iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

tevetorbes 🧨 🎆 🐍 @tevetorbes.bsky.social · 9h

Flying out of ORD and it’s time to play my favorite game: which one of you is eating tinned fish on the plane?

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tevetorbes 🧨 🎆 🐍 @tevetorbes.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Am I too late to accuse the Chemistry Nobel of not being chemistry enough?

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tevetorbes 🧨 🎆 🐍 @tevetorbes.bsky.social · 25/06/2025

Met @gricechemistry.bsky.social at ACS GCE- he didn’t even know he was talking to me I’m such a ninja

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tevetorbes 🧨 🎆 🐍 @tevetorbes.bsky.social · 16/04/2025

This morning's hot take is brought to you by my reading of a Qualifying Exam this morning. Stop using Latin in writing. All of it. Yes that includes et al. And etc. And e.g. And viz. And every other Latin phrase that has an english equivalent.

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tevetorbes 🧨 🎆 🐍 @tevetorbes.bsky.social · 14/04/2025

I imagine the Venn Diagram of "endowments don't work like that" and "why can't we spend football money on academics" is a circle

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tevetorbes 🧨 🎆 🐍 @tevetorbes.bsky.social · 14/04/2025

Curious the number of faculty who will gladly carry water for the "university endowments don't work like that" crowd

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tevetorbes 🧨 🎆 🐍 @tevetorbes.bsky.social · 09/04/2025

Dungeon Crawler Carl is in my stack but I think it’s apocalyptic Currently reading Gideon the Ninth A Master of Djinn probably more fantasy than sci fi If you like fantasy I’d say Nettle and Bone my favorite in that genre that I’ve read recently

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tevetorbes 🧨 🎆 🐍 @tevetorbes.bsky.social · 09/04/2025

What counts as apocalyptic? What counts as scifi? A Master of Djinn A Memory Called Empire Delta-V The Mercy of Gods These may fall under “apocalyptic” unfortunately

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tevetorbes 🧨 🎆 🐍 @tevetorbes.bsky.social · 07/04/2025

FTA: "However, we must avoid the false promise of simple solutions and shifting the burden of a sustainable food transition on single food system actors. "

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tevetorbes 🧨 🎆 🐍 @tevetorbes.bsky.social · 03/04/2025

Raw ramen = delicacy Cold canned chili = serial killer vibes

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tevetorbes 🧨 🎆 🐍 @tevetorbes.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

When I was in grad school, I TA'd the inorganic synthesis lab. On the last day, students were cleaning off their lab benches with acetone, and one somehow got sodium metal in the sink next to the freshly acetoned bench. Hilarity ensued. Anyhow, probably a good idea to keep the base bath away

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tevetorbes 🧨 🎆 🐍 @tevetorbes.bsky.social · 28/03/2025

I'm not going to wade into the fluoride in water debate (ha!), but let's at least get our messaging right. We can't simultaneously lionize and demonize the word "natural." Contrast : Ephedra is a natural plant extractive Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral in soil, water, and rocks

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tevetorbes 🧨 🎆 🐍 @tevetorbes.bsky.social · 27/03/2025

I got basically the same comment on one of my P&T dossier reviews around year 3-ish. "Applicant should consider being awarded more single-investigator grants." Oh, great advice, thanks!

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Reposted by tevetorbes 🧨 🎆 🐍

Kalvin the Reindeer @kalvinmacleod.bsky.social · 26/03/2025

23ANDME: we're bankrupt ME: uh oh are you going to sell my DNA? 23ANDME: yes but it won't be a problem MY UNAUTHORIZED CLONE: yeah stop worrying so much fuckface

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tevetorbes 🧨 🎆 🐍 @tevetorbes.bsky.social · 26/03/2025

Does your culture make a sandwich or wrap of some kind, containing deliciously seasoned meat? Do you also put French fries on it? We could probably be friends hmu

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tevetorbes 🧨 🎆 🐍 @tevetorbes.bsky.social · 25/03/2025

I understand the broader point you are making, but surely $25 million for a single early career scientist is a misprint? Otherwise this is frankly absurd that a single investigator would have a single grant worth $25 million

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tevetorbes 🧨 🎆 🐍 @tevetorbes.bsky.social · 25/03/2025

Agree on noise- I can’t concentrate with lots of background noise so it was hard for me to pay attention

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tevetorbes 🧨 🎆 🐍 @tevetorbes.bsky.social · 25/03/2025

I was not a fan- it was hard for me to concentrate on speakers being able to hear other pods

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tevetorbes 🧨 🎆 🐍 @tevetorbes.bsky.social · 24/03/2025

Big same. Turns out photosynthesis already pretty good at direct air capture.

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tevetorbes 🧨 🎆 🐍 @tevetorbes.bsky.social · 24/03/2025

Reminding everyone at whatever conference you may be attending that a comment is not a question

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tevetorbes 🧨 🎆 🐍 @tevetorbes.bsky.social · 24/03/2025

3 billion-year-old tech doesn’t get the tech bros salivating unfortunately

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tevetorbes 🧨 🎆 🐍 @tevetorbes.bsky.social · 24/03/2025

Just saw @drlcsquare.bsky.social but he got accosted by somebody else so I just kept moving

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tevetorbes 🧨 🎆 🐍 @tevetorbes.bsky.social · 23/03/2025

Exactly where my worm-addled brain went

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tevetorbes 🧨 🎆 🐍 @tevetorbes.bsky.social · 21/03/2025

I thought a flutter was a group of timothees chalamet, like attorneys general

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tevetorbes 🧨 🎆 🐍 @tevetorbes.bsky.social · 18/03/2025

I didn't post this to say "look at me!" I hope this is inspiring for someone who is thinking their career is over before it even starts. I don't know what will happen tomorrow. I'm not saying it will be easy. But I will happily cheer you on while you try to make it, because it is totally worth it.

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tevetorbes 🧨 🎆 🐍 @tevetorbes.bsky.social · 18/03/2025

I am not faculty in a chemistry department, despite my degree and my professional membership in ACS. I didn't get the PD at a prestigious school. I didn't win an NSF GRFP. But I wouldn't trade my position or my experience for anything.

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tevetorbes 🧨 🎆 🐍 @tevetorbes.bsky.social · 18/03/2025

I will be 45 this year, am still an assistant professor, and have lost a LOT of retirement potential by taking so long to get to where I am (I don't suggest looking at your 401k rn if you have one).

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tevetorbes 🧨 🎆 🐍 @tevetorbes.bsky.social · 18/03/2025

I have won several awards, including the NSF CAREER award (fingers still crossed it isn't rescinded, although nothing is guaranteed!) I just submitted what will be my 49th publication for review last week, and I still even get to go in the lab and do an experiment or two.

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tevetorbes 🧨 🎆 🐍 @tevetorbes.bsky.social · 18/03/2025

Since taking this position, I have again worked with many talented undergraduate, MS, and PhD students. My first PhD graduate was an ACS Green Chem Summer School attendee and now works at P&G (also not a chemist!)

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tevetorbes 🧨 🎆 🐍 @tevetorbes.bsky.social · 18/03/2025

I accepted and moved and the first semester I taught a class was Spring 2020. I won't mention what happened during that semester, you remember it well I'm sure.

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tevetorbes 🧨 🎆 🐍 @tevetorbes.bsky.social · 18/03/2025

Unfortunately, I didn't get any official credit towards tenure, and was told it was because I didn't teach any classes, but I was assured my research portfolio would "count" towards tenure.

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tevetorbes 🧨 🎆 🐍 @tevetorbes.bsky.social · 18/03/2025

Fast-forward to 2019, I was offered a tenure-track position at the current B1G school (again, not in a chemistry department). What a great offer, since I'd be a TT assistant professor and teach classes and run a research lab.

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tevetorbes 🧨 🎆 🐍 @tevetorbes.bsky.social · 18/03/2025

We were one of the first labs to 3D print with lignin by vat polymerization (my group's 2018 paper on this has been cited 200+ times) and we did quite a lot of work on materials science and catalysis related to lignin. I worked with several amazing students and postdocs- again, it was awesome.

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tevetorbes 🧨 🎆 🐍 @tevetorbes.bsky.social · 18/03/2025

This position was really fun- 100% research was great because I could focus on experiments, but not so great because I really couldn't attract students to the lab because I never saw them in classes. But I learned a lot and my lab discovered a lot of new and exciting things.

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tevetorbes 🧨 🎆 🐍 @tevetorbes.bsky.social · 18/03/2025

After 2 years, I took a non-tenure-eligible research position at an SEC school (not in a chemistry department) related to conversion of biomass using catalysts. This blended (for the most part) my training (in inorganic chemistry) with my PD work (in biomass conversion).

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tevetorbes 🧨 🎆 🐍 @tevetorbes.bsky.social · 18/03/2025

Side note: A colleague told me when I arrived that my PD would be the best part of my career. The only thing to worry about was experiments and writing. Meetings, committees, paperwork, etc. were non-existent or minimal. Just doing science. He was (mostly) right.

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tevetorbes 🧨 🎆 🐍 @tevetorbes.bsky.social · 18/03/2025

I spent 2 years in Golden, CO (what a wonderful state!) working for a chemical engineer on a team of chemical engineers. I learned a lot about science, engineering, and how chemists perceive and are perceived by non-chemists.

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tevetorbes 🧨 🎆 🐍 @tevetorbes.bsky.social · 18/03/2025

Side note: telling other people how great you are is REALLY HARD but also REALLY NECESSARY. Nobody will toot your horn for you.

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