iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Sheila Colla, Ph.D

D. Hicks @danhicks.bsky.social · 04/06/2025

(This thread is commentary, not criticism!) The "anti-science" label is tricky, because the attacks on science are being framed in the rhetoric of good science: transparency, rigor, objectivity, open debate How can promoting these values be *anti* science? 1/

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D. Hicks @danhicks.bsky.social · 04/06/2025

If science is understood narrowly as the pursuit of truth, it's hard to explain what's wrong with any of these things, because they self-evidently promote the pursuit of truth In the jargon of #philsci, they're all clearly epistemic ("truth-promoting") values 2/

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Reposted by Sheila Colla, Ph.D

D. Hicks @danhicks.bsky.social · 04/06/2025

But notice that Gleick's science isn't aimed narrowly at the pursuit of truth. His aims are much broader, addressing important threats to human health and the environment. 3/

Screenshot from the original piece: For me, silence has never been a comfortable option. My work addresses climate change
and the extensive challenges associated with
freshwater resources, including the failure
to provide universal safe water and sanitation, the links between water and energy, the
human right to water, and the growing risks
of water-related violence

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Reposted by Sheila Colla, Ph.D

D. Hicks @danhicks.bsky.social · 04/06/2025

I've argued that this is true in general. Most scientific fields don't just have epistemic aims, like truth and understanding. They also have pragmatic or practical aims. 4/ www.frontiersin.org/articles/10....

frontiersin.org

Frontiers | Impacting Capabilities: A Conceptual Framework for the Social Value of Research

There is widespread interest in evaluating the social impacts of research and other scholarly activities. Conventional metrics for social impacts focus on ec...

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Reposted by Sheila Colla, Ph.D

D. Hicks @danhicks.bsky.social · 04/06/2025

And members of the general public think so too! In my survey work (still under review), we've found that even political conservatives tend agree that a primary aim of science — along with truth — is to improve our understanding of threats to human health and the environment. 5/ osf.io/ks2ta_v1/

osf.io

OSF

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Reposted by Sheila Colla, Ph.D

D. Hicks @danhicks.bsky.social · 04/06/2025

Because science typically has practical aims, the standards of good science need to go *beyond* truth. Just exemplifying those epistemic values at the top of the thread isn't good enough. Science should be "fit-for-purpose." 6/ link.springer.com/10.1007/s131...

link.springer.com

Non-epistemic values and scientific assessment: an adequacy-for-purpose view - European Journal for Philosophy of Science

The literature on values in science struggles with questions about how to describe and manage the role of values in scientific research. We argue that progress can be made by shifting this literature’...

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Reposted by Sheila Colla, Ph.D

D. Hicks @danhicks.bsky.social · 04/06/2025

Scientists have often been trained to adopt value-free, politically nonpartisan positions in social controversies. (See Marcia McNutt's comments this morning.) But this posture is itself anti-scientific, when it enables the weaponization of purported scientific values. 13/

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Reposted by Sheila Colla, Ph.D

D. Hicks @danhicks.bsky.social · 04/06/2025

Instead, I think scientists should be explicit about the values that motivate and influence their work. In my survey work on this — which has been published! — disclosing values like protecting human health seems to *increase* trust relative to value-freedom. 14/ www.frontiersin.org/articles/10....

frontiersin.org

Frontiers | Values disclosures and trust in science: A replication study

While philosophers of science generally agree that social, political, and ethical values can play legitimate roles in science, there is active debate over wh...

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Reposted by Sheila Colla, Ph.D

D. Hicks @danhicks.bsky.social · 04/06/2025

Take home message: Science and advocacy aren't mutually exclusive, because most science are *already* advocates. They just don't present themselves as *partisans*. Scientists should be explicit that their work is about making a better world. 15/15

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Reposted by Sheila Colla, Ph.D

Kaitlin Stack Whitney @kstackwhitney.bsky.social · 04/06/2025

YESS to everything you share in this amazing thread. It was @savewildbees.bsky.social who I first learned about this article from, and I find it resonates with students at my tech school since it's from a fellow scientist academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...

academic.oup.com

Being a scientist means taking sides

Mary H. O'Brien; Being a scientist means taking sides, BioScience, Volume 43, Issue 10, 1 November 1993, Pages 706–708, https://doi.org/10.2307/1312342

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Reposted by Sheila Colla, Ph.D

Michelle Cyca @michellecyca.com · 27/04/2025

if you are feeling helpless, a simple but incredibly valuable thing that many of us can do after a catastrophe is sign up to donate blood and plasma. www.blood.ca/en

blood.ca

Canadian Blood Services | Canada's Lifeline

There are many ways to join Canada's Lifeline. Discover how you can make all the difference for someone in Canada today.

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Sheila Colla, Ph.D @savewildbees.bsky.social · 26/04/2025

In some ridings, it may make more sense to vote for another party like the NDP to get the conservative out.

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Reposted by Sheila Colla, Ph.D

Kelsey Hightower @kelseyhightower.com · 11/04/2025

"If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you." - President Lyndon B. Johnson

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Sheila Colla, Ph.D @savewildbees.bsky.social · 03/04/2025

I hope people are still interested in habitat gardening. It should not be a fad to support the ecology that supports us.

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Reposted by Sheila Colla, Ph.D

Sheila Colla, Ph.D @savewildbees.bsky.social · 03/04/2025

Euro HBs came here with colonists and continue to extract pollen and nectar from native pollinators. Canadian bees don't make honey. The HB industry is for sure capitalist. Worst analogy ever. Flies are critical pollinators, esp. in Northern Canada. Go to school.

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Sheila Colla, Ph.D @savewildbees.bsky.social · 03/04/2025

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Sheila Colla, Ph.D @savewildbees.bsky.social · 30/03/2025

Euro HBs came here with colonists and continue to extract pollen and nectar frome native pollinators. The HB industry is for sure capitalist.

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Sheila Colla, Ph.D @savewildbees.bsky.social · 30/03/2025

This guy needs a biology lesson but yes wild bees pollinate. Euro HBs make honey & pollinate at a smaller scale than wild bees would if we took care of ag-lands. Flies (depending on which) have their own benefits whether its pollinating, esp in the north, parasitism (keeping populations in check).

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Dr. Andrea Wishart @wishartae.bsky.social · 29/03/2025

Congratulations to @savewildbees.bsky.social, a recipient of the NSERC Awards for Science Promotion. I’ve learned so much about pollinator conservation and ecology from Dr. Colla over the years @csee-scee.bsky.social 🧪🌎 #WomenInSTEM www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Prizes-Prix/...

nserc-crsng.gc.ca

Winners - NSERC Awards for Science Promotion - NSERC

NSERC - NSERC Awards for Science Promotion - Winners

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Sheila Colla, Ph.D @savewildbees.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

Meghan Markle's new @netflix show sure isn't going to help with this.

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Sheila Colla, Ph.D @savewildbees.bsky.social · 04/03/2025

The difference is chickens are contained and don't feed off of natural resources like flower nectar. So they are a bigger threat to wildlife bees.

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Reposted by Sheila Colla, Ph.D

Jude MacDonald (s / he / r) @judemacdonald.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

Alt text to describe the image: Two children and an adult in a swimming pool. Above a child struggling to swim is the text “Native pollinators.” The adult has her back to him. The adult (“General public”) is instead focused on a happy, safe child who is identified as “Honeybees” for this meme.

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Sheila Colla, Ph.D @savewildbees.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

Whoops, sorry for the typo, but you get the gist!

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Sheila Colla, Ph.D @savewildbees.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

Happy #WorldWildlifeDay. A friendly reminder that livestock cannot replace native biodiversity, despite what you may have heard.

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Sheila Colla, Ph.D @savewildbees.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

I can't @dhlovelife.bsky.social believe it's been 20 years since Kill Bill but it was nice to see you on the #oscars and your shout out to 🇺🇦. I appreciate how you use you platform whenever you can.

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Lorraine Johnson @ljohnsonauthor.bsky.social · 26/02/2025

A significant victory in the legal effort to reform grass and weeds bylaws. Wolf Ruck of Mississauga was in the Ontario Court of Appeal yesterday, arguing that Mississauga’s enforcement against his naturalized garden were unjustified under Administrative law. 1/3 #BylawsForBiodiversity

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Sheila Colla, Ph.D @savewildbees.bsky.social · 22/02/2025

#BeachesEastYork, today is the last day to advance vote. I went last night, and it took just a few minutes. We are so lucky to have an amazing candidate in @DrKateTO to vote for. So beat the Eday rush and vote for Kate today!

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Reposted by Sheila Colla, Ph.D

Climate Justice Alliance @cjaourpower.bsky.social · 14/02/2025

💔 February 14 is National Missing and Murdered Relatives Remembrance Day We honor and remember our stolen sisters, girls, two-spirit, and relatives who have been taken by the #MMIR crisis.

Photo of a protests to raise awareness about the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous relatives.

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Philip Loring @philiploring.com · 13/02/2025

There are lots of issues debated in the political sphere that have a wide range of debatable facets and defensible positions. But we have to acknowledge that some issues are binary. Like racism. And oppression. There isn’t reasonable common ground somewhere in the middle of these issues.

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Michael Allen @mjallen176.bsky.social · 12/02/2025

This is super cool! Browsed with my evening tea ✅

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Sheila Colla, Ph.D @savewildbees.bsky.social · 04/02/2025

On #WorldCancerDay I'm finally being released from the hospital after being admitted w/ a fever due to my low white blood cell counts. I don't know how I'm going to get through my chemo w/ my 8 & 11 yr olds bringing in all sorts of things circulating in schools. Please @fordnation, #CleanTheAir

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Alt National Park Service @altnps.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

The breach extends further, giving Musk’s associates access to systems related to employee onboarding, job performance reviews, and healthcare management. This raises serious concerns about potential violations of federal privacy laws, including those protecting health information under HIPAA.

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Alt National Park Service @altnps.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

Musk’s team has been reviewing these position descriptions to identify and target roles, including those related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), which have subsequently been removed.

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Reposted by Sheila Colla, Ph.D

Alt National Park Service @altnps.bsky.social · 04/02/2025

Trump is considering executive action to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education

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Alt National Park Service @altnps.bsky.social · 04/02/2025

Please speak up protect our children. 💚

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Reposted by Sheila Colla, Ph.D

Alt National Park Service @altnps.bsky.social · 04/02/2025

Approximately 20 members of Elon Musk’s staff have begun working within the Education Department. They have gained access to multiple sensitive internal systems, including a financial aid dataset containing the personal information of millions of students enrolled in the federal student aid program.

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Reposted by Sheila Colla, Ph.D

Dave Vetter @davidrvetter.bsky.social · 09/01/2025

It's hard to imagine a more brutal illustration of climate injustice and a failed society than indentured teenage slaves being used to protect the homes of wealthy Americans.

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