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Skype a Scientist @skypeascientist.bsky.social · 16h

We at Skype a Scientist are deeply troubled by the closure of the Academy of Natural Sciences. We urge you to contact Drexel University Leadership and Academy interim leader Trish Wellenbach to urge them to reopen the museum. President Merlo president@Drexel.edu Trish Wellenbach tw958@drexel.edu

a block of text with a statement that reads We at Skype a Scientist are deeply alarmed by the decision of Drexel University leadership and the Academy of Natural Sciences Board to close the Academy’s public museum.

Skype a Scientist is based in Philadelphia with deep roots in our city. Making science accessible, in particular for Philly’s children, is a top priority for our organization. We operate in community centers, at street festivals, and at the intersection of science and art. For the last 10 years, we have worked to engage a broader coalition of Philly residents to care for our local biodiversity.

Our program does not exist in a vacuum. The work that we do, alongside environmental education centers, our museums, classroom teachers, and more, create an ecosystem of connections with science. The loss of any part of this fragile ecosystem is detrimental. The Academy of Natural Sciences grounds biodiversity education in Philadelphia. With grand fossil halls, historical connections, and engaging exhibits, it is a place where many Philadelphians develop a love of science. Loss of access to this space cannot be tolerated.

We are living through an erosion of public education, particularly in the life sciences. Philadelphia cannot afford to lose our flagship biodiversity museum.

We call on the leaders of Drexel University and the Academy board to reverse their decision to close the Academy’s public museum. The children of Philadelphia and future generations of Philly-made scientists are counting on you.

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Skype a Scientist @skypeascientist.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

This Wednesday at 1pm Eastern, join us for a Q&A all about Hummingbirds w/scientist Alyssa Sargent! Alyssa's work has taken her around the world studying bird behavior! In this session she'll introduce her work, then we'll open it up for audience questions. RSVP here givebutter.com/hummingbirds...

a poorly made canvas graphic, very simple, with a picture of Alyssa, who is a glasses-clad long haired woman with a bird on her head. A hummingbird says "it's a q&a" and the title says hummingbirds with Alyssa sargent. a word blob says "Learn about Alyssa;s work on bird behavior then ask her questions"

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Diana Martinez @5footscientist.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Had my first Skype a Scientist of the year with a troop and was made an honorary Girl Scout. May be the highest honor I’ve received as an academic. @skypeascientist.bsky.social

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☈H^2 @goaskascientist.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

@skypeascientist.bsky.social is a great program and I'm proud to participate in it. Let's keep it goin'! Plus, the eel calendar from last year was terrific and this snail one is sure to please, too! 😁👍

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Scott Solomon, PhD @scottsolomon.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

This is a great organization to support. I gave a talk this morning as part of @skypeascientist.bsky.social and heard from some very enthusiastic and creative 5th and 6th graders about their ideas for using technology to support biodiversity. Consider signing up to speak or making a contribution!

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Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

We need YOU to spread the word about @skypeascientist.bsky.social - our *free* program that matches scientists w/classrooms & more! When educators sign up, they can tell us who told them about us. We'll hold a monthly drawing for $150 of science supplies* from the referrers! SkypeAScientist.com

a praying mantis is on the telephone and excited to hear someone on the phone say "Skype a Scientist has a new referral program"

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Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Goooood morning! The 2026 Snail Facts Calendars are OUT! We've got 24 days of scratchable snail fact goodness, designed by Philly artist Kelly Nichols! Advent calendars are cute as hell, a delightful tradition, and keep @skypeascientist.bsky.social funded! Get one at SquidFacts.net Pls repost ❤️

An 11x14 inch poster featuring snails, slugs, nudibranchs, and other snails! There are 24 yellow-green snail shells that you can scratch off. There's a leaf sheep and sea bunny and sea angel and fire snail and banana slug and mystery snail and ramshorn snail and candy cane snail

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Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

I have wanted to try glow in the dark shirts for a while, because it's always kids that get glow in the dark stuff, but man, do I not have whimsy? Has my joy in glowy things eroded? No, sir. Bioluminescent squid shirts, let's go SquidFacts.net (all sales support @skypeascientist.bsky.social)

Kaitlin smiles brightly with a firefly squid t-shirt on, which has 3 firefly squid and a skeleton in a peacoat, and the firefly squid has stolen one of the skeletons eyeballs. Green and blue light illuminates the background

same kaitlin, same shirt, with the lights off, showing the shirt glowing

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Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

New shirt alert! It's summer, it's hot, where do you want to be?? The deep sea babbyyyy We teamed up with Philly Spooky Guy Artist Sam Heimer to create a firefly squid shirt with a message: protect the ocean... OR ELSE! These shirts support @skypeascientist.bsky.social! Get one at SquidFacts.net

a skeleton in a sailor's peacoat is approached by a bunch of firefly squid, one of which holds his eyeball and underneath it says firefly squid

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Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

Day 6 of the United States of Science Challenge 😮‍💨 9 states remain. FL 59 NY 32 TX 44 GA 28 IL 20 VA 15 MI 20 CT 9 IN 8 Fill some bubbles to help our organization connect scientists with classrooms, scout troops, libraries and more. $10 donations fill bubbles! givebutter.com/USS2026

givebutter.com

United States of Science 2026

By Skype a Scientist

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Skype a Scientist @skypeascientist.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

2026 United States of Science Challenge is still going! We're raising money to support our program which matches scientists with classrooms, scout troops, libraries, and more for virtual Q&As. We need your help getting across the finish line ❤️ $10 donations fill bubbles givebutter.com/USS2026

givebutter.com

United States of Science 2026

By Skype a Scientist

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Pat Ramsey 🇨🇦 🇺🇦 🏳️‍🌈 @patramsey.net · 09/07/2026

Texas - we're close - let's fill the map before the rest!

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(Kyra is offline until late August) @kyrafreestar.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

And here's an easy way to help kids connect with science ... you know you want to! #StandUpForScience

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Skype a Scientist @skypeascientist.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

We just hit 80% of this map filled! Help support our program by donating $10 increments to fill bubbles on our map! Each bubble represents classrooms we've matched with scientists this year. Help us continue running this program! givebutter.com/USS2026 Reposts very appreciated 🥰

givebutter.com

United States of Science 2026

By Skype a Scientist

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Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

It's Day 4 of the United States of Science, supporting @skypeascientist.bsky.social! 19 states remain. Let's see where they all stand. FL 104 NY 90 TX 63 NJ 63 IL 53 GA 47 MI 41 CA 37 VA 33 WA 29 OH 23 CT 19 WI 18 IN 17 OK 13 TN 8 SC 8 KY 5 ID 3 Fill bubbles here! givebutter.com/USS2026

a map of the united states with a blue west coast, pink middle, purple for northeast, and green southern states. Half of the bubbles are full! Wyoming inexplicably has two gritties in the bubbles, and now so does Minnesota

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Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

The 2026 United States of Science Challenge starts NOW! Each bubble represents classrooms we’ve matched with scientists this year. This a competition to fill bubbles with $10 donations to support @skypeascientist.bsky.social The first region to fill all bubbles wins. 👇🏻 givebutter.com/USS2026

givebutter.com

United States of Science 2026

By Skype a Scientist

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Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

Day 2 of the US of Science Challenge! We started with a bang, filling all bubbles in 23 states & making major progress on some of the big states (like CA & PA). We've got 1193 more bubbles. Which region will finish first? Which state will be the dreaded last standing? 👉 givebutter.com/USS2026

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Ben Balas @bjbalas.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

I visited with 2 classrooms this past year through @skypeascientist.bsky.social and it's a great chance to talk with students about what being a scientist is like. Help @sarahmackattack.bsky.social fill up these bubbles to support science outreach!

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Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

Word on the reef is, shrimp are SO in this season. A crab told me. And bonus? These shirts fund our fall Philly Bug mural series. 3 Murals, 3 Artists, 3 Neighborhoods, All bugs baby. Don't get caught without a crustacean. Tell your friends. Get a shrimp shirt. At SquidFacts.net (pls RT)

A cream colored shirt with a red and blue design featuring 9 crustaceans and a fly. A scuba diving Fly Says a”am I shrimp too?” A pistol shrimp wearing a cowboy hat says “bang bang” a mantis shrimp says KO, the title says a”shrimp city and friends” a hermit crab uses a skull as a shell, a jumbo shrimp is labeled himbo shrimp, and a yeti crab is labeled “snack bacteria cafe”. The fly has an asterisk next to him and underneath the whole design it says *the latest research shows that bugs is actually shrimp”

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Sarah Philo @sarah-philo357.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

There’s this amazing program called @skypeascientist.bsky.social where you can invite scientists to talk to your class about their work! AI has its uses but talk to real people! It’s much better

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Rowan Kuminski @rowankuminski.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

Had another wonderful @skypeascientist.bsky.social talk today with four middle school classrooms! This one was particularly fun because they're learning about food webs and I got to tell them all about my predation research!

A photo of a laptop on a wooden desk in front of a window; on the screen is a PowerPoint cover slide of a photo of two terns, one holding a fish, standing on a rock with a blue background. A white text box has the title "Seabird prey, predators, and food webs"

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Dan Killam @dantheclamman.blog · 23/04/2026

Seeing a roomful of kids enthusiastically raise their hands when I ask if they are curious about the world is a very therapeutic experience. Everyone should do @skypeascientist.bsky.social

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Dan Killam @dantheclamman.blog · 23/04/2026

Other @skypeascientist.bsky.social highlights: watching them light up when I told them some bivalves start life as male and turn female, or vice versa, or change annually, or are both at the same time. They were very entertained by that.

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Petra Korlević @petrathepostdoc.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

just had the NICEST surprise, the teacher of this class sent me letters that the kids wrote me after the zoom sessions this is a motivation to all of you to do a @skypeascientist.bsky.social session, if I can make mosquitoes sound this interesting so can you with your research! #SciArt

photo of me holding a page with a very psychadelic coloring of my mosquito scientist lineart, the text below in blue pen reads
Dear Petra, Thank you for teaching us about mosquitos! I learned a lot and I will never forget to stear clear of mosquitos! Love, a fellow Artist

photo of a coloring page of my lineart explaining the parts of a mosquito/insect, showcasing the HEAD THORAX and ABDOMEN, colored by a kid in browns and reds and blues.
The text says
Dear Dr. Petra, I really enjoyed your presentation. I now have a positive opinion on mosquitos. (I am not much of Artist so don't judge)
Sincerely, A 5th grader from U.S.

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Andy Lee, PhD @andylee.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

I am super excited to meet up with a preschool class for @skypeascientist.bsky.social today!! Not sure what that probabilities are (I am guessing low), but I just found out that out of the thousands of possible pairings, I get to visit my sister's classroom thousands of miles away!!

A slide show with a photo of Andy and his sister titled "Yes, I am Miss Cindy's brother"

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Grace Blackburn @gblackburn.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

Just had my first @skypeascientist.bsky.social session speaking to year 6 students in Vietnam about pollution in parks🏞️🐦 Questions from these students were excellent and so thoughtful- an amazing experience! 🙂

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Heatherismyfakename @lbmsocal.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

A new mural in Philadelphia, thanks to @skypeascientist.bsky.social. Sorry it’s the wrong side of the state for you to see in person on this trip.

A brightly colored mural with a hummingbird, butterfly, sweat bee, locust border beetle, green June beetle, and monarch caterpillar, with a blue flag iris, poppy mallow,
And milkweed

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Josie Elliott @josie-e.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

Just finished my first @skypeascientist.bsky.social session and feeling so full of enthusiasm for science from the lovely questions the middle schoolers asked. However I did compare phage specificity to someone who makes chairs ending up in a coca-cola factory and not knowing how to make anything 🤦‍♀️

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Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

You hear what I'm doing constantly here, but do you want to see what @skypeascientist.bsky.social accomplishes in a year, all in one place? Our 2025 annual report is where you'll find it! drive.google.com/file/d/1sHCs... TY to graphic designer @coreydanks.bsky.social for putting this together!

The front page to the Skype a Scientist annual report with the tagline "making science fun and accessible" with a green and blue background of people at a table making art

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David Shiffman, Ph.D. 🦈 @whysharksmatter.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

If you work in #SciComm , please take our survey and share it!

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Skype a Scientist @skypeascientist.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

Our 2025 annual report is live! Get an in-depth view of the work we did last year all in one place drive.google.com/file/d/1sHCs... Thank YOU for volunteering with us, donating to support our work, and buying anything from our merch shop. We couldn't do it without you!

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Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

Attention Science Communicators! We are conducting a survey on the landscape of science communication & need your help gathering experiences. Please send this to #SciComm ppl you know. We want to get as thorough a sense of the state of the field as we can. umiami.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

A block of text that says "Scientists at the University of Miami are carrying out a research study on trends in the field of science communication.

For this survey we are defining science communication as work that is done:

• by a technical subject area expert in some field related to science, technology, engineering, or mathematics,
• outside of classroom settings
• aimed at the public

If you are 18 years of age or older and work or recently worked in this field (full-time, part-time, or as a side project), please click the link below to complete a short survey. If you are interested in learning more about this research study, please e-mail us at Julia.wester@miami.edu. In the body of your email please provide your full name, and if you would prefer to be contacted by phone, your phone number and the best time to reach you. Contacting us for more information does not commit you to participating, and should you decide to participate you may terminate your participation at any time."

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Billy Penn at WHYY @billy-penn.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

Local cyclists are helping native species thrive by scattering 'seed bombs' around North Philly. Billy Penn joined a Wednesday Night Rides and Skype a Scientist for a ride to learn more. billypenn.com/2026/03/11/p...

billypenn.com

Cyclists scatter ‘seed bombs’ around North Philly to help native species thrive

We joined Wednesday Night Rides and Skype a Scientist to help boost biodiversity in Philadelphia.

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☈H^2 @goaskascientist.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

Getting ready for my third and fourth @skypeascientist.bsky.social presentations of the week tomorrow. So far, my favorite question asked this week is, "What's the WEIRDEST tornado you've seen?" Not biggest, smallest, widest, longest- or shortest-lived, but WEIRDEST. Gawd, I love kids; minds! 😅👍

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Petra Korlević @petrathepostdoc.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

a great @skypeascientist.bsky.social session where I had to explain to a room of Arkansas kids that I in fact don't pronounce the word strawberry the British way but the American way, followed by the whole class doing the STROOBERI 🍓 there was also good mozzie questions, but strooberi was funny

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Skype a Scientist @skypeascientist.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

We still have lots of these! Get 'em at SquidFacts.net

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Rowan Kuminski @rowankuminski.bsky.social · 28/02/2026

The teacher I'm preparing a presentation for through @skypeascientist.bsky.social said they are currently learning about predation and adaptations, and how animals develop "cool behaviors to survive" and I literally CANNOT WAIT to tell them about fulmars 😂

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Amanda Krause @studylistening.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

got to do a @skypeascientist.bsky.social session today to share some #MusicScience for international women’s day. super fun. #IWD2026

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Lucas @lgpens.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

I had my first @skypeascientist.bsky.social talk (session? chat? meeting?) today. Two third grade classes and it was AWESOME! The enthusiasm! And such fantastic questions! I just hope they weren’t too disappointed I haven’t caught a barracuda or a white shark or a swordfish 🧪🌊🐠

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Miscelena 🌳🧬 @miscelena.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

They're creating community, collaboration and beauty, all in one project. Fund it... It'll make you feel good. 😉

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Skype a Scientist @skypeascientist.bsky.social · 18/02/2026

It's that time again! Reposts appreciated, we want to make sure as many potential science communicators see this as possible.

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Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 18/02/2026

Last year we were able to give out $8500 thanks to donors who supported this program. This year we’re starting at a baseline of $3000 (from advent calendar sales). Anything additional raised on this page will go directly to supporting more 2026 projects! givebutter.com/Science_IRL2...

givebutter.com

Help fund our 2026 Science IRL mini-grant program!

By Skype a Scientist

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Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 18/02/2026

It’s been a year since we launched the science IRL mini-grant program. Wanna see what our grantees got up to?? Check it out! www.patreon.com/posts/scienc... We’ll be doing this program again in 2026, keep an eye out for the announcement soon!

patreon.com

SCIENCE IRL: Mini-Grant Highlights | Skype a Scientist

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Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

We’re at 10% of the way funded! Thank you to everyone who supported us so far 🥰 We had our community meeting last night where neighbors voted on the artist and theme! That vote is open until Friday then we can start designing the mural. Help us fund this project here! givebutter.com/KenzoMural

givebutter.com

H.A. Brown Elementary School Mural

By Skype a Scientist

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Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

The 2026 native plant project is up and running! We have 10 seed distribution stations set up all around the city, each thanks to a volunteer poster hoster. This project was made possible by monthly donors to @skypeascientist.bsky.social and people who bought calendars from SquidFacts.net!

a bulletin board with a poster that has a bunch of seed packets hanging from it in cobbs creek park. The poster has milkweed and a monarch and says "Plant native plants"

A poster on a pole that has a bunch of seed packets hanging from it. The poster has bee balm on it with a yellow background and says "Plant native plants"

the same bee balm poster, but now it's on a bulletin board in a city park

bee balm poster is back at it, but now on a column in a park covered in posters

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Dr. Wendy Bohon @drwendyrocks.bsky.social · 16/02/2026

This seems like a great moment to talk about the importance of science communication! Science communication matters because it connects scientific research with people, giving folks information they need to make informed decisions about everything from health to hazards.

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