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Crystal Uminski

@crystaluminski.bsky.social
162 followers 301 following 189 posts

Asst. Professor at Towson University. #DBER work on assessments in undergraduate biology. Enthusiastic about movies and cats. she/her 📝🧬🎬

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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Can you trust your online quiz scores? We found that many students were honest about using the internet or notes when taking an online assessment and that their online scores often didn't match with their scores on in-class exams. doi.org/10.1128/jmbe.00145-26
A figure showing a low correlation between exam scores and online assessment scores for students who used resources when completing an online assessment
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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Looking for ways to build "better" biology exams this semester? I've got some ideas for you! Join me on 9/18 for tips and tools for crafting questions that target critical-thinking skills. If you're not a SABER member, no worries! This free event is open to everyone. saberbio.org/event-6806537
Flyer for a professional development event
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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
I am wrapping up my first year as an Assistant Professor with news of NSF funding! We got the notification this morning that our IUSE proposal was funded!
A screenshot of an Award Notification email
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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
I love scoping out bookstores when I visit new cities. While traveling for the SABER biology education research conference, I found a copy of this charming biology textbook that is a few years shy of a century old! This “New Biology” isn’t quite so new anymore!
Crystal Uminski holding a copy of a book titled “New Biology”A page from the textbook “New Biology” with a figure of a flying squirrel that has the caption “How does it fly? Is this a correct name?”
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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Turnip is helping me with my poster for SABER. You can see by the look on his face that he is also alarmed at how confusing the arrows in ecology diagrams can be! If you’re at SABER, stop by my poster on Thursday in room STEM 2004!
A gray cat named Turnip sitting on a conference poster
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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
A gray girl in the green grass
A gray cat on a leash sitting on a grass lawn
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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Turnip is intrigued by deer 🦌
A cat named Turnip on a leash. Turnip is sitting on the other side a fence from a deer
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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
A little cat who loves big adventures
A gray cat named Delilah wearing a harness outside
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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
What does Jeff Goldblum have to do with DBER? Admittedly, not a lot! But his expressions were a fun way to help me quickly communicate about challenges faced by DBER faculty when I only had 3 minutes for a "Shark Tank" style presentation at SABER East!
Crystal Uminski wearing a Jeff Goldblum dress presenting a slide about hidden curriculum of getting a DBER job. The slide features photos of Jeff Goldblum.
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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
🐹🌱👽 Animals, plants, and aliens can provide novel ways to engage students' critical thinking about physiology core concepts, yet these non-human examples remain an underutilized tool in human physiology textbooks. Read more in our new paper: doi.org/10.1152/adva...
A graph showing that non-human questions are rarely used in most undergraduate human physiology textbooks and assessments.
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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
I had great conversations with folks across campus during Towson's AI Teaching and Research Symposium! It was fun to hear how faculty from different disciplines found value in the idea of using AI errors as teaching tools. Read more about this research: doi.org/10.1128/jmbe...
Crystal Uminski with a scientific poster titled "Bad AI-generated images can be good tools for teaching."
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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
AI biology diagrams can be comically "bad", but they can be quite good as teaching tools! Understanding what makes a diagram wrong is as important as understanding what makes it right. Read about how to teach with "bad" AI biology diagrams in my new publication! doi.org/10.1128/jmbe.00321-25
AI-generated image of an animal cell
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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
When you are going to an entomology conference, you need to dress the part! 🪲
Crystal Uminski in a Beatles parody shirt next to a case of pinned insects
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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
When I travel for work, I try to see one thing unique to the city I’m visiting. I’ve been invited to Harrisonburg, Virginia to share my research at the James Madison University Biology seminar and I fit in a tour of a nearby cave while I’m here!
Crystal Uminski in a cave
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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
A boy cat enjoying his evening stroll
Turnip the cat on a leash in a backyard
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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
🐛 One of my favorite things about being a scientist is that you never quite know where your research will take you — I'm headed to my first entomology conference next week! I'm excited to be part of this great line up of talks and I'm super curious to learn more about bugs while I'm there! 🪲
Visual literacy in entomology flyer
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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
My undergraduate research advisor, David Bowne, brought me to a Mid-Atlantic Ecological Society of America meeting for my very first research presentation. A decade later, I've reignited a collaboration with David and I'm back at Mid-Atlantic ESA sharing my research as an assistant professor!
Crystal Uminski at a poster presentation
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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
Ecologists love arrows. Ecology textbooks contain thousands of them. ➡️↔️🔄 If you're attending the Mid-Atlantic Ecological Society of America meeting in Towson this weekend, stop by my poster to chat about why we should be thinking carefully about the ways we use arrows to teach ecology.
An description of a poster presentation by Crystal Uminski about how arrows are used in ecology textbooks.
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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
I'm doing some tactile teaching today! 🧬 I'm using 3D-printed DNA, along with some more traditional textbook diagrams, to help my students compare and contrast between different representations of DNA and understand the strengths and limitations of each type of model.
3D printed DNA molecules
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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
🌱🐈‍⬛🌱
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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
Are we assessing biology knowledge or the ability to search the internet for biology facts? We found that nearly half of students who took an assessment outside of class reported using a resource (like the internet) and those who used a resource often had higher scores. doi.org/10.1128/jmbe.00198-25
 Students who used any resource (n = 55 students, M = 0.719, SD = 0.219) had significantly higher scores on the Introductory Molecular & Cell Biology Assessment (IMCA) than students who used no resource [n = 164 students, M = 0.562, SD = 0.233; t(217) = (−4.381), P < 0.001].
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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 08/02/2026
Is music taste inherited? My Dad gave me a box of records he found in the attic and I couldn’t believe how many I already had in my own collection!
Turnip the cat sitting on a pile of records.
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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 23/12/2025
Turnips
A gray cat named Turnip sitting in front of a row of four turnips
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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
🧬 New publication! 🧬 The apparent simplicity of common visual models in biology can mask deep conceptual challenges for learners. We summarize empirical evidence for this ‘illusion of clarity’ and describe resources that may help instructors dispel this illusion. www.cell.com/trends/genet...
Common errors students make when interpreting visual models of X-shaped chromosomes, the double helix shape of DNA, and the ladder representation of nucleotides.
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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 15/11/2025
Let’s Dance
A cat named Turnip lying down in front of a painting of David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” album in which David Bowie is a cat
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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
A home is a little happier with Jeff Goldblum in the room
Crystal in front of a framed autographed photo of Jeff Goldblum
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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 12/11/2025
How do we know what biology students know? I'll be sharing a bit about how biology education research gives us insights into what students learn and remember from introductory biology courses during this Friday's Biological Sciences Seminar at Towson University.
Advertisement for the Biological Sciences Seminar at Towson University on November 14 at 12 ET.
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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 09/11/2025
Cat on a Cat on a Hot Tin Horn
Turnip the cat sitting on a turntable playing a copy of “Cat on a Hot Tin Horn”
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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 04/11/2025
25 Cats Name Sam and One Gray Turnip
A gray cat named Turnip sitting next to a print from Andy Warhol’s “25 Cats Name Sam”
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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 01/11/2025
A colleague told me I’m the “Elton John of DBER” and I can’t think of a higher compliment
Crystal in a blue outfit presenting a poster at the NABT conference
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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
Celebrating Halloween at a biology teacher conference with some spooky scary skeletons 💀
Crystal and a cast of the Lucy skull
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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
I’m in a new city for NABT, so that means new opportunities to color coordinate! My conference outfit matched the hotel hallway!
Crystal in a pink blazer in front of pink wallpaper
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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
A little fella looking for snacks
Turnip the cat with his tongue sticking out
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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
Check out some cool science (and great science communication) happening at @towsonu.bsky.social! www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ9C... Josh's video is part of a sci-comm competition sponsored by @galacticpolymath.com. If you learned something new by watching, please "Like" the video on YouTube!
youtube.com
Marine Biologists come from Iowa too!—#MySciJourney with Sea Anemones
YouTube video by Galactic Polymath
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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
Meow in Light
A copy of the Talking Heads album “Remain in Light” and a canvas painted to resemble the album cover that features cats instead of the band members.
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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
A little fella enjoying the Fall
A gray cat named Turnip who is outdoors among fallen leaves
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Reposted by Crystal Uminski
Jocelyn Bosley @scitalker.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
DEADLINE EXTENDED to Oct. 12!✨ I don't need to tell you that public support is crucial to sustaining science. #SciComm has never been more important, so don’t miss this chance to give the public a window into how science really works—and why it works so well. Join the #MySciJourney Challenge!
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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 04/10/2025
I’m delighted to be back on the Elizabethtown campus to receive the Honors Outstanding Young Alumni Award!
Crystal with a certificate for the Elizabethtown College Honors Program Outstanding Young Alumni Award
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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
Turnip is getting a lesson about neuroplasticity from David Byrne 🧠
Turnip, a gray cat, sitting in front of a TV showing a scene from American Utopia. In the scene, David Byrne holds a model of a human brain.
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Reposted by Crystal Uminski
Jocelyn Bosley @scitalker.bsky.social · 16/09/2025
To appreciate the power & promise of science, people need a deeper understanding of the _processes_ of science. Join the #MySciJourney Challenge to show the world what “doing science” looks like for you! Scientists at all stages are invited to submit their short videos by September 30.
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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
I'm teaching about the structure of DNA, genes, and chromosomes. If you're in the same boat, consider bringing the DNA Landscape into your class! It can be tricky to "see" how representations of DNA are related, so we created animations to make it more visible! sites.google.com/view/dnaland...
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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 11/09/2025
A new office on campus means new places to hang up David Byrne art
Crystal standing in front of a framed poster of David Byrne
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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 06/09/2025
Turnip has some opinions about the new David Byrne album
A gray cat named Turnip sitting on top of a turntable playing a copy of David Byrne’s “Who Is The Sky”
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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 27/08/2025
Delilah is a little adventurer 🌿
A gray cat named Delilah on a harnessed leash. Delilah is standing in a small shrub.
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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 23/08/2025
Speaking in Meows
A gray cat next to a cat-themed painting of the Talking Heads album “Speaking in Tongues”
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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 18/08/2025
Dreams walking in broad daylight! These Talking Heads lyrics best capture what I’m feeling as I’m starting as a tenure-track professor at Towson University! @towsonu.bsky.social
Crystal standing in front of a sign for Towson University
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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 08/08/2025
I’m gonna keep on dancing at the Pink Poodle Club 🐩
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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 29/07/2025
Turnip: Beastie Boys edition.
Turnip the cat painted as Mike D of Beastie BoysMike D of Beastie Boys
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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 26/07/2025
Tonight’s painting: Turnip in the David Byrne Big Suit 🎨
Turnip the cat painted wearing David Byrne’s Big Suit from Stop Making SenseDavid Byrne in Stop Making Sense
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Crystal Uminski @crystaluminski.bsky.social · 24/07/2025
I perused published figures and found misshaped chromosomes, mismatched chromatids, and missized genes! Yikes! Representing chromosomes and genes can be a tricky task, so I published ideas for easy edits to figures that can mitigate misconceptions. journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
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