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

Yesterday I successfully defended my dissertation, so I am now officially (ish) Dr. Alyssa. I'm so grateful for the support of my committee -- @michaelann.bsky.social, @kennyjoseph.bsky.social, @foucaultwelles.bsky.social, & @davidlazer.bsky.social -- as well as my family, friends, and labmates.

A picture of me (a mixed Japanese & white woman with a lot of arm tattoos wearing all black) gesturing in front of a Powerpoint that says "Introduction & Motivation"

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Alyssa Smith @cetaceanneeded.bsky.social · 07/03/2026

i told the dog you were developing in C on the weekend to talk to hardware and this is what she said

Poppy, a white pitbull type dog with brown ears and faces pots, is sitting like a human on the couch. She is gazing down at the camera with a bewildered yet judgemental expression on her face

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Alyssa Smith @cetaceanneeded.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

we were supposed to demonstrate understanding of foundational concepts in the ✨ canon of network science ✨ but unfortunately i am still not sure what that is 🤷‍♀️ i know so many centrality measures tho

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NetSci 2026 @netsciconf.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

Looking for something ✨network-y ✨ to do the Sunday before NetSci 2026 starts? How about 𝗔 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗲𝗿-𝗢𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗻? We'll explore the Bluesky starter pack dataset from 𝘼 𝘽𝙡𝙪𝙚 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩 (doi.org/10.3886/ICPS...). 🚨Fill out this form by March 13🚨 tinyurl.com/26warr3n tinyurl.com/ytzfhc74

tinyurl.com

A Higher Order Hackathon – A Blue Start at Netsci 2026

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haily merritt, phd @h-merritt.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

excited that @wins-society.bsky.social once again will have a satellite at @netsciconf.bsky.social where our mentorship program is back by popular demand! you can submit at this link: forms.gle/nFivVAiE4gdE...

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Alyssa Smith @cetaceanneeded.bsky.social · 23/02/2026

hi come join the highest-order hackathon ever! yay networks!!! www.philchodrow.prof/higher-order...

The Sue Sylvester meme, with a white lady in a pink shirt and the text "I am going to create an environment that is so toxic" below her, except it says "I am going to create a hackathon that is so higher-order" and there is a hypergraph next to Sue Sylvester.

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Julia Husar @juliahusar.bsky.social · 05/02/2026

Hi all, I'm leading a study! We're looking to understand transfem experiences searching for information related to transitioning online, setting transition-related goals, and making decisions based on the information acquired in these searches.

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Michael Ann, sociotechnical femme @michaelann.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

NEW STUDY! @juliahusar.bsky.social and I have a grant to build trans health and wellbeing tech, and we need input from other trans women and transfems to make sure it serves us all well. This is research BY transfems FOR transfems and we're inviting y'all to be part of it. Also, we're paying!

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Lee Cicuta @butchanarchy.bsky.social · 07/01/2026

Two queer women with a 6 year old in school today stopped to film ICE and for their bravery ICE agents murdered one before the other’s eyes. The grief in the survivor’s voice is a knife to the gut. Destroying people and their bonds is what ICE has always done.

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Ben Collins @bencollins.bsky.social · 07/01/2026

It appears ICE murdered someone in cold blood today and their plan is — per usual — to create a fog of lies so the killer does not face justice. We simply can't let that happen. The shooter has to be arrested and so does Bovino. They can't just kill people on the street.

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Kate Ertmann @katelovesmath.bsky.social · 07/01/2026

Reading this piece by @sesmith.lol made my (Gen X) head spin. You, too, should definitely read it. "The concern arises when algospeak also reflects a larger softening of language, one driven by the desire to pursue safety over reality, dilution over strength."

theflytrapmedia.com

Algospeak Will Be the Unaliving of Me

Maybe we want to bare our teeth.

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Alyssa Smith @cetaceanneeded.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

never a good sign when you’re on hold trying to get your specialty medication long enough that you figure out when the hold music loops

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Terra Field @rainofterra.gay · 02/01/2026

We didn’t spend free time on ERGs because we thought it would benefit shareholders, it was because it made our lives slightly less miserable as a cog in the machine and it let us consolidate what little power we had.

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Alyssa Smith @cetaceanneeded.bsky.social · 02/01/2026

hi i’m a tiny crumb of peanut dust

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Alyssa Smith @cetaceanneeded.bsky.social · 23/12/2025

more cozyposting: just knit a chunky mobius strip cowl

a light blue knitted cowl in the shape of a mobius strip (seed stitch, so it looks bumpy, and the yarn is light blue with speckles of darker blue mixed in)

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Alyssa Smith @cetaceanneeded.bsky.social · 22/12/2025

we’re done!! there’s a bit of glare from the overhead light, so i’ll take a better photo tomorrow when it’s light out again.

a large jigsaw puzzle on a coffee table with a waterfall cascading between two large colorful trees. there are raccoons standing by the waterfall, especially near the bottom, and some boulders throughout the water elements. below the trees and next to the waterfall are plants that look kind of like rhododendrons.

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Alyssa Smith @cetaceanneeded.bsky.social · 22/12/2025

america’s primary care physician does what it does best (again)

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Alyssa Smith @cetaceanneeded.bsky.social · 22/12/2025

thinking about that time in college when i posted about my sleep schedule on the polyphasic sleep subreddit and someone was like “bestie that’s not polyphasic that’s a sleep disorder” and i went “haha couldn’t be me” then got diagnosed with narcolepsy like 6+ years later

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Alyssa Smith @cetaceanneeded.bsky.social · 20/12/2025

she does contain multitudes after all!

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