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Dr. Kyle A. Floyd

@lifeofpili.bsky.social
400 followers 400 following 10 posts

Assistant Professor of Microbiology in the School of Biological Sciences at Illinois State University. Fascinated by all things biofilm and pili! 🏳️‍🌈👨‍🔬🧫🧬 #floydlab #greatvibrios #lifeofpili #uISU

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Dr. Kyle A. Floyd @lifeofpili.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
The first Floyd Lab manuscript has officially hit bioRxiv!! Check it out to learn about how temperature and salinity impact type IV MSHA pili in Vibrio cholerae. Here's hoping for a smooth review process 😜
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Dr. Vin Gupta @vinguptamd.bsky.social · 02/10/2025
On Monday, RFK posted a rambling video on the HHS X account showing a series of graphs and directly stating that vaccines have had minimal impact on human health and saving lives. Today, in response, we brought our own graphs. We will not let his dangerous nonsense go unanswered.
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 28/08/2025
Dear people who are saying that the CDC directors who quit yesterday should have “stayed and fought”, With all due respect, you do not grasp the magnitude of the problem of RFK Jr. He is asking them to do unethical and immoral things that will actively harm the people of the United States. 1/3
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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 15/08/2025
Here is the Priorities document (long thread) 1/n
Dear Colleagues:
I am sending this memo to clarify our priorities and ensure efforts to fulfill our mission are aligned across the agency. I want to start by expressing my gratitude for your advice and input thus far, and I look forward to our continued collaboration. I have had the opportunity now to visit labs and meet with teams across the agency, and I am constantly impressed. It is a privilege to work with such a dedicated and talented staff.
I recognize that several new initiatives and policies have been implemented in a short period of time, and there has been some confusion due to inaccurate media reports and rumors. Therefore, I have outlined select agency priorities at the end of this note to ensure you have a clearer picture of our rationale and objectives. I do not mean this memo to be an exhaustive list of all agency priorities, but rather a select list of topics that require our particular attention and focus while continuing the other important work you are all doing. This memo will help to ensure NIH supports only high-quality projects selected based on the merit of the science and that are aligned with our mission to generate data that can improve the health of all of the American people. I ask each of you to use this guidance when reviewing your intramural and extramural research portfolios and making decisions about your future programs.
In recent weeks, it has come to my attention that some at NIH and in the scientific community believe that there are “banned words” or some level of censorship of science ongoing or planned. This is simply untrue. I have advocated for academic freedom throughout my career, with a particular public focus in the last five years. My position has not changed; scientists must be allowed to pursue their ideas free of censorship or control by others. They must be able to express their scientific opinions and challenge scientific dogma.
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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 13/08/2025
Important note from inside NIH New grants policy terms may lead to terminations after October 1st. Don't panic, but do realize that this is a possibility.
media.tenor.com
a close up of a brown surface with a few spots
ALT: a close up of a brown surface with a few spots
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2025 10th ASM Conference on Biofilms @asmbiofilms2025.bsky.social · 08/08/2025
What to expect at the ASM Biofilms Conference #ASMBiofilms
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Vaughn Cooper @vscooper.micropopbio.org · 08/08/2025
“Grant review by political appointees will further impede the work of the scientific community to provide solutions and fight public health threats. With strong and responsible oversight, we need to harness—not suppress—all perspectives and approaches in the effort to solve these problems.”
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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 07/08/2025
Well, this is a huge Executive Order power grab... www.whitehouse.gov/presidential... 1/3
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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Carl T. Bergstrom @carlbergstrom.com · 08/08/2025
1. Federal funding for research promotes tech, biomedical, and scientific discovery in the US, and provides training for the sci/tech workforce that has brought immeasurable wealth to the US over the past 75 years. Today's executive order includes a provision that will obliterate both functions.
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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Ian L Morgan @ianlmorgan.bsky.social · 31/07/2025
Public pressure works. The Senate proposed FY26 funding for the NIH that is being voted on today includes a $400 million increase. Keep up the great work everyone, call your house representatives and make sure this passes through the full Senate.
appropriations.senate.gov
Senator Murray Opening Remarks at Full Committee Mark Up of Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Bills | United States Senate Committee on Appropriations
United States Senate Committee on Appropriations
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Vaughn Cooper @vscooper.micropopbio.org · 30/07/2025
Let's please keep the remaining staff at NIH, NSF, etc in our thoughts even as you lose sleep over your own lab and scientific career. They are enduring pure chaos to try to hold the fort. See snapshot from wapo.st/4feKKuu (gift 🔗) saying they are "barely holding it together"
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2025 10th ASM Conference on Biofilms @asmbiofilms2025.bsky.social · 23/07/2025
Just a reminder - The abstract submission deadline for the 10th ASM Conference on Biofilms (11/09-13) is August 6! Get yours submitted soon! #ASMBiofilms
asm.org
ASM Conference on Biofilms
Biofilms have a tremendous impact on industrial, clinical and natural environments. The ASM Conference on Biofilms will provide an interdisciplinary platform to discuss the latest biofilm research.
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Nature @nature.com · 23/07/2025
These members of the NIH Council of Councils are voicing serious concerns about NIH grant terminations, restructure, and budget cuts go.nature.com/46Vr8t2
go.nature.com
Protect the integrity of the US National Institutes of Health
Letter to the Editor
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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 08/07/2025
Well, this happened yesterday... www.drugdiscoverytrends.com/nih-announce... I assume that this pertains only to applications that focus on therapeutic development and not those addressing fundamental biology or mechanism. But I am wary about making assumptions... 1/2
drugdiscoverytrends.com
NIH announces end to funding for animal-only studies - Drug Discovery and Development
Drug Discovery and Development covers strategies and technologies related to pharmaceutical research and development and drug formulation.
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Nature Portfolio @natureportfolio.nature.com · 29/06/2025
Starting July 1, researchers funded by the US National Institutes of Health will be required to make their scientific papers available to read for free as soon as they are published in a peer-reviewed journal. Nature asks experts what researchers need to know about the NIH policy. #Academicsky 🧪
go.nature.com
NIH-funded science must now be free to read instantly: what you should know
US biomedical agency’s public-access policy kicks in on 1 July. Nature talks to specialists about how to comply.
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Dr Alessio Veneziano @aveneziano.bsky.social · 15/06/2025
.............. 🧪
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Askme @askme99.bsky.social · 13/06/2025
Unsung hero of WWII
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Senator Martin Heinrich @heinrich.senate.gov · 03/06/2025
Harvey Milk served his country honorably — first in uniform, then in public office. Taking his name off this Navy ship sends a clear message, and it’s one of disrespect and cruelty.
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ASM @asm.org · 02/06/2025
ASM maintains the critical need for a budget agreement that supports funding levels that will allow the U.S. to maintain its position as a scientific leader and address the public health needs of the American people. Read our statement: asm.org/press-releas...
asm.org
ASM Calls on Congress: Reject Drastic Science & Health Cuts
The American Society for Microbiology urges Congress to reject the proposed steep cuts to scientific research and public health in the President’s FY2026 budget.
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ᐯIᑕTOᖇ ᑎIᘔET, ᗰᗪ @nizet.bsky.social · 01/06/2025
commemorating pride from the clinical microbiology lab
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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 02/06/2025
JAMA Forum on the proposed NIH budget… jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
jamanetwork.com
Cutting the NIH—The $8 Trillion Health Care Catastrophe
This JAMA Forum discusses the recent budget cuts to National Institutes of Health (NIH), the effects of these cuts on scientific research and health of individuals in the US, and the prospects for cha...
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PLOS Biology @plosbiology.org · 19/05/2025
Bacterial biofilms are important for disease development. This study develops imaging tech to probe spatiotemporal patterns of #Vibrio cholerae #biofilm gene expression, showing that temporal & spatial patterns are established by QS & c-di-GMP, respectively @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/3Fga1GX
Representative images showing DAPI, and rbmA, rbmC, bap1, and vpsR smFISH fluorescence signals and heatmaps of per-cell-volume fluorescence signal as a function of x, y position for n = 5 replicate WT V. cholerae biofilms with the largest biovolumes. Scale bars represent 5 µm.
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Rachael French @drrachaelf.bsky.social · 16/05/2025
OMG, this. One thing I keep saying, as a department chair with like 10 untenured faculty to support, is that telling people to spend their very limited time applying for grants they have near-zero chance of getting is cruel and suggests a lack of empathy.
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 17/05/2025
There’s been some “advice” coming from some quarters for scientists not to focus on DEI-related funding cuts. I wholly reject this concept. Cutting programs designed to reduce science and healthcare disparities is as detrimental to science as anything else, both morally and functionally.
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sahareeti.bsky.social @sahareeti.bsky.social · 11/05/2025
Thank you for pushing me consistently, to think, to learn and execute. Everything that I know today is because of you My Guardian Angel, My BOSSS! Thank you for the incredible mentorship. You are the best!!!! @lifeofpili.bsky.social
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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 09/05/2025
Well this is truly insane...
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Onisillos @onisillos.bsky.social · 08/05/2025
Who saw this coming? 😐 "The lab-leak narrative is now the justification used to shut down infectious-disease research" www.nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com
Trump freezes ‘gain of function’ pathogen research ― threatening all US virology, critics say
An executive order suspends the use of federal funds for certain experiments on pathogens with pandemic potential. Critics say low-risk science could be affected too.
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2025 10th ASM Conference on Biofilms @asmbiofilms2025.bsky.social · 07/05/2025
The ASM Biofilminar which was held on Wednesday April 23 was recorded, and this is now freely available on the ASM Biofilms website. #ASMBiofilms Fantastic biofilm talks from our 4 guest speakers, Akos Kovacs, Juliet Johnston, Raphael Dias Teixeira, and Boo Shan Tseng. asm.org/events/asm-b...
asm.org
ASM Conference on Biofilms
Biofilms have a tremendous impact on industrial, clinical and natural environments. The ASM Conference on Biofilms will provide an interdisciplinary platform to discuss the latest biofilm research.
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sahareeti.bsky.social @sahareeti.bsky.social · 08/05/2025
@lifeofpili.bsky.social Deeply grateful to you, BOSS, for not only the science but also for being my anchor during life's storms. Your mentorship has been invaluable. 3yrs of building the lab from scratch to having 3 manuscripts in pipeline now, Floyd lab has come a long way!
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Dr. Kyle A. Floyd @lifeofpili.bsky.social · 07/05/2025
A very big CONGRATULATIONS to the first alum of The Floyd Lab. Anindita Saha successfully defended her MS thesis today!!! Wishing her all the best as she moves forward in her science journey!!! #greatvibs #floydlab #ISU
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ASM @asm.org · 06/05/2025
The American Society for Microbiology is committed to ensuring that scientific research is conducted adhering to strict standards for biosafety and biosecurity, but pausing research is not the path forward. Read our statement: asm.org/press-releas...
asm.org
Pausing Research Not a Path to Better Biosafety & Biosecurity
The American Society for Microbiology is committed to ensuring that scientific research is conducted adhering to strict standards for biosafety and biosecurity.
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Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
Now that the policy is out, we've rolled out an updated version of the story. bsky.app/profile/maxk...
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Stand Up for Science! @standupforscience.net · 02/05/2025
🔔BREAKING🔔 The NSF has frozen all research grant awards—cutting off life-saving science midstream and demanding ideological screenings for future funding. This is censorship disguised as oversight. Here’s how you can help us spread the word ➡️🧵(1/3): www.nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com
Exclusive: NSF stops awarding new grants and funding existing ones
US science funder also plans to screen grant applications for compliance with ‘agency priorities’.
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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
Quite a thread…
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Richard Lenski @relenski.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
"A report by economists at American University in Washington DC estimates that a 50% reduction in federal science funding would reduce the US gross domestic product by approximately 7.6%." Science is an amazing engine of economic activity and progress for the US ... or at least it was.
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ASM @asm.org · 28/04/2025
Call for Abstracts now open for the 2025 ASM Conference on Biofilms! Submit your abstract and showcase your innovative research to a global audience of peers and professionals. 📢 Submit your research: asm.social/2o5
ASM Conference on Biofilms 2025 call for abstracts now open.
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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
ATTENTION: NSF GRANT RECIPIENTS We received a heads up from a trusted source that you should proactively download/print/screen shot any documentation on research.gov pertaining to your NSF awards, both those that are current and any that have closed in the last 5-6 years. 1/n
media.tenor.com
a cartoon of a man holding a frying pan and a spoon with red alert written above him
ALT: a cartoon of a man holding a frying pan and a spoon with red alert written above him
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Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 24/04/2025
They're going after the accreditation of universities and threatening to revoke the ability of accreditors if they don't crack down on DEI and LGBTQ people in academia. www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...
whitehouse.gov
Reforming Accreditation to Strengthen Higher Education
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1.
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Lori L. Burrows @dr-lori-burrows.bsky.social · 22/04/2025
Nifty - circular pilins! Cryo-EM structure of the conjugation H-pilus reveals the cyclic nature of the TrhA pilin | PNAS www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
pnas.org
PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...
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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 22/04/2025
I received this letter, sent to 11 Republican members of Congress this weekend from anonymous NIHers. 1/n .
A letter to Republican Senators from concerned federal workers at NIH.
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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 21/04/2025
NIH just posted a Notice with the new Terms and Conditions... grants.nih.gov/grants/guide...
grants.nih.gov
NOT-OD-25-090: Notice of Civil Rights Term and Condition of Award
NIH Funding Opportunities and Notices in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts: Notice of Civil Rights Term and Condition of Award NOT-OD-25-090. NIH
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Animalcules @bacteriophile.bsky.social · 20/04/2025
Co-zorbs: Motile, multispecies biofilms aid transport of diverse bacterial species | PNAS www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
pnas.org
Co-zorbs: Motile, multispecies biofilms aid transport of diverse bacterial species | PNAS
Biofilms are three-dimensional structures containing one or more bacterial species embedded in extracellular polymeric substances. Although most bi...
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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 17/04/2025
STAT article out about the passback budget and the NIH organization and proposed budget cuts. www.statnews.com/2025/04/16/t...
statnews.com
Trump budget draft proposes NIH consolidation and 40% spending cut
Draft Trump budget proposes a $20 billion NIH budget cut in 2026 and a sweeping consolidation
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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 09/04/2025
Next up: Cornell and Northwestern... www.nytimes.com/2025/04/08/u...
nytimes.com
Trump Officials Freeze $1 Billion for Cornell and $790 Million for Northwestern (Gift Article)
The funding pause amid civil rights investigations into both universities sharply escalates the Trump administration’s campaign against elite colleges.
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George Takei @georgetakei.bsky.social · 07/04/2025
A reminder that if the government can send migrants to a prison camp without any due process, it can send U.S. citizens there, too. I know because this happened to me and my family in 1942.
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Nature @nature.com · 28/03/2025
“The general public thinks that if you’re a college professor, you get paid by the school,” says Zoe McElligott, who studies neural circuits at a state university. But for 'soft money' faculty members, that’s not the case. go.nature.com/4jcrDSA
go.nature.com
These US labs risk imminent closure after Trump cuts
US researchers who must forage for their own salary by finding grants fear they will be the first to go as federal research dollars disappear.
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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 29/03/2025
From my perspective, this document shows such profound misunderstandings of NIH and science I really don't know what to say It is a collection of bad ideas strung together around irritation around the response to the Covid pandemic (which NIH actually had little to do with) Overall Impact Score: 9
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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 28/03/2025
Powerful new Washington Post story up... wapo.st/426d9fT (Gift link) 1/n
wapo.st
Trump promised scientific breakthroughs. Researchers say he’s breaking science.
NIH funding for biomedical research has abruptly fallen by billions of dollars, with many grant decisions on hold. Trump officials say they’re reviewing the agency.
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Annika Barber @annikabarber.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
How do I even put "my doctoral students could not achieve their full scientific potential because they had to worry ICE would abduct them off the street while getting to lab" into a tenure impact statement?
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eLife @elife.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
You can now explore all seven articles in our 'Science Under Threat in the US' collection and our thread below 👇 #StandUpForScience elifesciences.org/collections/...
elifesciences.org
Science Under Threat in the US
The new administration in the US is conducting an assault on science and scientists – how should the scientific community respond?
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