iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Sheril Kirshenbaum @sheril.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

It was an honor to join leaders from across the U.S. for the inaugural National Summit of the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum in Washington, D.C. I’m proud to serve as a Michigan Ambassador & be part of this extraordinary effort celebrating women’s contributions to our nation’s history.

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Sheril Kirshenbaum @sheril.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

About a year ago I finished a book proposal about how our political institutions are not equipped for 21st century technological disruption. It still sits in my laptop. Feels timely. #AI #uspol

Sheril Kirshenbaum - Project Proposal
The Mismatch: Adapting Democracy for the Age of Technological Disruption
In May 2025, I sat in a packed Senate hearing room watching Senator Ted Cruz respond to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's testimony about artificial intelligence regulation by quoting scripture. As Altman described Al's potential to reshape every aspect of human life, from medicine to warfare, Cruz invoked biblical passages to explain why the government should avoid regulating this transformative technology. The moment crystallized a profound crisis: how can democratic institutions designed in the 18th century govern technologies evolving at 21st-century speed?
This scene embodies the central challenge my book will explore, not simply that politicians misunderstand science, but that our entire democratic infrastructure may be structurally inadequate for governing emerging technologies while preserving democratic values. Drawing on my experience as a scientist who has worked in the U.S. Senate under three different administrations - George W. Bush, Joe Biden, and Donald Trump - along with original empirical research on how congressional staff value scientific information, The Mismatch will examine why democratic institutions struggle to integrate evidence into policy decisions, and what we can do about it.

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Sheril Kirshenbaum @sheril.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Before 1993, women weren’t allowed to wear pants on the Senate floor. That changed when Sen. Moseley Braun & Sen. Barbara Mikulski wore trousers, shocking the male-dominated Senate. This eventually led to the dress code being changed to allow women to wear pants. Credit: liberaljane.com

Before 1993… women could not wear pants on the US Senate floor

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Sheril Kirshenbaum @sheril.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

“You are enough. And anyone who tells you otherwise is not worth your time.” - Dolly Parton 💜

Dolly Parton in Nashville, Tennessee, in August 2025.

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Sheril Kirshenbaum @sheril.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

When I led the UT Austin #Energy Poll, we saw that most Americans didn’t know #Canada - not nations in the Middle East - is the U.S.’s top source of energy imports. For this and so many other reasons, we are dependent on Canada and they are a true ally 🇨🇦

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Sheril Kirshenbaum @sheril.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Cyber threats to water infrastructure are escalating and the US is alarmingly vulnerable. This year attackers hit water systems at multiple sites in at least 12 states. This should be treated as a public health emergency and national security crisis. www.csis.org/analysis/map...

A map by CSIS of cyber attacks to water infrastructure across the US.

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Sheril Kirshenbaum @sheril.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

This week I began as Chief External Relations Officer at the Food Bank Council of Michigan! The role brings together food banks, policymakers, community leaders, and philanthropic partners across Michigan and in DC to advance food security. /1 www.fbcmich.org/food-bank-co...

fbcmich.org

FBCM Welcomes Dr. Sheril Kirshenbaum as Chief External Relations Officer — Food Bank Council

The Food Bank Council of Michigan is pleased to welcome Dr. Sheril Kirshenbaum as its Chief External Relations Officer, a newly created role focused on strengthening advocacy, strategic partnerships, ...

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Sheril Kirshenbaum @sheril.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

I’ve had many chapters in my career so far - writing, teaching, film, leadership, policy, advocacy, science - and mentorship has been a thread running through all. It’s been an honor working w talented, creative young ppl finding endless ways to make the world a bit better. /1

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Sheril Kirshenbaum @sheril.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

I finally went to see #TheOdyssey & was surprised how much I enjoyed it. I majored in Classics once upon a time & my expectations weren't high, given I still haven't forgiven Hollywood for Troy. Did it follow the poem perfectly? No. Did it capture every nuance & theme? Of course not. 1/

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Sheril Kirshenbaum @sheril.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

I have a feeling a lot of puppies are about to be named Argos. #Odyssey

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Sheril Kirshenbaum @sheril.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

Yes! Credit to a “Yannick R.” I do not know him but it appeals to the part of me that works in agriculture & the global #food system. #science

DESPITE ALL OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS WE OWE OUR EXISTENCE TO A SIX-INCH LAYER OF TOPSOIL AND THE FACT IT RAINS. FARM EQUIPMENT ASSOCIATION OF MINNESOTA AND SOUTH DAKOTA

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Sheril Kirshenbaum @sheril.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

This is my final week at Michigan State where I worked at the intersection of science, storytelling, policy & public service. Happily, I will remain part of the community as an adjunct faculty member. And as for what’s next… I’m excited to share more soon!

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Sheril Kirshenbaum @sheril.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

I’ve been wearing this shirt for so many years & suddenly this summer, it’s sparking a lot of interesting conversations. #books

My T-shirt that says The Odyssey of Homer

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Sheril Kirshenbaum @sheril.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

The median age of members of the House of Representatives is 57.5 years. In the Senate, it is 64.7 years. Source: Pew, 2025 (medians may have changed slightly) #uspol

Visual representation of an analysis of the 119th Congress by age and generation across the U.S. House and Senate

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Sheril Kirshenbaum @sheril.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

The Ingham County Health Dept in Michigan just shared that the possible source for many #cyclosporiasis cases appears to be lettuce or salad greens, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

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Sheril Kirshenbaum @sheril.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

About 250M years ago, 90% of species on Earth died during the Permian extinction. All of that loss created a lot of vacant niches to fill.  Not long after, the first mammals, our ancestors, appeared.  Life on this pale blue dot will be resilient - whether we’re part of it or not.

Earthrise

Earth taken from lunar orbit by astronaut William Anders on December 24, 1968, during the Apollo 8 mission.

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Sheril Kirshenbaum @sheril.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

I visited the pitch drop experiment at The University of Queensland today. Started in 1927, it’s the world’s longest-running lab experiment. Pitch is a highly viscous liquid that appears solid & shatters at room temperature, but continues to “drop” every decade or so. smp.uq.edu.au/pitch-drop-e...

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Sheril Kirshenbaum @sheril.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

I don’t usually follow celebrity news, but Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce are doing things right. This week (leading up to their wedding) they have donated $26 million to food banks & community centers across the US, hospitals for children, animal rescues & shelters & educational programs.

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Sheril Kirshenbaum @sheril.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

9yo just made a new friend at the science museum in Brisbane. Because we’re from the U.S., his friend is convinced we surely know Taylor Swift & Donald Trump personally. 😆

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Sheril Kirshenbaum @sheril.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

While our neighbors are camping, we are watching their parakeet, Greenie, and now these two are in love. #birds

A blue and white parakeet and a green and yellow parakeet perching together preening each other

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Sheril Kirshenbaum @sheril.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

“You have to know the past to understand the present.” - Carl Sagan A researcher who cannot locate the present moment within the longer human story is working with incomplete data. open.substack.com/pub/sheril/p...

open.substack.com

Science Isn't Enough

A Case for the Humanities

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Sheril Kirshenbaum @sheril.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

A key lesson of the last decade is that effective leadership & strong governance are a lot harder than they look from the outside. Long-term planning, informed strategies, ongoing relationships across parties & with allies & earned trust matter. In their absence, things fall apart.

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Sheril Kirshenbaum @sheril.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

“This study shows that…. nostalgia evoked by Studio Ghibli films significantly foster a sense of exploration & calm in life, as well as a feeling of mastery & skill & purpose & meaning, hence ultimately contributing positively to one’s overall happiness in life.” games.jmir.org/2025/1/e76522 #art

Chihiro and No-Face on the train to Zeniba’s house in Spirited Away.

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Sheril Kirshenbaum @sheril.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Hey ocean friends! 🌊 Apply to be a 2027 Knauss fellow! Spend a year working in Congress to advance science, research & evidence-based policy. You are needed! I was in the class of 2006 serving in the U.S. Senate & it fundamentally changed my life. seagrant.noaa.gov/communities/... #science

seagrant.noaa.gov

Prospective Knauss Fellows - NOAA Sea Grant

Prospective Fellows Apply to the Knauss Fellowship The Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship offers graduate students a one-year opportunity in the Washington, D.C. area to contribute […]

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Sheril Kirshenbaum @sheril.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

Can you name a living scientist? 76% of Americans cannot.

Only a Quarter of Americans Can Name a Living Scientist RESEARCH AMERICA DISCOVERY. INNOVATION. HEALTH. Can you name a living scientist? 25% Yes (specify) • No/Not sure "Yes" decreased 8 pts (was 33% in 2025). Neil deGrasse Tyson up 13 pts (was 11% in 2025). Neil deGrasse Tyson Anthony Fauci Bill Nye Jennifer Doudna Jane Goodall* Stephen Hawking* Brian Cox Timothy Berners-Lee Elon Musk Roger Penrose Other "deceased 24% 13% 11% 6% 3% 2% 2% 2% 2% 2% 33% Source: A Research!America poll of U.S. adults conducted in partnership with Zogby Analytics in January 2026. 76%

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Sheril Kirshenbaum @sheril.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

“I've always tried to present a positive view of the world in my work. It's so much easier to be negative & cynical & predict doom for the world than it is to try & figure out how to make things better. We have an obligation to do the latter." - Jim Henson

Jim Henson surrounded by many of The Muppets, including Kermit the frog & many others.

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Sheril Kirshenbaum @sheril.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

The Trump administration has terminated more than 100 advisory committees to #science agencies and reduced the transparency and independence of those that remain. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

CANCELLED COMMITTEES There was an unprecedented spike in terminations of federal advisory committees
in 2025, particularly at four agencies that fund scientific research.

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Sheril Kirshenbaum @sheril.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

“We think we’re looking at organic matter that’s been preserved on Mars for 3.5 billion years... if we want to search for evidence of life in the form of preserved organic carbon, this demonstrates it’s possible.” #science #space nautil.us/mars-curiosi...

nautil.us

Mars Curiosity Rover Makes a Big Find on the Red Planet

Mars Curiosity Rover Makes a Big Find on the Red Planet: The little robotic chemist that could

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Sheril Kirshenbaum @sheril.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

Earth Day should be every day. 🌏

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Sheril Kirshenbaum @sheril.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

Happy World Curlew Day! I adore these birds! Curlews face severe population declines globally due to habitat loss, #climatechange & predation by non-native species like pets. I took this photo in Lamington National Park in the Gold Coast Hinterland, Queensland. #birds

A bush stone curlew sitting in the grass next to a fence.

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Sheril Kirshenbaum @sheril.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

“Penn was quick to tell me he does not know much about many things. But he is an expert in misleading people. “[My] position of expertise is that I have lied to ppl onstage & gotten them to believe it. I think I could do what that police officer did.’” www.nytimes.com/2026/04/16/u...

nytimes.com

Two Magicians Warn the Supreme Court About Junk Science

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Sheril Kirshenbaum @sheril.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

In a first last month, renewables supplied more power to the U.S. than natural gas, a milestone in the shift to clean energy. e360.yale.edu/digest/us-re... via @yalee360.bsky.social

e360.yale.edu

For the First Time in the U.S., Renewables Generate More Power Than Natural Gas

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Reposted by Sheril Kirshenbaum

Andy Revkin 🌎 ✍🏼 🪕 ☮️ revkin.substack.com @revkin.bsky.social · 12/04/2026

How Shifting Perceptions of What's Normal Imperil Ecosystems - and Democracy revkin.substack.com/p/how-shifti...

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Reposted by Sheril Kirshenbaum

Andy Revkin 🌎 ✍🏼 🪕 ☮️ revkin.substack.com @revkin.bsky.social · 12/04/2026

How Shifting Perceptions of What's Normal Imperil Ecosystems - and Democracy - @sheril.bsky.social and Randy Olson. If you haven’t seen Randy’s hilariously sad videos of "shifting baselines” of fisheries decline, you’re missing something great. 🧪🐟🎣🌊

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Sheril Kirshenbaum @sheril.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

A beautiful visitor at Kiyomizu-dera Temple. #cats

A black cat drinking at Kiyomizu-dera Temple

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Sheril Kirshenbaum @sheril.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

This map shows the cost of charging an EV at home across the U.S. Home-charging is significantly cheaper in all 50 states than fueling a car with gasoline. Source: @karinkirk.bsky.social @climateconnections.bsky.social yaleclimateconnections.org/2026/04/what... #energy #uspol

Price of gas got you down? Heres how cheap it is to charge an EV right now. This map shows the cost of charging an EV by an amount equivalent to one gallon of gasoline. Figures reflect electricity prices as of January 2026. $1.24 $1.16 $1.32$1.09 $2.76 $1.16 $1.2631.16 $2.72 $1.48 $1.40 $1.32 $0.9851.35 $1.22 $1.641.75 $1.06 $1.15 $1.82.08 $1.$1.4658 $2:9318 $1.28 $1.06 ŞP43 $1.28 $1.1351.11 $1.18 $1.23 $1.39 $1.28.441.30 $1.41 $1.12 + $2.29 $1.43 $3.58 Puerto Rico $2.47 Vehicles used for the comparison are the 2025 gasoline-powered Hyundai Kona and the 2025 Hyundai Kona Electric. This analysis is based on home charging. Map: Karin Kirk for Yale Climate Connections • Source: Energy Information Administration and FuelEconomy.gov • Get the data • Embed • Download image • Created with Datawrapper

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Sheril Kirshenbaum @sheril.bsky.social · 04/04/2026

Maybe we should be a bit less reliant on fossil fuels… 🤔

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Sheril Kirshenbaum @sheril.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

My new op-ed at The Hill describes a shift in how staffers & citizens perceive American democracy through the ecological concept of “shifting baselines.” thehill.com/opinion/cong... "America’s shifting baselines are a threat to democracy and governance"

thehill.com

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Sheril Kirshenbaum @sheril.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

See which jobs are most threatened by #AI and who may be able to adapt 🤔 wapo.st/4uvCpcY

Women hold jobs that are most vulnerable to automation

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