Reposted by Dr. Sean PetersKevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 29/09/2026When they get back in power, Democrats need to go all-in on higher education. We need a campaign of reinvestment in public universities across the country that makes the Morrill Land-Grant Act look like nothing by comparison *and* a GI Bill of Rights-style program of tuition grants. 20452221414
Dr. Sean Peters @siprocks.bsky.social · 25/09/2026SEPTEMBER 2026theplanetarynovelist.comSEPTEMBER 2026Two weeks down, ten more to go! SONG INSPIRATION This month’s blog is inspired by Adéla’s Nicole Kidman. A NEW FALL Why is it already dark at 7 PM!? Why is my house cold in the morning!? Students have returned. Classes have begun. The contrast between a leisurely summer pace and the hectic buzz of the fall semester gave me whiplash. 021
Reposted by Dr. Sean PetersI Travel Like Sound Dog @chadstanton.blacksky.app · 19/09/2026*thousands of people get fired and/or have their resources cut as a result of white supremacy* “People were really mean to me about my passive aggressive racism.” 418942
Reposted by Dr. Sean PetersRyan Marino, MD @ryanmarino.bsky.social · 19/09/2026I graduated med school in 2014. I was taught-and saw-how hard melanoma was to treat, like a death sentence Since then, new treatments have made it possible for people w/ the most advanced melanoma, like Jimmy Carter, to live to 100! We are killing ourselves by letting them destroy American science 3734321029
Reposted by Dr. Sean PetersMichele Bannister @astrokiwi.bsky.social · 19/09/2026so very tired of living with calamity. Grief from the obliteration of futures just doesn't get less exhausting 4382
Reposted by Dr. Sean PetersAaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 13/09/2026Ossoff: "Then there's the ex-staffer posting swastikas and Klan regalia. And the neo-Nazi with a million followers who produces neo-Nazi propaganda at Collins's house ... a man who won't take responsibility for what happens under his own roof can't be trusted with our national affairs." 323764831
Reposted by Dr. Sean PetersKai Ryssdal @kairyssdal.bsky.social · 17/09/2026So let’s do it and see what happens. Seriously. 1532210280
Reposted by Dr. Sean PetersTom Pepinsky @tompepinsky.com · 16/09/2026the hardest thing for the politician-bureaucrats to understand -- but which NSF staff *absolutely do* understand and always have -- is that you actually make scientific progress by giving young people money and promising not to bother them 430084
Reposted by Dr. Sean PetersJessica Valenti @jessicavalenti.bsky.social · 14/09/2026The EPA will test America's drinking water for abortion medication & birth control—caving to a years-long pressure campaign from anti-abortion extremists.jessica.substack.comBREAKING: EPA Will Test Drinking Water for Abortion Pills & ContraceptionThe federal agency just caved to years of anti-abortion pressure 65606309
Reposted by Dr. Sean Petersrahaeli @rahaeli.bsky.social · 09/09/2026when I am god-empress of the universe it will be illegal for people to disable the ability to paste into a password field 401164125
Reposted by Dr. Sean PetersProf Chris Jackson @seismatters.bsky.social · 07/09/2026Has this been discussed here? #AcademicSky #Academia #ECR #HigherEducation www.nature.com/articles/s41...nature.comHow contemporary academic structures constrain scientific creativity and hold back early-career researchers - Nature Human BehaviourIn this Perspective, Haubrock et al. argue that today’s scientific structures constrain creativity and that strategic conformity is a rational response. They discuss how this holds back early-career r... 2185
Reposted by Dr. Sean PetersAmerican Astronomical Society (AAS) @aas.org · 31/08/2026🔭 Our new policy blog post shows that the number of astronomical sciences research awards made by NSF has decreased by 57% since last year, corresponding to a 51% reduction in funding. (1/2) 37547
Dr. Sean Peters @siprocks.bsky.social · 29/08/2026AUGUST 2026theplanetarynovelist.comAUGUST 2026½ a month until the semester begins! SONG INSPIRATION This month’s blog is inspired by Stacks from All Sides by SKAI ISYOURGOD. END OF SUMMER I can feel each hour slipping through my fingers. Recent days have been full of meetings, research, and lesson planning. Unlike previous summers, I’ve been working full days for the past month – a result of taking much needed time off. 000
Reposted by Dr. Sean PetersKelly @broadwaybabyto.bsky.social · 28/08/2026I really feel like it should be bigger news that fibreglass is in IV saline bags in the US. This isn’t a situation where you might get a little sick. Fibreglass going directly into your veins will kill you. IV saline is used for almost every medical procedure. This is unconscionable:fda.govBaxter Issues Voluntary Nationwide Recall for Two Lots of 0.9% Sodium Chloride Injection Due to Potential Presence of Particulate MatterFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – AUG. 25, 2026 – DEERFIELD, Ill., Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) is voluntarily recalling two lots of 0.9% Sodium Chloride Injection due to the potential presence of parti... 6421001417
Reposted by Dr. Sean PetersNick Kapur @nickkapur.bsky.social · 26/08/2026Making university faculty sit in their offices from 8 am to 5 pm every day, 5 days a week, is insane and serves no conceivable academic purpose. The fact that admins and even *staff* are exempt from this absurd requirement shows the real goal is to make tenured faculty quit. 391629357
Reposted by Dr. Sean PetersDouglas Natelson @nanoscaleviews.bsky.social · 26/08/2026🧪⚛️ So, down to 1500 targeted awards, and strongly emphasizing the executive branch’s priority research areas. What happened to the Golden Age of Science idea of funding the best people, rather than specific ideas? Oh wait, that was last month. www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...nsf.govNSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) 0176
Reposted by Dr. Sean PetersMark Copelovitch @mcopelov.bsky.social · 24/08/2026The politicization & illegal cancellation of federal research funding is an existential crisis for every research university in the country, especially flagship R1 publics. Again, you would think university presidents would speak up, loudly & collectively, about this. Alas. bsky.app/profile/mcop... 15586217
Reposted by Dr. Sean PetersJonathan W. Gray @elmcitytree.blacksky.app · 22/08/2026There’s a petition signed by more than one hundred academics (& counting!) in support of Nathan Cofnas—the racist who instigated the pile on that led to J. Arday’s death—because he lost his postdoc. Apparently there’s nothing a white man can do that deserves consequences.forbetterscience.com 332291496
Reposted by Dr. Sean PetersDave Vetter @davidrvetter.bsky.social · 23/08/2026In some ways quite helpful that the racist academics are signing the "I Am A Racist Academic" pledge. 261076235
Reposted by Dr. Sean PetersMichelle @michelleroy78.bsky.social · 22/08/2026The person who I was when I took these chicken wings out the freezer is not the same person I am now that I have to cook them. 1883466205
Reposted by Dr. Sean PetersProf Chris Jackson @seismatters.bsky.social · 21/08/2026I'm sorry, but I don't like what Cofnas wrote here. When I was at school, I (mostly) did my homework. And that despite a few skirmishes here and there, I have a healthy respect for the law. And my family can, I guess, be considered "nuclear". Maybe I'm one of his <<0.01% who slippped through? 7395
Reposted by Dr. Sean PetersDr Abeba Birhane @abeba.blacksky.app · 19/08/2026i don’t want “accelerated”, “increased-speed” or “fast-paced” research. in fact, am not interested in any shortcuts to mindful, intentional, and slow science 12838187
Reposted by Dr. Sean PetersRebecca Williams @volcanologist.bsky.social · 19/08/2026Volcanoes are fascinating. Pictures, videos and articles of eruptions fill our social media feeds and newspapers. But can you believe what you read? Misinformation and rumours spread just as easily as facts. Misconceptions are easily created and hard to correct. @heatherkhandley.bsky.socialtheconversation.comDuring eruptions, misinformation can spread further than ash. How can we spot it?From scary headlines to recycled eruption videos, new research reveals how common misconceptions can fuel misinformation about volcanoes. 33122
Reposted by Dr. Sean Petersfolukeifejola @folukeifejola.bsky.social · 18/08/2026"Racism is a thief. Of breath. Of peace. Of time. Time we could spend doing other things. Laughing. Dancing. Living. Lives that will never be lived. Dreams stolen before they are fully birthed. Thief." 13716
Reposted by Dr. Sean Petersanceldelambert.bsky.social @anceldelambert.bsky.social · 17/08/2026The 2015 research budget was 6 billion 01310
Dr. Sean Peters @siprocks.bsky.social · 15/08/2026One of the greatest joys of academia is working with excellent students, the next generation of thinkers. Although I’m a wee behind in posting, I owe it to my collaborators and students to share our science. doi.org/10.1029/2026...doi.orgVolcanism at Piton de la Fournaise as an Analog for Chloris Mons, VenusTerrestrial analog comparisons can help answer key questions in Venus volcanology, especially as upcoming missions will gather new data We present a multifaceted analysis of Piton de la Fournaise... 000
Reposted by Dr. Sean PetersGlennyrodge @glennyrodge.bsky.social · 11/08/2026The person who named sweetbreads isn't allowed to name stuff anymore. 1493030251
Dr. Sean Peters @siprocks.bsky.social · 07/08/2026live in: 🇺🇸 born in: 🇺🇸 parents: 🇺🇸🇺🇸 grandparents: 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 great grandparents: 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 🇺🇸 (Draw what conclusions you will) been to: 🇦🇺 🇦🇹 🇧🇪 🇮🇸 🇨🇦 🇫🇮 🇫🇷 🇬🇹 🇲🇽 🇮🇹 🇯🇵 🇳🇿 🏴 🏴 🇪🇸🇨🇭🇳🇱 020
Reposted by Dr. Sean PetersAdam Rawnsley @arawnsley.bsky.social · 04/08/2026Today, August 4, 2026, is the setting of Ray Bradbury’s short story “There Will Come Soft Rains” about a fully automated house continuing on after the family who lived there and the world around it died in a nuclear blast. 10346211517
Reposted by Dr. Sean PetersEuropeanPowell @europeanpowell.bsky.social · 01/08/2026The Data Centre Land Grab: How Britain Is Being Carved Up for Big Tech — Without Your Consent Across Wales, Scotland, and England, the largest peacetime infrastructure seizure of community land and energy in modern British history is accelerating. open.substack.com/pub/european...open.substack.comThe Data Centre Land Grab: How Britain Is Being Carved Up for Big Tech — Without Your ConsentAcross Wales, Scotland, and England, the largest peacetime infrastructure seizure of community land and energy in modern British history is accelerating. 9197167
Reposted by Dr. Sean Peterscomrade @nowarbutclasswar.myatproto.social · 01/08/2026I know it shouldn't surprise me, but I'm still amazed at how many Democrats are campaigning with promises of "working together" with fascists 46812
Reposted by Dr. Sean PetersChanda Prescod-Weinstein 🌌 @chanda.blacksky.app · 30/07/2026if you think that the trump admin is trying to help science, you're either very stupid, an asshole, or both and yes, i'm talking about everyone taking "Science: A New Golden Age" at face value it's like odysseus was on the trojan horse telling you soldiers are inside and you're like "oooh present" 515528
Dr. Sean Peters @siprocks.bsky.social · 30/07/2026JULY 2026 - PART IItheplanetarynovelist.comJULY 2026 – PART IISomehow four weeks have evaporated into thin air. Let’s dive into the 2nd blog of the month! SONG INSPIRATION This blog is inspired by a remix to Nina Simone’s My Baby Just Cares for Me by HONNE. AMSTERDAM When traveling to a popular place, I’m wary of Paris Syndrome. Yet the hype surrounding Amsterdam, the Venice of the North, is valid. 000
Reposted by Dr. Sean PetersBrant Reeves @bireeves95.bsky.social · 29/07/2026It’s a Fair Question….. “Why is it that it takes 900 years and 5000 impact studies to build high speed rail but a 5 minute city council meeting is all it takes to approve a massive data center?” 31090342634
Reposted by Dr. Sean PetersNaomi Kritzer @naomikritzer.bsky.social · 28/07/2026I'm just boggled that Americans tend to guess that 25% of the country is Jewish and 20% is Muslim. NYC, the most Jewish city in the country, is about 10% Jewish. Minneapolis is about 10% Muslim. 38643127
Reposted by Dr. Sean PetersJon of The North @krauza.bsky.social · 27/07/2026Turns out that food companies were only checking their food because the government told them to, which is exactly why we need government regulations. 40201864901
Reposted by Dr. Sean PetersColette Delawalla, PhD @cdelawalla.bsky.social · 24/07/2026Next time someone accuses me of “making science partisan” I’m going to throw the physical NYT edition of this article at their head. These people are operating in bad faith…we have a mountain of evidence. (Gift link) www.nytimes.com/2026/07/24/b...nytimes.comTrump Administration Admits Canceling Grants to States That Did Not Vote for Him (Gift Article)Federal officials said in court documents that they halted billions of dollars in funding for energy projects to states “based solely” on whether they backed President Trump in the 2024 election. 420780
Reposted by Dr. Sean PetersBrett Meiselas @bmeiselas.bsky.social · 24/07/2026lots of reporters suddenly worried about slipping into communism but strangely f*cking quiet about slipping into fascism 677235345735
Dr. Sean Peters @siprocks.bsky.social · 24/07/2026I am astounded at how often people fondly remember their “rocks for jocks” intro to geology course. Last week, I met a multigenerational family on a food tour who all recounted how much they loved said course despite taking it years apart at different institutions. 4374
Reposted by Dr. Sean PetersAndy Scollick @andyscollick.bsky.social · 24/07/2026The Madrid Deep Space Communication Complex at Robledo de Chavela municipality in the Community of Madrid, Spain on fire. Burgohondo wildfire. 📷 via Infues Avila 30785427
Reposted by Dr. Sean PetersMark Histed @markhisted.org · 24/07/2026I co-sign this great summary from @dereklowe.bsky.social . The goal is to destroy academic science, and these are the reasons. And all the “gold standard” and “needs reform” and “not high risk” stuff is transparent bullshit to hide the ball on what they are doing. 8438196
Reposted by Dr. Sean PetersCarl T. Bergstrom @carlbergstrom.com · 23/07/20261. The new Trump / Kratsios plan for US science appears explicitly designed to destroy US universities. Diverting money to tech donors is probably just a bonus. Gift link.nytimes.comTrump’s Plan for Science: More Money for A.I., Less for Universities (Gift Article)Michael Kratsios, President Trump’s science adviser, proposed overhauling how the government funds research. Democrats said Mr. Trump’s actions had weakened science. 5120221139
Reposted by Dr. Sean PetersMikhail Zinshteyn @mzinshteyn.bsky.social · 21/07/2026Federal agencies that terminated more than a thousand research grants at the University of California admitted that they used keywords related to diversity to screen for projects. It’s an admission that lawyers for the researchers say is proof the agencies illegally cancelled nearly $2b in grants.calmatters.orgDEI keyword search led to billions in cancelled California university grantsThe Trump administration cancelled $2 billion of research grants to UC professors. Their legal team says it has proof that was unconstitutional. 16441
Reposted by Dr. Sean PetersIAVCEI - International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry @iavcei.bsky.social · 22/07/2026Upcoming event 2028! We have the pleasure to announce that the next IAVCEI conference “Cities on Volcanoes” will take place from 14-19 May 2028, in Iceland. 🇮🇸 The COV conference series is organised every two years under the umbrella of the IAVCEI commission ‘Cities and Volcanoes’. More: cov14.is 062
Reposted by Dr. Sean PetersMark Copelovitch @mcopelov.bsky.social · 16/04/2026The national media is eating up this report as justification for perpetuating the lie that universities themselves - as opposed to decades of attacks from the far right authoritarian party - are responsible for eroding trust in higher education. You can almost hear them salivating at the chance.nytimes.comYale Report Finds Colleges Deserve Blame for Higher Education’s Problems 451374296
Reposted by Dr. Sean PetersTina Smith @smith.senate.gov · 16/07/2026Cancer doesn’t give a shit about DEI policies. The disease will continue impacting some populations more than others and refusing to research why is asinine and hurts us all. 1025565
Reposted by Dr. Sean PetersElizabeth Cronise McLaughlin @ecmclaughlin.bsky.social · 08/07/2026If you are not yet familiar with the disappearance and death of Nolan Wells, it’s time, because this case is only getting started and it smells as bad as it gets. 8469185