iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Dr. V @teachbiomedsci.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

It’s the little things. ❤️

Black chinned hummingbird approaching a feeder. Wings are spread. Greenery and water in the background.

Dr. V @teachbiomedsci.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

I wrote a #grant. First paragraph, brain blanks on a word. I put in an “alternative” and highlight to fix later. Fast forward, weeks later: getting ready to submit, look quickly, unhighlight entire document. And submit. I review submitted grant and see it. First sentence. My #brainfart. Hello. 😣

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Dr. V @teachbiomedsci.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

“Only the moon’s smile can cure the unseen scars of darkness.” — Munia Khan

Picture taken from a car on a dark, tree-lined road at dusk. The sky is pink at the horizon as sun rise nears, the rest of the sky turns a pale blue. And just barely visible in the center of it all, above where the road meets the sunrise, is a faint sliver of a moon.

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Dr. V @teachbiomedsci.bsky.social · 07/01/2026

Sometimes the world looks better than it feels.

A house-and-lawn-lined road vanishing into the horizon which is stained pink and violet from the just-set sun in a pale blue sky dotted with diaphanous light gray clouds. Silhouettes of oak trees on the left and right of the road and stretch out of the frame.

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Dr. V @teachbiomedsci.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

Cupcakes don’t ask for extra credit.

A cupcake with pink frosting and rainbow sprinkles (jimmies) on a square, white paper plate.

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Dr. V @teachbiomedsci.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

What happens when you ask a biologist to lead a grant writing cohort? Lesson 5: the grant writing cycle should look more like the life cycle of a moth rather than the life cycle of a roach. #grants #grantwriting #academics #insects #nature

Picture of a slide. On the left is the life cycle of a moth: egg to larva to pupa to adult back to egg. On the right, life cycle of an American cockroach: egg to nymph to nymph to nymph to nymph )with each nymph resembling adult slightly but increasing in size) to adult back to egg.

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Reposted by Dr. V

Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

Here is the link to the Last Week Tonight with John Oliver about RFK, Jr, public health, and HHS (including NIH) www.youtube.com/watch?v=8H34...

youtube.com

RFK Jr. & HHS: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

YouTube video by LastWeekTonight

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Dr. V @teachbiomedsci.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

Today on my front walk. Must be #Poosday? Or am I off a day or two and should have waited for #Turdsday? #Scatterday? Nevertheless, a raccoon? small pesky dog? a gray fox? that passed this way and heeded the welcome sign? #Nature #Scat

A couple pieces of animal scat (gray fox? raccoon? small dog?) on the pebbled walk leading to a porch and blue front door.

Picture of a gray fox lying on a welcome mat at my front door taken from inside the house looking through a glass window.

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Dr. V @teachbiomedsci.bsky.social · 18/04/2025

They’re eating the Acanthocephala declivis. #Bugs #Mood #Nature #Insects

Picture of a giant leaf-footed bug (Acanthocephala declivis) on a window with a person on the other side with their mouth open wide over the bug

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Dr. V @teachbiomedsci.bsky.social · 15/04/2025

This is my mood on this #MothMonday. Drowning in disappointment and dissonance.

Moth with water logged wings floating in a pool next to a leaf.

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Dr. V @teachbiomedsci.bsky.social · 15/04/2025

Still broken 💔 over this loss for the future of biomedical science.

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Dr. V @teachbiomedsci.bsky.social · 07/04/2025

#MothMonday. My new little pick me up for the week…

A big triangular shaped moth, black with white squiggles shaped like two reindeer facing each other sharing an avocado between them and white stripes on handsome skinny legs.

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Dr. V @teachbiomedsci.bsky.social · 05/04/2025

Back ups for the back up. Plus some more in my pockets. #LipBalm #NeverEnough #BertsBees

Work bag with a pocket full of at least 4 tubes of Berts Bees lip balm.

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Dr. V @teachbiomedsci.bsky.social · 03/04/2025

I recommend #Scientists protest what's happening at the #NIH with 100% use of expletive infixations for the next 24 hours because this is abso-BLEEPING-lutely ri-BLEEPING-diculous for the future of Bio-BLEEPING-medical science. It won't do much, but you'll feel angrier. bsky.app/profile/merr...

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Dr. V @teachbiomedsci.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

"Research programs based primarily on artificial and non-scientific categories, including amorphous equity objectives, are antithetical to the scientific inquiry, do nothing to expand our knowledge of living systems, provide low returns on investment, and ultimately do not enhance health, 1/n

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Dr. V @teachbiomedsci.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

OMG, there’s a #TwosDay? I could’ve saved this one for twoday!?! I think I need a primer for the rest of the week!! Is tomorrow WormsDay? Followed by ThreesDay and FlyDay? Gnaturday? Rest on Sunday? 🤓

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Dr. V @teachbiomedsci.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

Well. Some of us. 😣 Now that I don’t have a U-RISE training grant, I can devote more energy to my other seasonal, full-time job of feeding some hungry, zoom-zoomy, flying-minigoblins and scrubbing their dirty dishes on the daily.

Two freshly scrubbed humming bird feeders (glass bottle with red cover on bases and yellow-flower ports) drying on a kitchen towel waiting to be filled.

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Dr. V @teachbiomedsci.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

I didn’t know #MothMonday was a thing. I feel like I can live with purpose now (on Mondays).

Two Polyphemus moths mating on a golden brick wall. One smaller with a brown body and closed wings, another with a reddish body with open wings.

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Reposted by Dr. V

Harmit Singh Malik @harmitmalik.bsky.social · 29/03/2025

RFK Jr. forces out Peter Marks, FDA’s top vaccine scientist apple.news/A7H4nfa0USZy... Operation warp speed saved 3.2 million US million lives. Now its architect is being forced out. We’re rapidly winning the race to the bottom. God save our kids because apparently the HHS secretary will not.

apple.news

RFK Jr. forces out Peter Marks, FDA’s top vaccine scientist — The Washington Post

Marks, an architect of Operation Warp Speed for coronavirus vaccines, warned that a measles outbreak shows how confidence in science is being “undermined.”

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Reposted by Dr. V

Phyllis R. Robinson @prrobinson.bsky.social · 28/03/2025

NIH yesterday sent out a stop work order ie cancelled UMBC’s U-RISE program. They shut down the entire national program . We are loosing a generation of young ambitious scientists.

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Reposted by Dr. V

Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 28/03/2025

Try to imagine a situation where you are not allowed to do your job (e.g. working with applicants to formulate successful proposals), you and and your long-time colleagues are fearful of losing their job, ... 1/n

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Dr. V @teachbiomedsci.bsky.social · 28/03/2025

The impact of NIH grant terminations on patients and biomedical research is cruel and incomprehensible. The impact on the next generation of scientists is inconceivable.

Image of an email that reads “Hello All,

I am reaching out because I would like you to hear this from me…

Today I received notice from the NIH that the U-RISE Program is terminated effective 3/31/2025. Please know that I am working with the Dean and Provost to ensure you will be supported until the end of the academic year. We can discuss this further in class tomorrow.

I’m not sure what Plan B will be. But know that I am committed to training the next generation of biomedical scientists and ensuring you are successful in getting into a PhD program and in a future research career. I know that training can and will continue without all of the resources in the short term, and my hope is that we can find a way to grow our training efforts at St. Mary’s back up.

I am very sad and disappointed today. However, I remain confident that you will change the world for the better.”

And signed by post author, Verónica Contreras-Shannon

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Dr. V @teachbiomedsci.bsky.social · 24/03/2025

Me in the national security group chat. 😆

Two girls wearing lampshades on their heads (one completely covers her head, the other just has it resting on her head) in the lampshade aisle of a hardware store. They look awkward and out of place.

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Dr. V @teachbiomedsci.bsky.social · 07/03/2025

It was a busy night/morning at this intersection. 🐾

Dirt and sand with different small animal footprints

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Dr. V @teachbiomedsci.bsky.social · 22/02/2025

Distractions good. Cute ones are frosting on the cake. 😋

Pointy eared dog with half whire face and pink ear, the other half black and brown face with black ear, licking his chops with pink tongue.

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Dr. V @teachbiomedsci.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

There is calmness and beauty in the messy and chaotic moments.

Red shouldered hawk sitting on a parked car looking into another parked car

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Dr. V @teachbiomedsci.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

I’d been trying to stay off social media for a good bit. Then I started peeking back at the other place and it really hurt my 🩷. I returned here today, and o.m.g. It is so wonderfully #peaceful.

Mexican mocha in a mug complete with milk foam flower.

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Dr. V @teachbiomedsci.bsky.social · 13/12/2024

Winter roses overlooking the cemetery on campus today. 🩷

Pink roses with greenery in the background.

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Dr. V @teachbiomedsci.bsky.social · 09/12/2024

These are the things that demand my attention.

A wing floating in a pool alongside two much smaller insects

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Dr. V @teachbiomedsci.bsky.social · 21/11/2024

My heart is full. I am so grateful for the time I get with some amazing students. They are our future and it gives me hope.

Handmade thank you card (purple with pink inset) that say “Thank you Dr. Contreras” and several student-written sentiments.

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Dr. V @teachbiomedsci.bsky.social · 18/11/2024

My final ABRCMS 2024 installment: while all 19 St. Mary’s participants are winners in my book, these two took home the big W. 🏆 🏅 👏🏼

Two students holding up their ABRCMS poster award certificates.

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Dr. V @teachbiomedsci.bsky.social · 16/11/2024

The Fun is strong with these ones.

Student looking through a magnifying lens and their eye looks big.

Three students in lime green hardhats playing with building blocks

Students in the museum of illusions- one looks like a giant and the other looks tiny in a red chair

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Dr. V @teachbiomedsci.bsky.social · 16/11/2024

My students have an ABRCMS meeting feed just for our group. The amount of joy I see in their pictures and posts is 🥰😍❣️ This gang is amazing. See for yourself (5 of the 19).

Three ABRCMS attendees joyfully showing off their meeting badges.

ABRCMS attendee showing off her meeting badge with a big smile

ABRCMS attendee showing off his meeting badge with a big smile

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Dr. V @teachbiomedsci.bsky.social · 14/11/2024

This is just one shuttle load of my students attending ABRCMS in Pittsburgh. The future of science looks 🥰 amazing. And I’m here for it.

Shuttle bus filled with aspiring women scientists heading to the ABRCMS conference in Pittsburgh.

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