iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Julian Resasco @julianresasco.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

I’m recruiting a grad student to join our lab at CU-Boulder in Fall 2027. I’m especially interested in students excited about insect community ecology and biodiversity, sp. interactions, and landscape connectivity. Please share with students who may be interested! www.colorado.edu/lab/resasco/...

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William H. Grover @wgrover.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Happy 60 years of #StarTrek! In honor of Gene Roddenberry's show, I figured I'd dust off my blog post about the time he filmed the pilot of another (slightly less famous) show at UC Riverside: groverlab.org/hnbfpr/2019-...

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Advyth Ramachandran @advyth.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

Are you going to be at #ESA2026 in #SaltLakeCity this week? Are you interested in grassland fire? Come join a Special Session on Grassland Wildfire at the WUI (and beyond!), co-organized by @hennhouse.bsky.social and I! Session is Thursday, July 30 at 11:45 AM (events.rdmobile.com/Sessions/Det...).

Grass sample burns in an experimental set-up.

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Dr. Stepfanie Aguillón 😷 @s-m-aguillon.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Interested in joining a growing lab in LA? We’re hiring a postdoc!! Please spread the word to folks in your network and feel free to get in touch with any questions recruit.apo.ucla.edu/JPF11142

Colorful advertisement for the position that reads:

We’re seeking a new Postdoctoral Scholar to lead the analysis and publication of whole-genome sequencing datasets from the northern flicker hybrid zone.

This is a two-year appointment based in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UCLA. Start date is flexible and can begin as early as October 2026.

Basic Qualifications:
• PhD in evolutionary biology, ecology, genomics, or a related field by appointment start date
• Demonstrated ability to work with sequencing datasets
• Strong writing skills with a record of peer-reviewed publications
• Ability to lead independent projects and work collaboratively

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Joey Esposito @joeyesposito.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

if you see me at SDCC and ask for one of these i will give you one

AI is for hacks & fascists sticker by soup dad comics

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Marko Spasojevic @m-j-spasojevic.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

New paper from the lab by Erin McCann!! Facilitation influences when trees grow, but not growth rate in a dry temperate forest besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Facilitation influences when trees grow, but not growth rate in a dry temperate forest

Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

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Iris van Rooij 💭 @irisvanrooij.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

What a surprise ….. “Is AI ruining our skills? Early results are in — and they’re not good Reliance on artificial-intelligence tools degrades the abilities of physicians and software engineers, studies show.” www.nature.com/articles/d41...

nature.com

Is AI ruining our skills? Early results are in — and they’re not good

Reliance on artificial-intelligence tools degrades the abilities of physicians and software engineers, studies show.

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INSTAAR @instaar.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

For decades, cheatgrass has remained one of the most notorious invasive plants in the American West. But here in the foothills of Colorado's Front Range, the story may be more complicated. New research suggests native species can slowly reclaim territory without intervention.

colorado.edu

Herbicide spraying for cheatgrass not always necessary, new research shows (CU Boulder Today)

A new study from INSTAAR suggests that native species may be able to outcompete cheatgrass in Colorado's Front Range. The findings could inform future efforts

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Marko Spasojevic @m-j-spasojevic.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

Check out our new paper on integrating experimental and observational approaches to facilitate the scaling of species interactions to biodiversity patterns @funecology.bsky.social besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Integrating experimental and observational approaches facilitates scaling species interactions to biodiversity patterns

Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

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Dr. Stepfanie Aguillón 😷 @s-m-aguillon.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

Support science in California!! Now's the time to contact your state reps and voice your support! You can learn more and easily send an email here: www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/investi...

universityofcalifornia.edu

Investing in the future of California science

UC is co-sponsoring Senate Bill 895, a critical effort to sustain world-changing research that fuels the fourth-largest economy in the world and supports the quality of life for all Californians.

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INSTAAR @instaar.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

Nancy Emery kicked off the Mountain Research Station summer seminar series last night with a talk on the Niwot Ridge LTER and plant community ecology. Join us at the station every Wednesday from now through August 26. Or sign up for a guided walk on mycology, natural history, orchids and more!

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Marko Spasojevic @m-j-spasojevic.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

Highlights from our camera traps in the Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Park in Riverside CA. youtu.be/vOB2_bimE0U

youtu.be

What's wild in Sycamore Canyon (early 2026 highlights)

YouTube video by Spasojevic Ecology Lab

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Alexandra Witze @alexwitze.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

NCAR just won in court! A US district judge in Colorado has prohibited NSF from taking #NCAR apart, specifically in spalling off its supercomputing center in Wyoming. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us... Our earlier story on this and why it matters: www.nature.com/articles/d41... 🧪

nature.com

World-leading climate centre takes Trump administration to court

Universities that run the National Center for Atmospheric Research want to keep it from being dismantled.

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elizabethginexi.bsky.social @elizabethginexi.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

Calling all Scientists! Research Administrators! Deans! Fans of Science! No one is coming to save us. Here is your assignment. I have written a step by step, easy to understand "how-to" document to help you comment on the proposed OMB rule. elizabethginexi.substack.com/p/what-we-ne...

elizabethginexi.substack.com

What We Need to do NEXT: OMB’s Proposed Federal Financial Assistance Rule (OMB 2026-10817)

What OMB’s Proposed Federal Financial Assistance Rule Means in Practice

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Jonathan Myers @jamyersecology.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

Honored to have one of my photos on the cover of @nature.com And thrilled to be part of this #ForestGEO study led by Yuanzhi Li and Chengjin Chu 🌴 🌳 🌐 doi.org/10.1038/s415... Photo caption: Sunrise over a tropical forest near Danum Valley Field Centre, Sabah, Malaysia

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Joel Sachs @sachslab.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

Dear Colleagues, It is with immense sadness and shock that I share the passing of Dr. Adriana Romero Olivares, a brand-new Assistant Professor in the Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology at UC Riverside. www.mealtrain.com/trains/l3kg64

mealtrain.com

Meal Train for Jovani Catalan (Spouse of Adriana Romero Olivares)

Hi all, Please help out the family of Adriana Romero Olivares. Her husband, Jovani, and kids can be helped with meals over the next weeks as Adriana recovers.

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Dr. Asmeret Asefaw Berhe @aaberhe.com · 29/04/2026

Prof. Adriana Romero-Olivares, UC Riverside, was doing incredible work on how fungi and ecosystems respond to global change. A rising voice, a dynamic scientist and educator, a young mother, wife and daughter gone far too soon. A huge loss. Her family, students and community are in my thoughts.

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Long Term Ecological Research Network (United States) @uslter.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

Hey y'all. Love all the love for the program (we're pretty proud of it too). But the fact that the solicitation is archived does NOT mean that the program is shutting down. We're hanging in there, struggling through the uncertainty with everyone else.

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Marko Spasojevic @m-j-spasojevic.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

Do you love long term biodiversity monitoring? If so please donate to our long term wildlife monitoring project. The Inland Empire of Southern California has been underserved by NSF and we'd appreciate any thing you can do to help (even just sharing this post) www.givecampus.com/schools/Univ...

givecampus.com

What's Wild in Riverside

Join me and make a gift to 2026 UCR Give Day!

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Marko Spasojevic @m-j-spasojevic.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

LTER has been archived for about a year now. It’s normal between solicitations. LTER is still here.

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Marko Spasojevic @m-j-spasojevic.bsky.social · 01/01/2026

youtu.be/r3wsnirQOXQ?... Check out our highlights and subscribe to see what is wild in Riverside in 2026. We have partnered with city parks to add cameras to Sycamore Canyon and will be working with the county to start monitoring donkey populations across Riverside.

youtu.be

Wild Riverside's best clips of 2025

YouTube video by Spasojevic Ecology Lab

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INSTAAR @instaar.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

🙏🏽 A big thank you to Andrew Mayock, @colorado.edu's VC for Sustainability. He recently toured the Mountain Research Station & the Tundra Lab at Niwot Ridge, meeting with INSTAAR faculty & discussing future collaborations. Read our story about his visit: www.colorado.edu/instaar/2025...

colorado.edu

Vice chancellor for sustainability visits the Mountain Research Station and Niwot Ridge

CU Boulder’s Andrew Mayock recently toured the Mountain Research Station, a high-altitude climate station and the Tundra Lab at Niwot Ridge. INSTAAR faculty

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Seema Sheth @seemasheth.bsky.social · 29/04/2025

We begin reviewing applications next week!

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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez @aoc.bsky.social · 07/02/2025

Hell yeah. Hold the line. This is what we need people to do. Slow things down, don’t comply in advance so the courts have time to stop them. It’s starting to work.

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Terry McGlynn @hormiga.bsky.social · 08/02/2025

I've been seen lots of feckless despair and detachedness among scientists in the US at the moment. How we might live up to this critical moment when things seem the worst. scienceforeveryone.science/p/how-ive-be... 🧪

scienceforeveryone.science

How I've been thinking about all of the rapid horrible changes in the United States

I'm not telling you how to think or feel, but maybe letting you know where I'm at might be useful.

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Rachel Mitchell @funeco.bsky.social · 04/02/2025

The criteria for flagging grants: “broadening participation” language, foreign assistance, climate science, domestic energy, and “discriminatory programs, including illegal DEI”. “To see ‘women’ and ‘woman’ and ‘people of colour’— that was a gut punch," www.nature.com/articles/d41...

nature.com

Exclusive: how NSF is scouring research grants for violations of Trump’s orders

The US National Science Foundation has unfrozen grant funding, but it continues to scrutinize research projects, sowing turmoil.

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Carl T. Bergstrom @carlbergstrom.com · 02/02/2025

NSF FUNDING FREEZE UPDATE I received this email from the NSF about 45 minutes ago. Attached are the links. I believe this should restore trainee funding but await confirmation on that. nsf-gov-resources.nsf.gov/files/TRO-NY... new.nsf.gov/executive-or...

MESSAGE to the NSF PI Community,

On Friday, January 31, 2025, a Federal Court issued a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) directing Federal grant-making agencies, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), to “...not pause, freeze, impede, block, cancel, or terminate... awards and obligations to provide federal financial assistance to the States, and... not impede the States’ access to such awards and obligations, except on the basis of the applicable authorizing statutes, regulations, and terms.” Although the language of the TRO is directed at State institutions, the Department of Justice has determined that it applies to all NSF award recipients. You can review the TRO here.

In order to comply with the TRO, the NSF Award Cash Management Service (ACM$) system is available for awardees to request payments as of 12:00pm EST, February 2, 2025.

This message is also available on the Executive Order Implementation webpage. Please check back regularly as we add frequently asked questions (FAQs) based on community feedback.

Sethuraman Panchanathan
Director

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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez @aoc.bsky.social · 31/01/2025

I honestly believe our most powerful position in a toxic time that feeds on cynicism, apathy,& despair is to genuinely care and act for a better world. Cynicism is our enemy. We should check it, incl. on the left. It’s not intellectually superior. It’s the virus they’re trying to infect us with. NO

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Dr. Davey F. Wright ⛏️🦕🧬 @daveyfwright.bsky.social · 31/01/2025

Also worth keeping in mind: every program director, program officer, and other NSF staff I've ever interacted with are kind, thoughtful, & professional. They are working through a challenging situation & deserve kindness on the other side of this. Direct anger & frustration at leadership, not them

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Matt Betts @mattbetts42.bsky.social · 31/01/2025

This is causing major issues for us at the HJ Andrews LTER. Possible disruptions to >40 years of data on water, tree growth and survival, ecosystem response to fire. As well as three long-term employees whose livelihoods are now uncertain.

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Marko Spasojevic @m-j-spasojevic.bsky.social · 31/01/2025

Where are our leaders? Why aren’t our societies having a joint press conference on the steps of NSF? Why aren’t they organizing a march on NSF? Why aren’t they sending us call scripts? What are ESA and AGU doing? As far as I can tell, nothing

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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez @aoc.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

Yes, this administration is dangerous and cruel, but they are also shockingly dim and incompetent. Opportunities are everywhere. Make everything as hard as possible. Resist every demand. Refuse entry without a warrant. Don’t take the buyout. Their problem solving skills are 📉

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Jalene LaMontagne @jalene-lamontagne.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

Lots! Recently, our @uslter.bsky.social Synthesis Working Group published a synthesis paper in an #EcologyLetters Very Long-Term Data special issue! We explored a new area of research, looking at Community-Level synchrony in woody plant reproduction. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

A map showing 7 long-term ecological research sites in the US, and graphs showing varying synchrony in reproduction of woody plants.

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Leslie Rissler @ljrissler.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

The Oath of Office taken by me and my colleagues at the NSF - “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; …”

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Marko Spasojevic @m-j-spasojevic.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

Long thread but hear me out. If we keep trying to play by the old rules we lose. We can’t keep turning to the rules and crying foul, hoping they suddenly start following them.

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Ben Stone @benstemon.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

NSF PRFB POSTDOCS: Pull the remainder of this funding cycle’s stipend, all remaining research funds, and all remaining travel funds (if you have them). Do it before 5PM today. Per instructions from multiple NSF POs. If you’re not already on the PRFB slack, DM me and I’ll send you an invite

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Rebecca Solnit @rebeccasolnit.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

Hi that was a coup last night in case no one mentioned that to you. The executive branch seized the power of the purse the Constitution gave to Congress, which is a pretty authoritarian / illegal consolidation of powers move. Time to go yell at your reps, the media, etc.

Hey friends! We're seeing a lot of terrible things. We're not able to cover all of them, but we felt this latest one is a really big deal and needs much more awareness.

Our summary is this: It's an administrative coup. Trump has ordered tens of billions (maybe up to $3 trillion) of budget halted indefinitely in a blatantly illegal move. He's claiming power to halt and potentially redirect funding that's already been authorized by Congress — a classic authoritarian move.

Here's what we know. And we're doing our best to catch up with this story, because it's moving fast.

There's a memo from Matthew Vaeth, the acting head of the Office of Management and Budget. (That's the same government entity who set-up the DEI "snitch" line, that's now been spammed by tens of thousands of our fellow residents.)

In typical Trump-style, the memo gets its facts wrong. It claims in FY2024 the US government spent $10 trillion (actually it was $6.8 trillion). It says money should be used for the administration's priorities — "The use of Federal resources to advance Marxist equity, transgenderism, and green new deal social engineering policies is a waste of taxpayer dollars that does not improve the day-to-day lives of those we serve." (Again, it's very fact deficient.)

The memo says a pause will begin at 5pm on January 28th where, "Federal agencies must temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance, and other relevant agency activities that may be implicated by the executive orders, including, but not limited to, financial assistance for foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, DEI, woke gender ideology, and the green new deal."

Anyone promised federal grants might have their money at risk, even states. This is Congressional directed spending and Trump is ordering people to not do it. This funding includes universities for education and research programs, nonprofits, local and tribal governments, disaster relief aid, e…

So what can we do?

It's been a lot. And the shock approach of this administration is to overwhelm us with nonsense and a state of paralysis. We continue to believe the best thing is to stay grounded and keep yourself sane amidst insanity.

At this juncture, three actions we suggest that make sense to us:

1) Urge media to cover this story properly

This is not "possibly illegal" — it's "patently illegal." You can read notes on that here.

It's not "temporary" — it's "indefinite." There's no timetable for ending it.

It's not just a memo — it's an administrative coup.

2) Urge your Representatives to act like this is a big deal

If you know us, this isn't a knee-jerk action we suggest. We think this is a strategic because it's Congress that's being violated — their power is being directly undermined.

3) Continue to support ACLU and Democracy Forward

These groups have been preparing litigation for some time. Unless Trump revokes this, this will certainly make its way through the courts. Our read is even the biased courts will have trouble swallowing this — so it may end up being shut down.

Keep breathing. “Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again," Nelson Mandela.

Warmly,

- Choose Democracy

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Marko Spasojevic @m-j-spasojevic.bsky.social · 26/01/2025

A few highlights from our camera traps. We pulled the SD cards after a month because of the high winds. 2 SD cars were stollen, 1 was fully corrupted and 1 was partially corrupted. still a few good shots youtu.be/D9-PLa1j-wo?...

youtu.be

Forest Camera Trap Highlights - early winter 2025

YouTube video by Spasojevic Ecology Lab

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drug doc @pkpd-babe.bsky.social · 25/01/2025

1. Pace yourself. Things are awful, but you cannot sustainably stay in a doom spiral. 2. Don’t reinvent the wheel. Organizers have been in these spaces for years. See what is already happening and how you can help. 3. Don’t feel guilty for taking care of yourself. Step back then rejoin when ready.

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INSTAAR @instaar.bsky.social · 23/01/2025

📢 Applications are open for INSTAAR's 2025 Summer Scholars program to support grad student research at CU Boulder. This week, we sat down with 2024 recipients NATALIE ARANDA & JED LENETSKY to learn more about their experience www.colorado.edu/instaar/2025...

colorado.edu

INSTAAR’s summer scholarship is open (plus a Q&A with last-year’s cohort)

INSTAAR is now accepting applications for the 2025 Summer Scholars cohortEach year, the scholarship provides funding for two CU Boulder graduate students to

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Alyson Smith @pedsaly.bsky.social · 23/01/2025

The antidote for despair is action ❤️ * Dial (202) 224-3121 * Enter zip code * Leave voicemail * Say “My name is ___, I’m a constituent in [town]. (If clinician/scientist, say so) “The NIH freeze harms research and patients and must be lifted immediately.” Be brief. Staffers tally all calls. Go! ✅

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Long Term Ecological Research Network (United States) @uslter.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

We're excited to see a bunch of LTER sites making their way over to BlueSky! Our sites are the heart of our network—they're the places advancing our understanding of ecology, one 40-year study at at time. You can follow all of our sites on BlueSky using our starter pack here: go.bsky.app/MrcEQVV

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Long Term Ecological Research Network (United States) @uslter.bsky.social · 17/12/2024

REU programs are starting to come out across the LTER Network! See all the postings below. REU opportunities will continue to come out through the winter, so check back often for the most up-to-date postings. lternet.edu/education-an...

lternet.edu

Undergraduate Research Opportunities - LTER

NSF funds a large number of research opportunities for undergraduate students through its Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Sites Program. The REU program allows for active research partic...

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