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John Protasiewicz @drp-phosphorus.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Case Western Reserve Chemistry is hiring! Open-rank, endowed faculty position: the James Stephen Swinehart, PhD, Endowed Professorship in Organic Chemistry. Research areas emphasized include chemical biology and/or energy & materials. #chemjobs #facultychemjobs apply.interfolio.com/194508

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John Protasiewicz @drp-phosphorus.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

CWRU Chemistry is hiring! Tenure-track Assistant Professor in Experimental Electrochemistry position now open. Position is part of cluster of three echem faculty hires (1 Asst., 1 Assoc, 1 Full prof levels) across campus. #chemjobs #facultychemjobs apply.interfolio.com/194950

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John Protasiewicz @drp-phosphorus.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

A student video of crystalline triboluminescent copper complex being crushed. Lots of light emission and excited students in my inorganic synthesis class this semester! doi.org/10.1021/ed20...

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skrticx.bsky.social @skrticx.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Great to photograph Metin Karayilan at CWRU, where he is an Assistant Professor of Chemistry. Born in Izmir, Türkiye, Metin has called Ohio City home for four years. His research spans polymers, biomaterials, 3-D printing, photochemistry and data science.

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Dr. Emily Arndt 🏳️‍⚧️ @brachinus.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

MIT Student Exposed To Dimethyl Mercury #chemsky

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John Protasiewicz @drp-phosphorus.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Did you note that AI Patricia says "I just wanted to follow up and check whether my previous email might have gotten buried or ended up in your SPAM folder."?

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John Protasiewicz @drp-phosphorus.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Yep. Even worse, the AI spam machines do follow up! Scary how much they harvetsed from my university web page to personalize messages. Also odd in this trolling are the use of female names.... enjoy some examples.

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John Protasiewicz @drp-phosphorus.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

I see ORGN is leading the Polymarket betting for longest talk right now...

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John Protasiewicz @drp-phosphorus.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Honored to have the opportunity present the entirety of the Division of Inorganic Chemistry's great history in 15 minutes as part of the ACS@150 celebration at the ACS National Meeting in Chicago next week. Just kidding, I'll do my best to share a few of the many highlights. ;)

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John Protasiewicz @drp-phosphorus.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

unverifiable stories in late 80s mention pyrophorics getting airborne over that lake using helium balloons I seem to recall.... ;)

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John Protasiewicz @drp-phosphorus.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

Neil deGrasse Tyson speaks brilliantly on what's happening to science in the US and how this will negatively impact everyone's health, wealth and security in the US. Very easy to follow and should speak to everyone. www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYiU...

youtube.com

America’s Scientists Are Disappearing

YouTube video by StarTalk

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Nature @nature.com · 08/07/2026

Nobel-prize-winning chemist Omar Yaghi has left the United States for a full-time position at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, where he will lead a new AI-assisted materials discovery institute. go.nature.com/4pf2jQ3

go.nature.com

Nobel-winning chemist leaves US to direct AI materials lab in China

Omar Yaghi’s move comes amid cuts to US science and a campaign in China to recruit top international talent.

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Jeffrey Mervis @policyhound.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

Been wondering why NSF isn't spending most of its FY26 appropriation? A $1.5B tech initiative may be the reason. And big cuts to hundreds of research programs could be just the beginning of the bad news. www.science.org/content/arti...

science.org

Exclusive: NSF slashes research programs to support new tech initiative, insiders say

Unexpected shift in funds has meant sharp drop in grants this fiscal year

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John Protasiewicz @drp-phosphorus.bsky.social · 05/04/2026

No molecular chirality. Intermolecular hydrogen bonding is possible though.

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John Protasiewicz @drp-phosphorus.bsky.social · 05/04/2026

Those are really cool images as well! We do not see twisted (yet) but see some evidence that there is a connection (hard to avoid pun) in some cases between chunkier crystals and thin rods. I have had three different students grow these oddities since at first I was uncertain if it was real.

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John Protasiewicz @drp-phosphorus.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

Anyone ever seen such crazy crystals before or know what's going on? #chemsky

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John Protasiewicz @drp-phosphorus.bsky.social · 29/03/2026

They were passing out these notes for upcoming Jon Husted protest at the No Kings rally in Cleveland yesterday. I also noted this very large banner. #NoKings

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Leslie Rissler @ljrissler.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

The National Science Foundation sign on our Eisenhower Av building is now gone. The NSF mural in the foyer is removed and torn off in sheets. We were supposed to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the agency in May 2025. That never happened.

NSF building on Eisenhower Av. HUD now owns.

Destroying the NSF mural in the foyer. Of the Eisenhower building.

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John Protasiewicz @drp-phosphorus.bsky.social · 26/12/2025

And one of those happens to be a major holiday…..SMH

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Dana R. Fisher (aka the Apocalyptic Optimist) @fisherdanar.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

Let's be clear: the US National Science Foundation's decision to reduce the role of expert panelists and outside reviewers does not limit the burden on NSF workers; it empowers them to make funding decisions without scientific oversight. www.science.org/content/arti...

science.org

NSF pares down grant-review process, reducing influence of outside scientists

Memo cites overburdened staff, but some say move also aims to elevate White House priorities

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John Protasiewicz @drp-phosphorus.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

So my grad student was trying to grow single crystals of a new compound for X-ray crystallography, and instead got candy canes, a packman, and other alphabet letters. If the crystals could now self assemble into necessary text for a manuscript then life would be good....

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Inorganic Discussion Weekend 2025 @idw2025.bsky.social · 22/09/2025

We're excited to announce that the 55th Inorganic Discussion Weekend will take place November 7th-9th, 2025 at Western University! Registration and abstract submission are NOW OPEN on our website: idw2025.ca More details of the event can be found on our website!

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Ross @rossengineer.bsky.social · 07/09/2025

To all of my friends at NASA, NSF, & NOAA - thank you for all that you do.

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John Protasiewicz @drp-phosphorus.bsky.social · 05/09/2025

Wonderful science showcased on BlueSky daily! But usually no mention of who funded the work. At a time when federal agencies such as NSF, NIH, etc. are facing challenges & uncertainties, scientists should also acknowledge sponsors to communicate to general public great science the agencies enable!

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John Protasiewicz @drp-phosphorus.bsky.social · 22/08/2025

I understand reviewers concerns. A large number of young scientists worked hard to write and submit NSF CAREER proposals very recently. Their future livelihoods depend on the greater scientific community for qualified reviews and panelists for critical assessment. Do we simply abandon them?

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John Protasiewicz @drp-phosphorus.bsky.social · 22/08/2025

I can't speak with certainty to future possible reorganization(s), but currently (as in past), panel and individual reviewers are advisory. POs make recommendations using this input, but these must be concurred by director(s), and final decisions and awards made by DGA www.nsf.gov/funding/over...

nsf.gov

Overview of the NSF Proposal and Award Process

Understand the lifecycle of a proposal to the NSF, from preparation and submission to review and award processing.

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John Protasiewicz @drp-phosphorus.bsky.social · 22/08/2025

To add one more point, the recent (negative) changes are outside NSF program officers control, and arrive with no advance notice. There are limited or no way to communicate messages upward. Hence, carefully worded letters aimed to protect jobs are crafted. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/22/s...

nytimes.com

Amid Fear of Retaliation, N.S.F. Workers Sign Letter of Dissent

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John Protasiewicz @drp-phosphorus.bsky.social · 22/08/2025

Declining to serve on an NSF panel does not make a statement, it makes the program officers job harder. I wrote a letter to editor on this specific topic. Another potential outcome of collective declines is that helps justify the use of AI to replace human reviews, IMHO. tinyurl.com/yc2xtc2d

tinyurl.com

Letters to the editor on AI, Chemical Safety Board, and more

Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN): Keeping you up to date with the chemistry news that matters most. Published by the American Chemical Society.

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John Protasiewicz @drp-phosphorus.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

Here's a short PSA for those invited by NSF program officers to serve as reviewers or panelists for the National Science Foundation. #NSF #chemsky Thanks! tinyurl.com/yc2xtc2d (last letter to the editor in series)

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Nsikan Akpan @monscience.bsky.social · 07/08/2025

BIG: A new executive order changes fundamentally how the U.S. awards research grants, giving oversight to political appointees in coordination with OMB. All new grant opportunities are paused until these appointees are in place. www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...

whitehouse.gov

Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and to improve the process of Federal

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John Protasiewicz @drp-phosphorus.bsky.social · 28/06/2025

Had a great visit from my former postdoc @rjgilliard.bsky.social this week! Good to introduce him to some other program officers as well.

Professors Robert Gilliard and John Protasiewicz standing in front of NSF headquarters building.

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John Protasiewicz @drp-phosphorus.bsky.social · 22/06/2025

With the upcoming heat wave, I’ll need some of that cyclopentane flavored ice cream I saw the other day. #chemsky

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Anne LaPointe @crankyoldbiddy.bsky.social · 12/01/2025

Many of you may have known Greg Hillhouse, who passed away in 2014. A memorial fellowship has been set up in his honor at the U. of Chicago chemistry department. Here is the link if you are interested in finding out more. www.trailblazers.psd.uchicago.edu/gregory-hill...

trailblazers.psd.uchicago.edu

Gregory L. Hillhouse | PSD Trailblazers

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Compound Interest | Chemistry infographics @compoundchem.com · 09/01/2025

As wildfires rage in LA, this graphic in @cenmag.bsky.social looks at one way chemistry can be used to tackle them: cen.acs.org/environment/... #ChemSky 🧪

Infographic on suppressing wildfires with chemistry. The graphic looks at Phos-chek, a fire retardant which contains ammonium phosphates or sulfates as the active ingredient. The red colour comes from iron(III) oxide. While Phos-Chek only causes mild skin and eye irritation for humans, it’s hazardous to aquatic organisms. When applied in front of wildfires, Phos-Chek forms phosphate esters which form a protective char that slows wildfires’ spread.

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John Protasiewicz @drp-phosphorus.bsky.social · 14/12/2024

The Thanksgiving and Christmas time lines have officially crossed and we are all now doomed to strange mutations

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Holden Thorp @holdenthorp.bsky.social · 10/12/2024

Happy to see HHMI doing this. It's overdue, but still exciting to see. Lot of great science around the country. @leslievosshall.bsky.social www.science.org/content/arti...

science.org

To spread its wealth, HHMI will exclude most top schools in special funding competition

Its flagship investigators program is heavily concentrated at handful of universities

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Pawel Löwe @pawelloewe.bsky.social · 24/11/2024

I am working on a Phosphorus Chemistry starter pack. Happy for any suggestions! #ChemSky go.bsky.app/J7TFAPk

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