Reposted by Dr. Moira McDermottAnil Dash @anildash.com · 05/08/2026Well, not quite — venture involves risk. It’s just corruption! 416630
Reposted by Dr. Moira McDermottNils Gilman @nilsgilman.bsky.social · 05/08/2026Excellent essay by Clay Shirky: "The very idea of a coherent university is an oxymoron. We are incoherent because knowledge is incoherent.... This is not a failure of leadership or will. The management and maintenance of incoherence is a service we offer society." www.chronicle.com/article/ai-i...chronicle.comOpinion | The University Was Made for the Age of AIColleges have never been coherent. Their strength lies in managing disagreement and uncertainty. 072
Dr. Moira McDermott @mmcdermo.bsky.social · 23/06/2026leonfurze.com/2026/03/22/r... "There is a paradox at the heart of AI use in education: in order to use it well, you need expertise in the area that you are using it. And by definition, learners don’t have that expertise yet."leonfurze.comResistance as a Framework for Combating Cognitive OffloadDiscover how to combat cognitive decline in the era of AI. Explore effective resistance strategies for better learning outcomes. 020
Dr. Moira McDermott @mmcdermo.bsky.social · 19/06/2026Notes from a Convening on Teaching Statistics in the Age of Agentic AI open.substack.com/pub/tedsvo/p...open.substack.comNotes from a Convening on Teaching Statistics in the Age of Agentic AINote: You can read this post on my website, where you can also read my other thoughts and subscribe via RSS. You can also talk to my chatbot about my posts. 120
Reposted by Dr. Moira McDermottTim Hsu @timhsu.net · 16/06/2026I was just thinking the other day that LLMs are like oxycontin: in principle, there are safeguards so you can relieve your pain without getting addicted, but in practice, human nature leads to you grinding up the pills or selling them to the neighborhood teens for a little extra cash 094
Reposted by Dr. Moira McDermottJeff Sharlet @jeffsharlet.bsky.social · 16/06/2026I wish I could tell you the responses thrummed with defiance. Instead, some read like substance abuse testimonies. A student whose use of AI grew until AI "wrote" all assignments sophomore fall. Got caught. Crushed by shame. Swore it off. But it's creeping back, & they don't know how to stop. 3/ 102072212
Reposted by Dr. Moira McDermottMatt Macauley @visualalgebra.bsky.social · 03/06/2026My 7-year-old made her first Cayley graph and Cayley table today! And she LOVED it! At 9pm, she was too excited to go to sleep…”but I just want to do more algebra!” 🥰 #MathSky #VisualAlgebra 4485
Reposted by Dr. Moira McDermottSyracuse University College of Arts & Sciences @suartsciences.bsky.social · 28/05/2026He retired this spring, having served under more than half of all chancellors in @syracuseu.bsky.social's history. Read the full story of the "lazy" student who became a mathematician of international stature ➡️ bit.ly/JackGraver 011
Reposted by Dr. Moira McDermottSyracuse University College of Arts & Sciences @suartsciences.bsky.social · 28/05/202660 years as an @sumathematics professor later, he's written five books and dozens of papers across multiple fields. One 1975 paper of his was dismissed by its referee as "of no practical value." A decade later, it became foundational to algorithm design 📐 111
Dr. Moira McDermott @mmcdermo.bsky.social · 29/05/2026Jack Graver just retired after 60 years on the faculty in @SUmathematics. One of my favorite memories was getting to tell him about the importance of the Graver basis in computational commutative algebra. 001
Reposted by Dr. Moira McDermottDrew Lewis @drew-lewis.com · 18/04/2026Indeed, the Strait of Hormuz contains some, but not all, of its boundary points. 2131
Reposted by Dr. Moira McDermottMatt Macauley @visualalgebra.bsky.social · 03/04/2026Hey #MathSky! Now that we have a direct contact with the NYT Games Team, this is our chance to tell them about all of the legitimate math words that Spelling Bee won’t accept. If you remember any specific ones, reply with them here. Let’s make a list! 171
Reposted by Dr. Moira McDermottMar Hicks @histoftech.bsky.social · 06/02/2026No joke: I got angry hate mail today for writing an obituary of a Black woman scientist—because the person felt she did didn’t deserve the recognition. Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...nature.comGladys Mae West obituary: mathematician who pioneered GPS technologyShe made key contributions to US cold-war science despite facing huge barriers as a Black woman. 13674819919711
Reposted by Dr. Moira McDermottQuanta Magazine @quantamagazine.org · 29/01/2026The “MaxCut” problem is a fundamental question about graphs with real-world applications, like efficient circuit design. Recently, work on MaxCut helped mathematicians solve a major problem in number theory. www.quantamagazine.org/networks-hol... 1307
Reposted by Dr. Moira McDermottJon Collins @jcollins.bsky.social · 31/01/2026"MPR News has learned that the police chief in the small southern Minnesota city of St. Peter intervened Thursday afternoon to prevent federal immigration agents from arresting a local resident" who had been observing federal agents. www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...mprnews.orgSt. Peter police chief intervenes, prevents federal agents from arresting residentThe police chief of St. Peter intervened to prevent federal agents from taking a local resident who was observing ICE enforcement actions into custody. It is believed to the first time local police in... 31668892374
Dr. Moira McDermott @mmcdermo.bsky.social · 09/01/2026Great article by Chad Topaz. Clearly explains a misunderstanding of statistics in nontechnical terms. 161
Reposted by Dr. Moira McDermottRandall Munroe @xkcd.com · 26/12/2025Funny Numbers xkcd.com/3184/ 180120292975
Reposted by Dr. Moira McDermottAlt National Park Service @altnps.bsky.social · 26/12/2025Flashback post and yep, still our favorite. 233135272792
Reposted by Dr. Moira McDermottkottke.org @kottke.org · 25/09/2025Fantastic essay by Roxane Gay: Civility Is a Fantasy. “Calling for civility is about exerting power. It is a way of reminding the powerless that they exist at the will of those in power and should act accordingly. It is a demand for control.” [nytimes.com]nytimes.comOpinion | Civility Is a FantasyCalling for civility is a way of reminding the powerless that they exist at the will of those in power and should act accordingly. 1280103
Reposted by Dr. Moira McDermottLauren McKenzie @themckenziest.gay · 28/09/2025And now it’s been hijacked by Oracle where every single American is separated from the rest of the world, with our own special algorithm. Wonder what they’ll do with it now! I bet it’s all for the greater good. 27516
Reposted by Dr. Moira McDermottMatt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 28/09/2025I know a lot of people won’t click through to read about “med beds” so here’s the crucial quote to explain how fucking crazy this is. Trump just posted an AI video of himself promising every American access to this. 2542598878
Reposted by Dr. Moira McDermottJane O'Boyle @janeoboyle.bsky.social · 28/09/2025@nhannahjones.bsky.social: Through gossamer tributes, Kirk’s cruel condemnation of transgender people & racist throwback views about Black Americans were no longer anathema but instead treated as just another political view to be respectfully debated. Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/09/28/m...nytimes.com 18530
Reposted by Dr. Moira McDermottjenn m. jackson @jennmjacksonphd.bsky.social · 17/09/2025"What are we to make of a man who called for the execution of the American president, and then was executed himself? What are we to make of an NFL that, on one hand, encourages us to “End Racism,” and, on the other, urges us to commemorate an unreconstructed white supremacist?'vanityfair.comCharlie Kirk, Redeemed: A Political Class Finds Its Lost CauseBy ignoring the rhetoric and actions of the Turning Point USA founder, pundits and politicians are sanitizing his legacy. 03012
Reposted by Dr. Moira McDermottGrant Sanderson @3blue1brown.com · 07/09/2025New video about a piece by the modern artist Sol LeWitt, and the group theory behind it. youtu.be/_BrFKp-U8GI 414619
Reposted by Dr. Moira McDermottSherrilyn Ifill @sifill.bsky.social · 22/08/2025The only thing I can say about this paragraph is read it. Sit with it. Read it again. @michaelharriot.bsky.social 25780713107
Reposted by Dr. Moira McDermottSam Halpert @samhalpert.bsky.social · 15/04/2025Even accepting the premise that AI produces useful writing (which no one should), using AI in education is like using a forklift at the gym. The weights do not actually need to be moved from place to place. That is not the work. The work is what happens within you. 103105033370
Reposted by Dr. Moira McDermottAnil Dash @anildash.com · 18/08/2025Really liked this @monicalewinsky.bsky.social interview with John Oliver, gets at some of the actual human tone that a real conversation about these topics would hit. And I’m always here for telling Jay Leno to go fuck himself. youtu.be/yR-KTECQGxQyoutu.beJohn Oliver on The Ethics of Comedy, The Dalai Lama & Impacting MonicaYouTube video by Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky 320226
Reposted by Dr. Moira McDermottCate Denial @cjdenial.bsky.social · 05/08/2025New blog post: "On Grief" in higher ed. catherinedenial.org/blog/uncateg... 23010
Reposted by Dr. Moira McDermottCate Denial @cjdenial.bsky.social · 06/08/2025This is a fabulous piece of writing about the mythology of generative AI. www.techpolicy.press/challenging-...techpolicy.pressChallenging The Myths of Generative AI | TechPolicy.PressEryk Salvaggio says we must dispense with myths if we are to think more clearly about what AI actually is and does. 1249
Reposted by Dr. Moira McDermottSteven Strogatz @stevenstrogatz.com · 03/08/2025What a fantastic accomplishment -- and what a fantastic story! www.quantamagazine.org/at-17-hannah...quantamagazine.orgAt 17, Hannah Cairo Solved a Major Math Mystery | Quanta MagazineAfter finding the homeschooling life confining, the teen petitioned her way into a graduate class at Berkeley, where she ended up disproving a 40-year-old conjecture. 631191
Reposted by Dr. Moira McDermottJosh Johnson @joshjohnsoncomedy.bsky.social · 26/07/2025When you strip away humanity 514190787989
Reposted by Dr. Moira McDermottJohn Kane @johnkane.bsky.social · 02/07/2025In today's Tea for Teaching podcast, @geekypedagogy.bsky.social joins us to discuss her new book, Snafu Edu, which explores ways of addressing classroom issues and offers recommendations for proactive approaches to these issues. teaforteaching.podbean.com/e/snafu-edu/ @cyberthread.bsky.socialteaforteaching.podbean.comSnafu Edu | Tea for TeachingMost books and resources devoted to professional development focus on strategies that faculty can use to create a positive learning environment for our students, but generally assume that everything w... 153
Dr. Moira McDermott @mmcdermo.bsky.social · 11/06/2025maa.org/math-values/...maa.orgThere and Back Again: A Tale Of Chatbots and Climate – Mathematical Association of America 210
Reposted by Dr. Moira McDermottSebastian Stockman @substockman.bsky.social · 05/05/2025As Clay Shirky put it in a recent essay for the Chronicle of Higher Ed: “While the output of any given course is student assignments - papers, exams, research projects, and so on - the product of that course is student experience.” www.chronicle.com/article/is-a...chronicle.comOpinion | Is AI Enhancing Education or Replacing It?Technology should facilitate learning, not substitute for it. 1273
Reposted by Dr. Moira McDermottChristopher Chabris @cfchabris.bsky.social · 11/05/2025Clay Shirky on the impact of generative AI on learning: "As with calculators, there will be many tasks where automation is more important than user comprehension, but for student work, a tool that improves the output but degrades the experience is a bad tradeoff." www.chronicle.com/article/is-a...chronicle.com 0103
Dr. Moira McDermott @mmcdermo.bsky.social · 23/02/2025buttondown.com/yarntheory/a... Horrified by what is happening all over, especially at NSF. I know at least one friend who got out in time. Knowing people affected in this way just makes it all the more heartbreaking.buttondown.comon approaching hard problemsFriends, colleagues, and lovers of words, I usually use this space to talk about books, but today I want to tell you about my friend Adriana Salerno. Like... 140
Reposted by Dr. Moira McDermottDr. U. Whitcher (U. is for Bear) @yarntheory.bsky.social · 22/02/2025My friend @mathyadriana.bsky.social lost her job last week, and I want you to know the story: buttondown.com/yarntheory/a...buttondown.comon approaching hard problemsFriends, colleagues, and lovers of words, I usually use this space to talk about books, but today I want to tell you about my friend Adriana Salerno. Like... 58657
Reposted by Dr. Moira McDermottDr. Jennifer Wade @volcanojw.bsky.social · 08/02/2025Do you want a big overview of NSF, explaining things like the fact that 24% of all federally funded academic fundamental research comes from NSF? And that 94% of its budget goes out the door in grants/awards? Here you go. nsf-gov-resources.nsf.gov/files/Factsh... 114574
Reposted by Dr. Moira McDermottDr. Marissa Kawehi Loving @marissakawehi.bsky.social · 08/02/2025Y’all they cancelled the NSF MPS Ascend Program after encouraging underrepresented folks to only apply to it and not both the Ascend and the MSPRF. This is astronomically fucked up for many grad students and postdocs of color in math. #MathSky 12378173
Dr. Moira McDermott @mmcdermo.bsky.social · 06/02/2025I benefited immensely from participating in Syracuse University’s CHANCE grant which was funded by HHMI Inclusive Excellence. 😢 030
Dr. Moira McDermott @mmcdermo.bsky.social · 05/02/2025Interesting post by @youtoobio.bsky.social Should homework count in a student's grade? Is using Multiple Grading Schemes more equitable? open.substack.com/pub/jaymedye...open.substack.comWhy I use Multiple Grading SchemesIt's about equity 021
Reposted by Dr. Moira McDermottJayme Dyer, PhD 🏳️🌈 @youtoobio.bsky.social · 22/01/2025I'm learning a lot by being a student again. For example, THINKING TAKES TIME open.substack.com/pub/jaymedye...open.substack.comThink-Pair-Share: A View from Both SidesI'm learning how to teach better by being a student again 073
Dr. Moira McDermott @mmcdermo.bsky.social · 03/02/2025OLSUME UPCOMING SEMINAR Approaches to Graduate Math Courses Jenny Wilson, Univ. of Michigan David Speyer, Univ. of Michigan February 4, 2025 Noon ET How the University of Michigan incorporates Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) into graduate-level courses. olsume.org/.../ibl-appr...olsume.orgIBL Approaches to Graduate Math Courses – OLSUME 010
Dr. Moira McDermott @mmcdermo.bsky.social · 03/02/2025From NAM During Black History Month, February 2025, public tv stations will be airing Journeys of Black Mathematicians: Part 1: Forging Resilience and Part 2: Creating Pathways. Air dates and times: zalafilms.com/jbm/airdates... Project's web page for more details: zalafilms.com/jbm/zalafilms.comJourneys of Black Mathematicians | A Documentary Film by George Csicsery 010
Reposted by Dr. Moira McDermottJessamyn Neuhaus @geekypedagogy.bsky.social · 16/01/2025New episode alert! A great #TeaForTeaching conversation w/my Syracuse CTLE colleagues about the transformative power of pedagogical partnerships in #HigherEd. @johnkane.bsky.social @cyberthread.bsky.social #FacDev #StudentsAsPartners 071
Reposted by Dr. Moira McDermottJohn Kane @johnkane.bsky.social · 15/01/2025Laurel Willingham-McLain and Jacques Safari Mwayaona join us in today's Tea for Teaching podcast to discuss the Students as Partners Program provided by the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence at Syracuse University. @cyberthread.bsky.social teaforteaching.podbean.com/e/students-a...teaforteaching.podbean.comStudents as Partners | Tea for TeachingFaculty members often design and revise courses with limited direct feedback from students. In this episode, Laurel Willingham-McLain and Jacques Safari Mwayaona join us to discuss a program in which ... 242
Reposted by Dr. Moira McDermottHank Green @hankgreen.bsky.social · 16/12/2024Hey, so it turns out that paper on black plastic was a bit blown out of proportion by a simple math error. nationalpost.com/news/canada/...nationalpost.comHow a simple math error sparked a panic about black plastic kitchen utensilsA study warned that people were being exposed to a toxic chemical from kitchen utensils. But the researchers misstated the safe daily limit 30578031259