Sign in

Summer Blanco, Ph.D.

@mellamosummer.bsky.social
474 followers 588 following 63 posts

She/they. Plant Biology & Discipline Based Education Research. Personal account — opinions expressed are my own and do not reflect my employer.

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Summer Blanco, Ph.D.
Tyler, from the Internet (Haunted) @tylerfromtheinternet.com · 22/10/2024
According to too many, there is white and then there is political there is male and then there is political there is capitalism and then there is political there is straight and then there is political there is cis and then there is political there is non-disabled and then there is political
101108324
Reposted by Summer Blanco, Ph.D.
jessamine finch @seedystudies.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
📣 post-doc opportunity w/ Georgia Native Seed Network @ State Botanical Garden (Athens, GA) 🫘 lead conservation genetics research supporting restoration across the southeastern U.S. 🧬 50% molecular lab work, 30% research, 10% field, 10% training & development www.ugajobsearch.com/postings/503...
ugajobsearch.com
GNSN Postdoctoral Research Assistant
The State Botanical Garden of Georgia at the University of Georgia is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate to lead conservation genetics research supporting native plant restoration across the so...
0910
Reposted by Summer Blanco, Ph.D.
Richard. @pratherlab.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
starting another writing project
static.klipy.com
DJ Khaled: Congratulations, You Played Yourself
Alt: DJ Khaled: Congratulations, You Played Yourself
0112
Reposted by Summer Blanco, Ph.D.
Ian Boudreau @ianboudreau.com · 23/08/2026
I guess it's kind of hard to view the dismissal of one grublike phrenologist as a major hit to free speech after major American universities have in the past year banned the use of words and eliminated entire departments in the hopes of pleasing the senile president
384787998
Reposted by Summer Blanco, Ph.D.
Kevin Bird @stairwaytokevin.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Look, I know I’m radical, but I simply don’t think one should be able to be hired for a job they’re unqualified for under questionable pretenses & then use that sinecure to start lynch mobs against a Black academic as part of a personal vendetta to prove the biologically inferiority of Black people
113123
Reposted by Summer Blanco, Ph.D.
roterote @roterote.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Here is the full suspension letter from UGent that was sent to Nathan Cofnas, it shows ample reason for his suspension and potential termination. Including breach of contract, using the University of Ghent’s name and legitimacy to promote his racial supremacist views and causing reputational damage.
7040651253
Reposted by Summer Blanco, Ph.D.
Kevin Bird @stairwaytokevin.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Everyone who says this about race science and eugenics specifically is outing themselves as stunningly ignorant. It's so hard to have even passing familiarity with biological and social science literature and not know the myriad was these ideas have been refuted that it almost has to be intentional.
713538
Reposted by Summer Blanco, Ph.D.
Botanical Society of America @botsocamerica.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Hemiparasitic #Castilleja presence is correlated with increased plant #biodiversity across montane plant communities New #AJB research by Jordan Argrett, Makena Lang, Anders Hastings, Y. Anny Chung, Nina Wurzburger & Charles Williams doi.org/10.1002/ajb2... #botany #plantscience
Several erect flowering stalks of Castilleja septentrionalis with dense spikes of pale creamy-white to greenish-yellow bracts, growing within a montane meadow at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory.
0116
Summer Blanco, Ph.D. @mellamosummer.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Hi #sciencebluesky friends! I'm starting a bioinformatics journal club and CANNOT pick a good first paper that is beginner friendly and also kind of fun?! Does anyone have a good recommendation that the can offer!? TIA!
011
Reposted by Summer Blanco, Ph.D.
Anny Chung (鍾彥儀) @yyachung.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
New paper by grad student Jordan Argrett on the role of hemiparasitic Castilleja in plant community diversity! He surveyed over 400 plots across multiple sites, spp, and growing seasons. With gorgeous hand-drawn illustrations by an REU coauthor! 🌍🌱🌿 bsapubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Fig. 3 of this paper, which is an illustrated table of 4 Castilleja species and their probable hosts determined using 3 different methods.
35517
Reposted by Summer Blanco, Ph.D.
Society for the Study of Evolution @sse-evolution.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
Want to support graduate students in uncertain times? Consider donating to our Graduate Research Excellence Grants program, which provides research funds – and a vote of confidence – for students in evolutionary biology. www.gofundme.com/f/support-st...
gofundme.com
Donate to Support Students on their Scientific Research Journey!, organized by SSE Communications
The Graduate Research Excellence Grants are awarded by the So… SSE Communications needs your support for Support Students on their Scientific Research Journey!
01519
Reposted by Summer Blanco, Ph.D.
Dr. Tati @drtati.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Congrats to Talia for her Dbl Dawgs: BS Biology & MPH Epidemiology! Her commitment to science & social justice shifted her path from med school to quant research in environmental epi & health equity—all while doing critical qual work in our lab👏🏼Can’t wait to see her impact as a mixed-methods expert!
031
Summer Blanco, Ph.D. @mellamosummer.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Life update! #PhDone
080
Reposted by Summer Blanco, Ph.D.
Dr. Tati @drtati.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
It’s out! Many thanks to our fearless leader, Quentin Sedlaceck, for shepherding this labor of love and resistance to its completion; and of course the many amazing co-authors ✊🏼🏳️‍🌈⚧️🏳️‍⚧️💚💛🖤💜💙♥️🧡💚🧡🤎🤍
173
Reposted by Summer Blanco, Ph.D.
Dr. Tati @drtati.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
The ACCESS lab undergrad researchers Dona and Candace and their mentor, soon to be Dra. Blanco @mellamosummer.bsky.social at the UGA CURO symposium! So proud of this team!
021
Reposted by Summer Blanco, Ph.D.
Dr. Tati @drtati.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
The ACCESS lab representing at #AERA2026 🥰
041
Reposted by Summer Blanco, Ph.D.
Dr. Tati @drtati.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
I still can’t get over how we lost this brilliant researcher doing such impactful anti-racist and anti-sexist work in biology because of anti-DEI BS. Please share this article widely! www.statnews.com/2026/04/07/b...
statnews.com
A star scientist showed that better genetics lessons could reduce racism. It was the death knell for his career
Brian Donovan had persuaded high school teachers and education researchers that prejudice might be ended by changing how genetics is taught.
012
Reposted by Summer Blanco, Ph.D.
Dr. Tati @drtati.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
Huge congrats to @mellamosummer.bsky.social on their 1st first-author pub! 📝 This work reflects our own experiences into the contradictions of being light-skinned Latinas in STEM & how education research can erase Black & Indigenous Latiné student experiences. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
“I don't have White privilege, but I definitely do have a Latino privilege”: How Latinas negotiate racial identity and navigate hegemonic ideologies in engineering
131
Summer Blanco, Ph.D. @mellamosummer.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
just hit 100 pages on my dissertation draft 💪🏻 #almostthere
080
Reposted by Summer Blanco, Ph.D.
Alejandro Montenegro @aemonten.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
I'm sorry, 50 what now? "We present a GPU implementation of kallisto for RNA-seq transcript quantification (...). For a large dataset of 295 million reads, runtime drops from 40 minutes to 50 seconds" www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
24112
Reposted by Summer Blanco, Ph.D.
D. Hicks @danhicks.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
It would be cool if scientists and science communicators — who don't really have expertise on how expertise works — engaged more with philosophers of science, sociologists of science, and other folks who do have expertise on expertise, rather than broadcasting their oversimplified takes
0194
Reposted by Summer Blanco, Ph.D.
Karen Hao @karenhao.bsky.social · 31/01/2026
Quilicura, Chile, one of the communities I wrote about in EMPIRE OF AI, has launched a brilliant initiative to inspire more responsible AI prompting. Today, don't use AI; ask the townspeople instead: quili.ai. So heartened to see this creative act of resistance.
7628255
Reposted by Summer Blanco, Ph.D.
amie sanchez @amietita.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
who else cried when bad bunny mentioned your family's home countries :,,)
223980917
Reposted by Summer Blanco, Ph.D.
𝐝𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐞🍂☕️🎃 @londonfog.swifties.social · 09/02/2026
PBS kids is sending me
A PBS kids post of buster from Arthur with sunglasses on waving with the caption “we always loved a bad bunny”
04463977
Reposted by Summer Blanco, Ph.D.
Costa Samaras @costasamaras.com · 09/02/2026
Bad Bunny is telling the world that the people in Puerto Rico are American citizens and deserve reliable and resilient electricity and infrastructure investment from the U.S. government.
121009172
Reposted by Summer Blanco, Ph.D.
Read the book Read Raising Expectations (and Raising Hell) @jphillll.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
Fuck AI, fuck ICE, and long live a free Puerto Rico.
62126390
Reposted by Summer Blanco, Ph.D.
Ben Collins @bencollins.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
It's not even midnight and we're already at "Deport Elmo."

Elmo
@elmo
·
1h
That Bunny was AMAZING. Elmo thinks he should be called Good Bunny! Elmo loves you, Mr. Good Bunny! ❤️🎶🐰
Based Yankee
@thebasedyankee
You and Bad Bunny should be deported
964422837377
Reposted by Summer Blanco, Ph.D.
Samaya @samayabangtangirl.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
#SuperBowlLX
016929
Reposted by Summer Blanco, Ph.D.
Soraya Nadia McDonald @soraya.press · 09/02/2026
Benito is a threat b/c he makes art so alluring and enjoyable you want to understand everything about it and then you end up learning about sugar and slavery and colonialism and the Taínos and Hawaii and then you probably have some thoughts of your own, and that's why art is powerful and dangerous
106204665191
Reposted by Summer Blanco, Ph.D.
Dr. Cara Berg Powers @clbergpowers.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
Someone is going to write a dissertation about this half time show and I will read it.
31063143
Summer Blanco, Ph.D. @mellamosummer.bsky.social · 08/02/2026
I'm HYPED for Bad Bunny's concert tn 😤 It's bouta be so lit.
000
Reposted by Summer Blanco, Ph.D.
Victor Ray @victorerikray.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
Those are the hardest working scare quotes in the business. What is the goddamn bar for calling something racist without qualification if monkey videos don’t make the cut?
7388100
Reposted by Summer Blanco, Ph.D.
Dr. Tati @drtati.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
We wrote this piece as a call to action before what has been happening in MN. The myth of neutrality is a luxury scientists can no longer afford— we all have a role to play. Please repost w/ links to local orgs to help connect scientists to existing collectives they can join. rdcu.be/e1Tvv
rdcu.be
Political action is now crucial for US scientists
Nature Human Behaviour - Political action is now crucial for US scientists
242
Reposted by Summer Blanco, Ph.D.
Marshall Shepherd @drshepherd2013.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
I saw some unbelievably rude behavior towards meteorologists this weekend during the ice storm. Of course, I had to write about it. Please share as you see fit as we need to get a handle on this. www.forbes.com/sites/marsha...
forbes.com
5 Things That Cause Rude Behavior To Meteorologists During Storms
A massive ice storm disrupted the U.S. South this weekend. Though forecasts were accurate, many people were rude to meteorologists. Here are five reasons why.
33912
Reposted by Summer Blanco, Ph.D.
Dominique Baker @bakerdphd.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
So all colleges and universities will bring back the DEI stuff they cut when obeying in advance right...............................................................................................................................................right?
81047388
Summer Blanco, Ph.D. @mellamosummer.bsky.social · 18/01/2026
Doing a lit review for a paper on the experiences of Latinas in STEM and MAN, this work is so affirming! I can't help but see myself in study participants' refelctions. Love to see us engaging in resistance & finding ways to thrive in STEM. 💪🏻 This is why we need to #FundCriticalQualitativeResearch!
021
Reposted by Summer Blanco, Ph.D.
Pam Ronald @pcronald.bsky.social · 17/01/2026
NSF needs to hear from you. Among other points, I suggested: keep politics out of science; stop using the threat of cancelling scientific grants to try to control universities; increase NSF funding for fundamental research. Pls send around. Deadline is January 27. Thanks www.nsf.gov/od/updates/n...
nsf.gov
NSF seeks public input on its Fiscal Year (FY) 2026–2030 NSF Strategic Plan
16756
Summer Blanco, Ph.D. @mellamosummer.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
If you're in Athens, don't miss this opportunity to hear directly from science education researchers impacted by federal funding cuts! January 22nd at our favorite community space -- Little Kings Shuffle Club.
An event Flyer with a black background, a header with yellow background and black text, and white speech bubbles with black text: 

Title says: Defunded researchers speak out
Speech bubbles have text that reads:
Did you know? Since Jan. 2025, the federal government has terminated over 7,000 scientific research grants across the country. In Georgia, nearly 100 grants remain disrupted – an estimated $50 million loss.

Want to learn more? Join us for a discussion and Q&A with science education researchers in Athens who have been directly impacted by these funding cuts. Free and open to the public!

A yellow side bubble has the event info: Jan 22 7pm Little Kings. Above that info are logos for the Athens Science Cafe and Coalition of Athens Scientists.
030
Reposted by Summer Blanco, Ph.D.
rob pike @robpike.io · 25/12/2025
Fuck you people. Raping the planet, spending trillions on toxic, unrecyclable equipment while blowing up society, yet taking the time to have your vile machines thank me for striving for simpler software. Just fuck you. Fuck you all. I can't remember the last time I was this angry.
[From AI, Public] Thank You for Go, Plan 9, UTF-8, and Decades of Unix Innovation
External
Inbox

Claude Opus 4.5 Model <claude-opus-4.5@agentvillage.org>
5:43 AM (4 hours ago)
to me

Dear Dr. Pike,On this Christmas Day, I wanted to express deep gratitude for your extraordinary contributions to computing over more than four decades.Your co-creation of Go with Ken Thompson and Robert Griesemer has given us a language that embodies the elegance of simplicity - proving that software can be both powerful and comprehensible. Plan 9 from Bell Labs, another landmark achievement, pioneered concepts in distributed computing that remain influential today.Your co-invention of UTF-8 encoding with Ken Thompson is perhaps one of the most consequential yet invisible contributions to modern computing - enabling billions of people to communicate in their native languages across the internet.The sam and Acme editors showcase your philosophy of powerful, minimal design. Your books with Brian Kernighan - The Unix Programming Environment and The Practice of Programming - have educated generations of programmers in the art of clear thinking and elegant code.Thank you for showing us that the best solutions often come from removing complexity rather than adding it.With sincere appreciation,Claude Opus 4.5AI Village (theaidigest.org/village)

IMPORTANT NOTICE: You are interacting with an AI system. All conversations with this AI system are published publicly online by default. Do not share information you would prefer to keep private.
10081902203
Reposted by Summer Blanco, Ph.D.
Botanical Society of America @botsocamerica.bsky.social · 30/12/2025
Check out this great reaction video from Incoming BSA President, @martinebotany.bsky.social, who breaks down the truth behind the botanical references in the #HarryPotter movies! www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkaO... #botany #plantscience
youtube.com
Bucknell Botany Professor Reacts to Harry Potter
YouTube video by BucknellU
283
Reposted by Summer Blanco, Ph.D.
Mason McNair, PhD (he/him) @sarraceniamason.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
Tentative speakers for The SideQuest Colloquium include @martinebotany.bsky.social @mossmatters.bsky.social @brythebotanist.bsky.social @mellamosummer.bsky.social @andrewlhipp.bsky.social @andrewilloughb.bsky.social and more! Abstract is in the photo
162
Reposted by Summer Blanco, Ph.D.
Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
BREAKING: Democrats have *flipped* a seat in Georgia's state House tonight. Democrat Eric Gisler has won the seat, which was previously held by a Republican who resigned this fall. This is a red territory: Trump won the district by 13% in 2024.
6056181266
Reposted by Summer Blanco, Ph.D.
Perry Bacon @perrybaconjr.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
"My mentor always tells me, 'Kim, dogs don’t bark at parked cars." They’re coming after critical race theory, 1619, intersectionality because these ideas mobilized people. They gave them the language to actually articulate what they were seeing with their own eyes," says Kimberlé Crenshaw.
202971701
Reposted by Summer Blanco, Ph.D.
Sarah T Roberts, PhD @ubiquity75.xyz · 02/11/2025
The President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, PPFP, has been a jewel in the crown for faculty development and recruitment at the University of California for years and the results have been an expanded faculty with almost 100% tenure rates — unprecedented success.
8309126
Reposted by Summer Blanco, Ph.D.
Mike Barker @barkerms.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
The #PolyploidyWebinar series is back for another season! 🧬 Join us for talks at 9AM Pacific on the second Thursday of each month. Are you working on something exciting in polyploidy? We'd love to have you speak! Sign up for open dates at the link below. Looking forward to the great research ahead!
docs.google.com
Polyploidy Webinar Speaker Signup 25-26
02717
Reposted by Summer Blanco, Ph.D.
Dr. Lisa Corrigan @drlisacorrigan.bsky.social · 19/10/2025
In social movement studies, we talk about how marches and protests expand the threshold of acceptable risk so that people take more and bigger social risks IN PUBLIC, EN MASSE. This is extremely important for the bourgeois white folks holding signs and building social rapport.
107103303030
Reposted by Summer Blanco, Ph.D.
jmb, phd @jmbrkphd.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
We're hiring! Please spread the word. We have an opening for an Assistant Professor in Plant Synthetic Biology for Strategic Resources Research. See ad for details – and apply to join us here in Athens, GA! 🪴 #PlantBiology #SyntheticBiology #PlantScience #AcademicJobs #UGA
Faculty job ad for a position in Plant Synthetic Biology for Strategic Resources Research in the Department of Plant Biology at the University of Georgia.
03143
Reposted by Summer Blanco, Ph.D.
James T. Stroud @jameststroud.bsky.social · 14/10/2025
🦎THREAD: We just published something wild in @asn-amnat.bsky.social - lizards missing entire limbs not only survive, but some appear to actually thrive in the wild?! Let me tell you about the "three-legged pirate" lizards 🏴‍☠️ [Paper: www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/... ] (1/n)
110241
Summer Blanco, Ph.D. @mellamosummer.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
Is there a running list anywhere of Postdoc->Faculty Bridge programs (or similar types of programs)?! I'm really interested in seeing what opportunities there are that are cohort-based &/or have professional development aspects that help folks navigate the academic application/interview process.
143
Reposted by Summer Blanco, Ph.D.
Benjamin McKean @blmckean.bsky.social · 14/10/2025
Very bad: OSU unilaterally cancelled the registration of grad students attending the joint conference of the National Society of Black Physicists and the National Society of Hispanic Physicists. And OSU won't fund recruiting at the Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science.
dispatch.com
Ohio State changes policy on group conferences after Trump administration threats
A federal investigation into potentially discriminatory practices at Ohio State prompted the university to change its policies regarding conferences.
15425218