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Geoff Hutchison

@geoffhutchison.net
3K followers 1.2K following 718 posts

Chemist, Scientist, Husband, Dad, Runner, Teacher. I develop Avogadro + OpenBabel to find new materials for energy applications @Pitt_Chemistry he/him

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Geoff Hutchison @geoffhutchison.net · 4h
Some great new #compchem results from my next-door neighbors in the Carter-Fenk group.
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100 years ago news @100yearsagonews.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Sept. 21, 1926: The University of Pittsburgh gives final approval to the Cathedral of Learning, a Gothic skyscraper that will anchor the campus and become the tallest college building in the world. Groundbreaking is to start next month. Designed as 29 stories, it will grow to 42 when opened in 1937.
A poster to promote a fund-raising drive for the “Cathedral”The lot where the Cathedral of Learning will be built, in September 1926Pittsburgh Gazette Times
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Geoff Hutchison @geoffhutchison.net · 16/09/2026
I was shocked after moving to Pittsburgh and learning there were 130 municipalities in Allegheny County, for like 1.2M people.
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Geoff Hutchison @geoffhutchison.net · 13/09/2026
"Which gets to something fundamental about A.I. coding, and A.I. in general: It’s very good at reproducing things that look and feel like what came before." … "Craft makes money, and A.I. tends to wreck your sense of craft."
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Geoff Hutchison @geoffhutchison.net · 11/09/2026
On the walk to my office today, #Pittsburgh Soldiers and Sailors Memorial has a tribute with 7,087 dog tags representing the service members lost in the "War on Terror" after September 11, 2001.
Photo of Soldiers and Sailor's Memorial Hall in Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood, in the middle of Pitt's campus. Hanging across the walkway are 7,087 dog tags representing the lives lost since September 11, 2001 in the conflicts in the War on Terror
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Avogadro Project @avogadro.cc · 11/09/2026
We've been working on an internal-coordinate / z-matrix editor. How should we name it? #compchem (Keep in mind we need to translate into multiple languages) 1️⃣ Z-Matrix Editor 2️⃣ Internal Coordinate Editor 📊 Show results
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Geoff Hutchison @geoffhutchison.net · 09/09/2026
Congrats to @kaybrummond.bsky.social #chemsky
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Magnetic Resonance News @nmr900.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Angela M. Gronenborn (University of Pittsburgh) to receive the 2027 Nakanishi Prize @acs.org to recognize her significant work that extends chemical and spectroscopic methods to the study of important biological phenomena cen.acs.org/acs-news/acs... #NMRchat 🧲
cen.acs.org
ACS names 2027 National Award winners
The winners are being acknowledged for their outstanding achievements in chemistry across various fields in the discipline
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Geoff Hutchison @geoffhutchison.net · 29/08/2026
A few weeks ago, I posted for the 2026 Avogadro Community Feedback Survey. Over 50 people responded, and several wrote multi-paragraph responses! I posted a summary to the forum and I want to include a few notes for #compchem discuss.avogadro.cc/t/avogadro-2...
discuss.avogadro.cc
Avogadro 2026 Survey Results
A few weeks ago, I posted the 2026 Community Feedback Survey - and I’d like to start doing this annually. Thank you to the 49 50 of you who filled out the development survey. Several people wrote…
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Geoff Hutchison @geoffhutchison.net · 25/08/2026
My kids got books from Dolly. As they were growing up, they couldn't quite understand that someone was just *giving* them books they could keep.
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Geoff Hutchison @geoffhutchison.net · 23/08/2026
I tell my students about the Optimism Bias. Heck, I even tell my kids when they (as teenagers) propose overly optimistic projects. So. Tomorrow is the start of the semester. Why am I surprised that I didn't get everything I wanted accomplished over the summer? #academicsky
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Geoff Hutchison @geoffhutchison.net · 21/08/2026
#chemjobs
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Prashant Kamat @kamat.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
ACS names 2026 fellows cen.acs.org/acs-news/acs...
cen.acs.org
ACS names 2026 fellows
59 new fellows are honored for their contributions to science and the society
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Geoff Hutchison @geoffhutchison.net · 17/08/2026
Seriously? A T-Rex eating a book? Reminds me of that post-9-11 logo with the eye scanning the entire world.
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Avogadro Project @avogadro.cc · 08/08/2026
Do you use Avogadro? We'd like some feedback: No personal information is required - just a few minutes #compchem #chemsky forms.gle/FqNo8xe9KMPH...
forms.gle
Avogadro Community Feedback
Now that we've released Avogadro 2.0, we'd like to gain feedback and information on the user community -- how it's used, what you use it for, and how you heard about it to guide future development. T...
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Geoff Hutchison @geoffhutchison.net · 07/08/2026
I've been on review panels. Can you imagine what the NIH and NSF could do with another $1.5B right now? There's so much good science that's going unfunded.
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Avogadro Project @avogadro.cc · 06/08/2026
Avogadro now has over 25 Python plugins for: - input generation for common programs - partial charges and electrostatics - reading and writing file formats through cclib - forcefields and ML potentials - building and analysis commands What are some tools you'd like to see? #compchem
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Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 18/07/2026
Yesterday the US Administration supercharged its explicit effort to bar international students from staying in the US after graduation. All Americans should know: 1/3 of *all* STEM PhDs working in the US are immigrants who graduated from US universities, then stayed. www.piie.com/index%2Ephp/...
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Geoff Hutchison @geoffhutchison.net · 14/07/2026
More of this. Yes, I use supercomputing facilities and cloud storage. Yes, I think there should be rules about power and water use. Data center build-out is happening incredibly fast and cities and towns and states need time to set rules Widespread support for this
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Geoff Hutchison @geoffhutchison.net · 13/07/2026
Sigh. State budget keeps University funding level for eighth straight year… "all the money Pitt receives from the state is used to provide 18,000 Pennsylvania students with an in-state tuition discount www.utimes.pitt.edu/news/state-b...
utimes.pitt.edu
State budget keeps University funding level for eighth straight year
Pitt will split $10 million in performance-based funding with Penn State and Temple, instead of $30 million requested by Shapiro.
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Geoff Hutchison @geoffhutchison.net · 10/07/2026
Seen on my walk last night...
Banner in a garden with an oval formed by two interlocking hands and the text "The work never ends, but I'll gladly do it with you. Shoulder to shoulder, arm in arm. Please don't give up."
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Geoff Hutchison @geoffhutchison.net · 07/07/2026
Only down 15% - I'm surprised it's not higher. I would have guessed 20% based on anecdotes I've heard in chemistry.
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Geoff Hutchison @geoffhutchison.net · 02/07/2026
#compchem #chemjobs
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Geoff Hutchison @geoffhutchison.net · 24/06/2026
Thanks to @bethanyhalford.bsky.social for outlining the challenges right now with PhD programs across the board - and to everyone else who commented. And yes, we will be taking applications to our master's program @pittchemistry.bsky.social - we hope it can help #chemsky
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Geoff Hutchison @geoffhutchison.net · 22/06/2026
Sigh. Sadly, not surprising.
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Geoff Hutchison @geoffhutchison.net · 14/06/2026
And then Alex files for an IPO... "if you’re still confused, all you really need to know is that everything is totally working and everyone is making a lot of money, and you should just stop asking questions, luddite."
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Geoff Hutchison @geoffhutchison.net · 14/06/2026
I have some personal experience with over-valued IPOs. Back in Dec. 1999, VA Linux offered "friends and family" shares to a variety of #opensource maintainers. As a grad student, I was asked if I wanted to buy 50, 100, or 150 shares for $30 / share. I said "what the heck" and put in 50 = $1500 1/x
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Geoff Hutchison @geoffhutchison.net · 09/06/2026
Hey Anthropic? Calling your new model "Fable" might give the wrong (right?) impression given current impressions about LLM models .. you know .. not always telling the truth? Just my 0.02 tokens
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Jim Kuhn (he/him) @jckuhn4.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
#pittsburghpride2026
A handmade sign leaning against a tree at the 2026 Pittsburgh Pride in Allegheny Commons: “Identity Is *Not A* Debate.”
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Allegheny County Government @alleghenycounty.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
Allegheny County is celebrating Pride Month, the Three Rivers Arts Festival, and the Andy Warhol Bridge’s 100th birthday this month by illuminating our beautiful Sister Bridges in rainbow colors. 🌈😍
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Geoff Hutchison @geoffhutchison.net · 02/06/2026
#compchem
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Geoff Hutchison @geoffhutchison.net · 22/05/2026
The new optimizer works great with ML-based potentials too. Got ideas? As a community #opensource #openscience project, we welcome suggestions (and bug reports) #chemsky
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Avogadro Project @avogadro.cc · 22/05/2026
We're still working... @geoffhutchison.net reports on new speedups coming in v2.1 scheduled for June 02 (6/02 in the states 😉) - 20-25x faster orbital and density calculations - 6-8x faster geometry optimizations using an adaptive FIRE+L-BFGS method discuss.avogadro.cc/t/may-2026-d... #compchem
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Geoff Hutchison @geoffhutchison.net · 20/05/2026
Had a great time at last night's @brucespringsteen.net packed concert in #Pittsburgh - including Ghost of Tom Joad and others with @tommorelloofficial.bsky.social Heard a lot of local cheers for Youngstown Came home feeling better than I have in weeks - "Hope and Dreams"
Janky, blurry concert snapshot from PPG Arena in Pittsburgh of Bruce Springsteen "Land of Hopes and Dreams" concert on May 19th
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Angus Johnston @angus.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
There is no way to do anything interesting in any sustained way in any field without immersion in that field. That's just a fundamental fact of being human, and there's no getting around it.
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Geoff Hutchison @geoffhutchison.net · 12/05/2026
There’s a huge difference between undergrad research and letting students follow AI chemistry experiments. Believe me - I’ve seen chem students use current AI models. #chemsky
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Geoff Hutchison @geoffhutchison.net · 11/05/2026
I heard this evening about the passing of Mark Ratner #chemsky Mark was many things - a scientist, an educator, a mentor - a mensch - in all the meanings He always said that the best thing about science were the people that do it.
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Geoff Hutchison @geoffhutchison.net · 28/04/2026
Another great article on coffee chemistry from Prof. Chris Hendon chhendon.bsky.social Last week as we finished classes, I was telling them about design-of-experiments using a coffee example... #chemsky www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Direct electrochemical appraisal of black coffee quality using cyclic voltammetry - Nature Communications
Coffee flavor is primarily determined by the bean roast color and concentration of the beverage. Here, the authors show that both of these characteristics are reflected in the coffee’s cyclic voltammo...
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Bookshop.org @bookshop.org · 25/04/2026
Choosing local when buying books is more than just where you shop: You’re protecting creativity. You’re defending the freedom to read. You’re uplifting diverse voices. You’re investing in neighbors. Today, and every day, we celebrate and support indie bookstores. Happy Independent Bookstore Day!
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Andrea Devon @andreadevon.sheshed.rocks · 22/04/2026
She warned the world before it was ready to listen. Rachel Carson exposed the dangers of pesticides and helped launch the modern environmental movement. Scientist. Author. A mind behind the science that saved lives. Her work still shapes how we protect life. #EarthDay #SheShed
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Union of Concerned Scientists @ucs.org · 22/04/2026
This #EarthDay, we’re grateful to NASA and the Artemis II crew for giving us a whole new perspective on our work tackling the world’s most pressing issues.
Photo of Earth by Artemis II, promoting the Union of Concerned Scientist's mission:"Science for a healthier planet and safer world" Every day of the year.
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Ars Technica @arstechnica.com · 21/04/2026
arstechnica.com
Global growth in solar "the largest ever observed for any source"
The Energy Information Agency says we've entered the Age of Electricity.
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Geoff Hutchison @geoffhutchison.net · 19/04/2026
Wish me luck - for my undergrad "Math for Chemistry" class (for @pittchemistry.bsky.social majors) .. I'm going to give a lecture tomorrow about ML and LLMs. I think I fit the basics in… Discussion question: "Why can a model like ChatGPT give fluent but wrong chemistry answers? #chemsky
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Geoff Hutchison @geoffhutchison.net · 15/04/2026
When Biden took office, he suggested that international students receiving a PhD in the US should get a green card if they want one. Several students in my program were really excited - they wanted to stay. It never materialized. Not every job wants to sponsor an H1B, particularly now.
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Pitt Chemistry @pittchemistry.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
The David M. Hercules Fellowship Award recognizes an outstanding graduate student or postdoctoral researcher, with particular emphasis on scientific creativity, independence, leadership, and the ability to collaborate across disciplines. Our 2026 awardee is Shubhankar Kundu! Congrats Shubhankar!
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Undark Magazine @undark.org · 09/04/2026
Chemist Brett Pollard and colleagues found roughly 20 papers citing water safety standards attributed to the WHO and EPA that, according to the researchers, those agencies never produced.
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Scientific Journals Need Dedicated Fact-Checkers
Opinion | An additional layer of quality control could help academic publishers weed out problematic content before it propagates.
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Avogadro Project @avogadro.cc · 07/04/2026
One week of Avogadro 2.0 highlights - and we're just getting started… Download: avogadro.cc/install/ Join the community: discuss.avogadro.cc Thanks to everyone who helped make this release happen. Open science is a team effort! Got ideas on where to go next? 🧪 ⚗️ #opensource #openscience #compchem
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Geoff Hutchison @geoffhutchison.net · 06/04/2026
Got ideas? Or know a Python package that could use a GUI? Let me know…
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Avogadro Project @avogadro.cc · 05/04/2026
Sometimes you just want to see a molecule move. Run a quick MD simulation without leaving Avogadro — no scripts, no setup. The new auto-optimize tool includes a dynamics mode. Watch it move in real time. Great for teaching. Great for intuition. Just fun to watch. #openscience #compchem #opensource
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Geoff Hutchison @geoffhutchison.net · 04/04/2026
Volumetric rendering has been on my wish list for years, and we’ve got a 20-25x speed up coming this summer for orbitals and electron density.
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