iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Kristen Brennand @kristenbrennand.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

Just wanted to send up the bat signal that we are hosting an exciting meeting on neurogenomics that will be of interest to folks studying the genetics of psychiatric disorders and neurodegenerative diseases! Sept 16-18, 2026 coursesandconferences.wellcomeconnectingscience.org/event/genomi...

static.klipy.com

Batman and the Bat-Signal

ALT: Batman and the Bat-Signal

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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

Update on funding curves and late non-competitive renewals. First, funding curves for new and competitive renewals. 1/n

Graph showing NIH funding for new and competitive renewal grants for fiscal year 2025 compared to fiscal year 2024. The fiscal year 2025 curve is substantially below the fiscal year 2024 curve.

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Denise Jurczyszak @denisescience.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

Hi y'all, I am on the job hunt due to a recent layoff. I have expertise in virology, neuroimmunology, and drug discovery. I am passionate about performing creative hypothesis-driven research to make discoveries that will benefit human health and quality of life. Pls reach out if you'd like to chat!

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Beth Stevens @bethstevenslab.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

Pls sign and share!

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Chris Murphy @chrismurphyct.bsky.social · 21/05/2025

Rightfully, the cuts to Medicaid (over 10M people will lose their health care) and the tax cuts for the rich have been the story of the disastrous Republican budget bill. But I read the whole thing. And there are some hidden rats in there you need to know about. 1/ A quick🧵

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Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · 02/05/2025

Time to catch up on the past week’s news about science and medicine in the US. Whew. 1/10

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Flora Rutaganira @frutag33.bsky.social · 21/04/2025

Hello Community! Are you a postdoc/grad student preparing to launch a faculty search? Do you have a track record of excellence in research, leadership, mentorship & community engagement? Apply to the 2025 Next Generation Faculty Symposium: www.berkeleystanfordnextgensymposium.com! Pls repost! (1/3)

Flyer for the 2025 Next Generation Faculty Symposium (including QR code in top right corner). This symposium highlights the work of exceptional early-career scientists in the broad field of quantitative biological and biomedical sciences, with a track record of excellence in research, leadership, mentorship, and community engagement. These early career scientists are preparing to launch a faculty search. Applications are due May 30th, 2025.

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Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 25/04/2025

“We speak with one voice against the unprecedented government overreach and political interference now endangering American higher education.” Colleges are finally standing up to Trump, taking their lead and nerve from Harvard, whose sharp response clearly stunned the White House.

motherjones.com

At last, college presidents are standing up to Trump

A letter signed by more than 400 university heads offers a sharp rebuke to the bully-in-chief.

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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

The notice and COMMENT PERIOD OPENED TODAY AND CLOSES MAY 23. Anyone who would like to register an objection or comment should go to this page and click on the green “public comment” button at the top: www.federalregister.gov/documents/20... 6/n

federalregister.gov

Improving Performance, Accountability and Responsiveness in the Civil Service

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is proposing a rule to increase career employee accountability. Agency supervisors report great difficulty removing employees for poor performance or misconduc...

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Eric Topol @erictopol.bsky.social · 16/04/2025

It has taken decades to get to this point, but stem cells for Parkinson's disease showing promise in 2 clinical trials nature.com/articles/d41... nature.com/articles/s41... nature.com/articles/s41...

nature.com

Clinical trials test the safety of stem-cell therapy for Parkinson’s disease

Transplanting dopamine-releasing neurons into the brain is a promising regenerative therapy for Parkinson’s disease. Two clinical trials show that it is safe, but more evidence is needed to prove its ...

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Kristen Brennand @kristenbrennand.bsky.social · 14/04/2025

I am beyond thrilled to highlight @mbfneuro.bsky.social's thesis work! I've learned so much through his studies and am excited to take this project in new directions!

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Michael Fernando, PhD @mbfneuro.bsky.social · 09/04/2025

I’m so proud and beyond thrilled to share the final product of my thesis work from @sinaibrain.bsky.social , now published in @nature.com! Here, we explored the complex functional impact of rare neurexin-1 deletions across human glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons! www.nature.com/articles/s41...

nature.com

Phenotypic complexities of rare heterozygous neurexin-1 deletions - Nature

How NRXN1 variants affect multiple neuropsychiatric disorders is explored.

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Kristen Brennand @kristenbrennand.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

Thank you to @booker.senate.gov for standing up and speaking for so many Americans.

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Sen. Cory Booker @booker.senate.gov · 01/04/2025

I’ve taken the Senate floor and will speak for as long as I’m physically able to lift the voices of Americans who are being harmed and not being heard in this moment of crisis. Watch here:

youtube.com

Live: Speaking on Trump, Musk, and America’s Moral Moment on the Senate Floor | Senator Cory Booker

YouTube video by Senator Cory Booker

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Alt CDC (they/them) @altcdc.altgov.info · 01/04/2025

A picture is worth a thousand words. The administration says they're cutting a trillion in government spending. So far, 2025 spending is $1.89 trillion. It was $1.76 trillion at the same time last year. Spending is on pace to increase by 7.4% from last year. www.marketwatch.com/story/despit...

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Stand Up for Science! @standupforscience.net · 28/03/2025

🚨 Over 70 graduate programs in the biological and biomedical sciences have frozen or slashed admissions. The consequences are profound—how many brilliant minds are being shut out of research entirely? How much future discovery is being lost before it even begins? docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

docs.google.com

Graduate Reductions Across Biomedical Sciences (2025)

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Science Magazine @science.org · 27/03/2025

The NIH plans to resume posting notices of new solicitations for grant proposals. But there’s a catch: The HHS and DOGE will review each draft notice to ensure the research that will be funded aligns with the priorities of President Trump’s administration, Science has learned. scim.ag/3DJsafL

scim.ag

Trump officials will screen NIH funding opportunities

Staff at biomedical agency worry about political interference in setting priorities

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Eric Topol @erictopol.bsky.social · 23/03/2025

A pie graph worth keeping in mind as the NIH budget plummets jamanetwork.com/journals/jam... for 356 new FDA drugs approved

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Scott Delaney @scott-delaney.bsky.social · 21/03/2025

The crush of new grant cancellations hasn't let up. If your grant was terminated (or your app was pulled) please use this Google Form👇 to submit details for tracking purposes. Multiple advocacy efforts are moving forward, but we must must must know more about what grants were cancelled and why.

forms.gle

Cancelled NIH grant information submission form

Please use this form to submit information identifying specific NIH grants that have been cancelled for any reason after January 20, 2025. Data from this form will be used to update the Rescinded NIH...

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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 19/03/2025

MIT offering travel advice (or rather do not travel advice) for international visitors and green card holders. If folks at other institutions are receiving similar guidance, please consider sharing here. Please be as safe as you can.

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Joyce White Vance @joycewhitevance.bsky.social · 11/03/2025

Free Mahmoud Khalil. It's important to protect speech, even, perhaps especially, when we don't agree what's being said. If we don't support other people's First Amendment rights, then who will protect ours? We have to all be in this together.

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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 09/03/2025

Bluetorial: Women, courage, and leadership What follows will include some generalizations based on population averages of what I have experienced over the course of my career. There are, of course, exceptions in every group who are substantially more to one extreme or the other.

media.tenor.com

a cartoon says hey everybody an old man 's talking while bart simpson looks on

ALT: a cartoon says hey everybody an old man 's talking while bart simpson looks on

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Carl T. Bergstrom @carlbergstrom.com · 07/03/2025

NIH just posted this news announcement. "Today the National Institutes of Health is announcing plans to centralize peer review of all applications for grants, cooperative agreements and research and development contracts within the agency’s Center for Scientific Review (CSR)"

nih.gov

NIH centralizes peer review to improve efficiency and strengthen integrity

The proposed approach is expected to save more than $65 million annually.

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Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

BREAKING: Federal judge issues a nationwide preliminary injunction blocking NIH from implementing its "Rate Change Notice" that would dramatically cut payments under grants. Judge Angel Kelley had previously issued a TRO blocking the change. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER
ON MOTION FOR PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION
ANGEL KELLEY, D.J.
These three cases came before the Court on an emergency basis on Monday, February 10,
2025. The National Institutes of Health ("NIH") issued a Supplemental Guidance to the 2024
NIH Grants Policy Statement: Indirect Cost Rates (NOT-OD-25-068) ("Rate Change Notice") on Friday night, February 7, 2025, slashing and capping previously negotiated indirect cost rates on all existing and future grant awards for biomedical research, with an effective date of February
10. This Notice impacts thousands of existing grants, totaling billions of dollars across all 50
states-
-a unilateral change over a weekend, without regard for on-going research and clinical trials. The imminent risk of halting life-saving clinical trials, disrupting the development of innovative medical research and treatment, and shuttering of research facilities, without regard for current patient care, warranted the issuance of a nationwide temporary restraining order to maintain the status quo, until the matter could be fully addressed before the Court.
Following full briefing and oral argument by the parties, as well as review of accepted
amicus briefs, the Court GRANTS a nationwide preliminary injunction.

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Anne Elizabeth Sidamon-Eristoff @anneelizabethse.bsky.social · 04/03/2025

I'm pleased to share the first paper I've worked on during my PhD in @kristenbrennand.bsky.social's lab led by the amazing Carina Seah with @laurahuckins.bsky.social on the implications of gene x environment interactions for PTSD @wutsaiyale.bsky.social @yaleschoolofmed.bsky.social

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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 02/03/2025

I am not going to call this a Bluetorial, because I do not want to sully that term (which, at least I, find joyful). Let’s call it a Orwellial.

media.tenor.com

a cartoon of homer simpson holding a card

ALT: a cartoon of homer simpson holding a card

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Annika Barber @annikabarber.bsky.social · 24/02/2025

Wondering if your study section cancelled? I update this sheet daily. As of today, 56/124 study sections that should have met since Jan 2, 2025 have "not met as scheduled." docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

docs.google.com

2025 Study section tracking

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Matt Blackwell @mattblackwell.bsky.social · 26/02/2025

I completely missed that Republicans introduced a bill to increase the endowment tax from 1.4% to 21%. If passed, Harvard would go from paying ~$35m to $525m/yr in federal taxes (that’s 8.2% of its current operating expenses)

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Office of Mayor Michelle Wu 吳弭 @mayorwu.boston.gov · 20/02/2025

The City of Boston is leading 40+ mayors, cities, and counties in an amicus brief against the Trump Administration's drastic and illegal cuts to federal research funding—cuts that will lead to immediate job losses nationwide.

COALITION OF MAYORS ACROSS U.S. FILE AMICUS BRIEF IN OPPOSITION TO TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S DRASTIC CUTS TO FEDERAL RESEARCH FUNDING
Led by the City of Boston, MA, City of Cleveland, OH, the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, TN, the Mayor of Gainesville, FL, and the Mayor of Salt Lake City, UT, over 40 mayors, cities, and counties argue that NIH cuts will cause job losses, economic disruption, and undermine U.S. competitiveness

BOSTON - Thursday, February 20, 2025 - Late yesterday, Mayor Michelle Wu co-led a coalition of Mayors from across the United States in writing and filing an amicus brief in federal district court in Boston to stop the Trump Administration's drastic and illegal cuts to federal research funding and immediate job losses in cities nationwide. Over 40 mayors, cities, and counties from across the country joined the brief. These cities are home to universities and hospitals that employ hundreds of thousands of Americans in cutting edge medical and scientific research, and the federally-funded research in these communities has made the United States the global leader in scientific discovery. The brief seeks a temporary restraining order against the Trump Administration, alongside the research universities, medical schools, hospitals, and 22 states that are plaintiffs in the three cases filed last week in federal district court.

“For decades, Congress has made a clear choice to use federally-funded research to invest in cities, build a broadly-distributed infrastructure for scientific discovery, create jobs, and drive economic growth in communities across the United States,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “We join with cities across the country – in red states, purple states, and blue states – to stop this illegal action that will cause layoffs, lab closures, and undermine scientific progress in American cities. I thank Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell for her leadership on behalf of the research institutions of Boston.”

This amicus brief is in response to the abrupt February 7, 2025 announcement by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) of an immediate reduction in funding for scientific and medical research institutions across the country. Under the NIH’s new policy, which temporarily went into effect on Monday, February 10, payments for indirect costs reimbursed to research universities would be capped at 15%, down from 30-70%. The brief makes clear that NIH funding cuts would devastate research institutions in cities across the county, cause job losses, create severe economic disruption, and undermine a critical pillar of strength and civic pride in cities across the United States. The cuts would also undermine critical medical and scientific research that residents are counting on, including cancer, diabetes, and heart disease, and jeopardize the cities’ and country’s position of global leadership on scientific advancement.
“The Gainesville community depends on this highly efficient, dependable investment of our tax dollars back into our city’s innovation economy,” said Harvey L. Ward, Mayor, City of Gainesville, Florida. “I’m glad to join other mayors in highlighting the vital role NIH funding plays in the lives of everyday hardworking American families.”
“The breadth and diversity of this coalition highlights the devastating and widespread impact of these NIH funding changes, from Alzheimer’s research to cancer clinical trials,” said Jill Habig, Founder and CEO of Public Rights Project. “We’re proud to partner with mayors, cities, and counties in opposing this threat to critical federal funding and the health and vitality of our communities.”
On Monday, February 10th, twenty two states and associations of medical schools, hospitals, and universities, filed three related cases, and secured a temporary restraining order preventing the Trump Administration from slashing the reimbursement rates. That initial order will be revisited this week in a hearing scheduled for Feb. 21.

The Public Rights Project served as amici counsel. The full list of mayors, cities and counties who joined the brief is below.

Local Governments and Mayors

City of Boston, Massachusetts
City of Cleveland, Ohio
Harvey L. Ward, Mayor, City of Gainesville, Florida
Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee
Erin Mendenhall, Mayor, City of Salt Lake City, Utah
City of Alameda, California
City of Albuquerque, New Mexico
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
City of Baltimore, Maryland
Emma Mulvaney-Stanak, Mayor, City of Burlington, Vermont
Township of Canton, Michigan
Town of Chapel Hill, North Carolina
City of Chicago, Illinois
Sandra Welch, Mayor, City of Coconut Creek, Florida
City of Columbus, Ohio
City of Easthampton, Massachusetts
Daniel Biss, Mayor, City of Evanston, Illinois
City of Fairfax, Virginia
Harris County, Texas
Ravinder S. Bhalla, Mayor, City of Hoboken, New Jersey
Quinton Lucas, Mayor, Kansas City, Missouri
Indya Kincannon, Mayor, City of Knoxville, Tennessee
City of Madison, Wisconsin
Jeff Silvestrini, Mayor, City of Millcreek, Utah
Anissa Welch, Mayor, City of Milton, Wisconsin
Montgomery County, Maryland
City of New Haven, Connecticut
Dontae Payne, Mayor, City of Olympia, Washington
Adrian O. Mapp, Mayor, City of Plainfield, New Jersey
Sue Noack, Mayor, City of Pleasant Hill, California
City of Pittsburgh and Ed Gainey, Mayor, City of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
City of Providence, Rhode Island
John Clark, Mayor, Town of Ridgway, Colorado
City of Rochester, New York
City of Sacramento, California
City and County of San Francisco, California
City of Santa Monica, California
Constantine H. Kutteh, Mayor, City of Statesville, North Carolina
Lisa Brown, Mayor, City of Spokane, Washington
Tishaura O. Jones, Mayor, City of St. Louis, Missouri
City of St. Paul, Minnesota
Dennis R. McBride, Mayor, City of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin

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Shannon Mattern @shannonmattern.bsky.social · 22/02/2025

Re-sharing – now without the editorializing! “On Friday, Penn notified department chairs that it will cut admissions across graduate programs, a decision faculty members say was made after programs had already accepted students.”

thedp.com

Penn to reduce graduate admissions, rescind acceptances amid federal research funding cuts

Penn notified department chairs that it will cut admissions across graduate programs — a decision faculty members say will force them to rescind offers from newly-accepted students.

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Kristen Brennand @kristenbrennand.bsky.social · 21/02/2025

If you're looking to understand HOW the Trump administration is effectively pausing grant funding (direct and indirect), this is a great read.

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Nature @nature.com · 20/02/2025

A two-and-a-half-year-old girl shows no signs of a rare genetic disorder, after becoming the first person to be treated for the motor-neuron condition while in the womb. go.nature.com/41a7Zzj

go.nature.com

Rare genetic disorder treated in womb for the first time

The child, who is now almost three years old, shows no signs of the often fatal motor neuron disease.

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Dr. Lucky Tran @luckytran.com · 18/02/2025

TOMORROW (WED): Rallies are being held across the country to protest the funding cuts to science and the illegal firing of federal workers. Please join if you can. We need to show that many people oppose these destructive attacks on science and healthcare. Details: labor4highered.org

HANDS OFF! OUR HEALTHCARE, RESEARCH, JOBS

National Day of Action
February 19
labor4highered.org

Atlanta, GA - Sam Nunn Atlanta Federal Center, 12 pm

Austin, TX - UT Austin

Boston, MA - JFK Federal Building, 3 pm

Chicago, IL - 828 S Wolcott Av, 10 am

Los Angeles, CA

Newark, NJ - Smith Library, Rutgers Medical School, 11 am

New Brunswick, NJ - Life Science Building Atrium, Busch Campus, 12 pm

New Haven, CT - New Haven Green, 5:15 pm

New York, NY - Washington Square Park, 4 pm

Twin Cities, MN - Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, 11 am

Philadelphia, PA - Center City, 12 pm

Seattle, WA - University of Washington Main Campus
Time: 12 p.m.

State College, PA - Senator McCormick’s Penn State Office, 12 pm

St. Louis, MO - Both WashU campuses, 3 pm

Washington, DC - HHS Building, 3pm

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The Transmitter @thetransmitter.bsky.social · 18/02/2025

A large portion of grants awarded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health cannot be funded for the foreseeable future because of an indefinite hold on submissions to the Federal Register, according to an email reviewed by The Transmitter. By @avaskham.bsky.social bit.ly/3X8ngz8

thetransmitter.org

Federal Register hold makes ‘end run’ around court pause on NIH funding freeze

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Dr. Lucky Tran @luckytran.com · 18/02/2025

ACTION THIS WEDNESDAY: Researchers from New York universities are holding a rally to protest the funding cuts at Washington Square Park at 4 pm. This will be part of a national day of action, with rallies at HHS in DC and all around the country. RSVP HERE: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

ACADEMIC WORKERS UNITE!
DEFEND PUBLIC
RESEARCH FUNDING
JOIN THE NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION
FEBRUARY 19, 4:00PM
WASHINGTON SQUARE PARK

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Kristen Brennand @kristenbrennand.bsky.social · 18/02/2025

This is a big loss for our future scientists. I have mentored many students trained through this program.

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Will Ratcliff @wcratcliff.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

This is wild- I didn't realize how this all works. The NIGMS council meeting for Feb 6 (register entry below) can only be rescheduled after being put on the Federal Register. I guess I have a new website to compulsively check now... www.federalregister.gov/documents/20...

federalregister.gov

National Institute of General Medical Sciences; Notice of Meeting

Search, browse and learn about the Federal Register. Federal Register 2.0 is the unofficial daily publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of Federal agencies and organizations, as well as e...

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ACNP @acnporg.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

The ACNP has joined forces with other brain and behavior organizations in opposition of the NIH imposed standard indirect cost rate. acnp.org/about-us/st...

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Society for Neuroscience @sfn.org · 11/02/2025

The NIH’s new imposed standard indirect cost rate threatens life-saving brain & behavior research that benefits millions of Americans. SfN, with other scientific organizations,urge reversal of this policy & implore Congress to protect critical research infrastructure. Full statement: bit.ly/4jVJnCL

bit.ly

Statement on the NIH Imposed Standard Indirect Cost Rate

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Kristen Brennand @kristenbrennand.bsky.social · 16/02/2025

Beyond cuts to NIH, pay attention to what is happening at the Department of Education. This affects admissions, student groups, and so much more more.

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Abraham Palmer @abepalmer.bsky.social · 16/02/2025

*This is the most important story of the weekend.* It creates a mechanism to withhold federal funding from some universities (blue states?) but restore it to others (red states?). It comes just before congress needs to pass a budget. Ask yourself why. www.insidehighered.com/news/diversi...

insidehighered.com

Trump admin threatens to rescind federal funds over DEI

In a sweeping and unprecedented letter issued over the weekend, the Office for Civil Rights declared race-based scholarships, cultural centers and even graduation ceremonies illegal.

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NIH Fellows United @nihfellowsunited.bsky.social · 10/02/2025

📢FUND DON’T FREEZE!📢 Join researchers and academics in DC on February 19th at 12 PM to stand up for research, education, and jobs! Federal attacks on science and academia put all of our futures at risk - let’s show them we won’t back down! RSVP Here: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

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Kristen Brennand @kristenbrennand.bsky.social · 16/02/2025

Wow. I’m heartbroken to hear this. At the individual level, so much unnecessary pain and upheaval to talented young scientists (and some senior ones too). And at the institutional level, it will take years to recover, if ever.

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Ezra Levin ❌👑 @ezralevin.bsky.social · 14/02/2025

I really just cannot brag enough about how good this new @indivisible.org resource on next week's congressional recess is. If you're looking for practical ideas about what you can actually do in this moment, check it out: indivisi.org/muskorus

indivisi.org

Musk or Us Congressional Recess Toolkit

REACH OUT TO INDIVISIBLE ON REGISTER YOUR EVENT ON MOBILIZE NOW Members of the House of Representatives will be back on your home turf from Friday, February 14th, through Sunday, February 23rd, a...

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