iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Lakota Watson 🍉 (she/they)

Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) @autisticadvocacy.org · 09/05/2025

Last week, the President released a budget preview — and it’s bad news. It would cut or change programs people rely on. But we can fight back. Our new guide breaks it down and shows how you can take action: autisticadvocacy.org/2025/05/asan...

autisticadvocacy.org

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Reposted by Lakota Watson 🍉 (she/they)

UMSOM Program in Neuroscience @umsomneurosci.bsky.social · 01/05/2025

Neuro Networks Day is May 16th, designed to celebrate and elevate our vibrant neuroscience community. Art submissions are due Monday May 5, any and all creativity welcomed!

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Reposted by Lakota Watson 🍉 (she/they)

Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) @autisticadvocacy.org · 17/04/2025

ASAN, Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network, the Autistic People of Color Fund, Autism Society of America, Autism Speaks, The Arc, and others stand united: Autistic people deserve respect, support, and science-based policy, not dangerous disinformation. autisticadvocacy.org/2025/04/lead...

autisticadvocacy.org

Leading Autism Organizations Release Joint Statement on Upholding Scientific Integrity and Supporting the Autism Community - Autistic Self Advocacy Network

April 17, 2025, Washington, D.C. – As national organizations dedicated to advancing the well-being of Autistic individuals, the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, Autism Society of America, Autism…

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Reposted by Lakota Watson 🍉 (she/they)

Alt NIH Bluesky 🧪 @altnih4science.bsky.social · 20/03/2025

2. Pressure Senate Dems to do maximum obstruction and bring the Senate to a halt 3. Push Chuck Schumer out of leadership for his great failure last week 4. Get on local TV across the country 5. Use social media to talk about the Trump attacks on cancer cures. There are more. This is a start.

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Alt NIH Bluesky 🧪 @altnih4science.bsky.social · 20/03/2025

We are NOT saying we’re giving up. There is still time to stop Trump and Musk. But great damage has already been done and the grants program is highly unstable and could collapse if more people leave. What can we do? Some ideas: 1. Pressure university presidents to speak out

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Reposted by Lakota Watson 🍉 (she/they)

Alt NIH Bluesky 🧪 @altnih4science.bsky.social · 20/03/2025

"Effective March 10th, I will assume the role of Acting Deputy Director of Extramural Research." - Memoli, the Trump-selected NIH acting Director. This is bad- centralizing control over the grant program. He delegates authority, but it brings grants under closer Trump control.

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES

Public Health Service

National Institutes of Health Bethesda, Maryland 20892

www.nih.gov

DATE:

March 7, 2025

TO:

Office of Extramural Research (OER) Staff

FROM:

Matthew J. Memoli, M.D., M.S., Acting Director, NIH

SUBJECT:

Office of Extramural Research Leadership Updates

I am writing to inform you of important changes within the Office of Extramural Research (OER) leadership team. Effective Monday, March 10, 2025, I will assume the role of Acting Deputy Director for Extramural Research. To ensure efficient continuity and support of this integral NIH leadership position, Dr. Ray Jacobson, Dr. Tara Schwetz, and Dr. Jon Lorsch have graciously agreed to oversee certain responsibilities. I am delegating authority to them to act on behalf of the Deputy Director for Extramural Research and lead the following areas.

Ray Jacobson, Ph.D.

Office of eRA

Office of Reporting and Analysis

Strategic Management and Contracts

Review Policy

Tara Schw

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Reposted by Lakota Watson 🍉 (she/they)

Colin Carlson @colincarlson.bsky.social · 18/03/2025

It’s sad to see faces eaten by leopards, certainly, but it’s also worth remembering that people who believe they are surrounded by “DEI and extreme wokeness” are pretty much by definition the proverbial people trying to push their colleagues out of the pipeline (knowingly and on purpose or not)

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Reposted by Lakota Watson 🍉 (she/they)

Alt NIH Bluesky 🧪 @altnih4science.bsky.social · 17/03/2025

How a University Fights an Authoritarian Regime: By speaking out to the public, especially about NIH and the loss of medical research. From @chronicle.com yesterday. See thread in quote for more.

How a University
Fights an Authoritarian
Regime
Viktor Orbán came for me. Donald Trump is coming for you. Here's what to do.

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Reposted by Lakota Watson 🍉 (she/they)

Yashar Ali 🐘 @yasharali.bsky.social · 13/03/2025

BREAKING NEW YORK (AP) — Columbia University says it has expelled or suspended some students who took over a campus building during pro-Palestinian protests last spring, and had temporarily revoked the diplomas of some students who have since graduated.

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Lakota Watson 🍉 (she/they) @watsonlakota.bsky.social · 13/03/2025

F-31D applicants who submitted their grant proposals at the Dec 8th deadline have been removed from study sections, again, over the course of the last 48 hours. @altnih4science.bsky.social #NIH

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Lakota Watson 🍉 (she/they) @watsonlakota.bsky.social · 06/03/2025

unfortunately, science and medicine will always be political and require active defense. Anyway, check out @standupforscience.bsky.social to find your local 3/7/25 rally!

nature.com

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Reposted by Lakota Watson 🍉 (she/they)

Stand Up for Science! @standupforscience.net · 12/02/2025

Welcome to the Bluesky account for Stand Up for Science 2025! Keep an eye on this space for updates, event information, and ways to get involved. We can't wait to see everyone #standupforscience2025 on March 7th, both in DC and locations nationwide! #scienceforall #sciencenotsilence

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Reposted by Lakota Watson 🍉 (she/they)

Annika Barber @annikabarber.bsky.social · 24/02/2025

Wondering if your study section cancelled? I update this sheet daily. As of today, 56/124 study sections that should have met since Jan 2, 2025 have "not met as scheduled." docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

docs.google.com

2025 Study section tracking

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Lakota Watson 🍉 (she/they) @watsonlakota.bsky.social · 26/02/2025

This is a perfect example of how concepts of ability (e.g. IQ) can be used to perpetuate racism in addition to ableism. We need to be taking ableism more seriously. Historically, it has been used in eugenics as a starting point for sweeping violence and oppression (please see whole thread)

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Reposted by Lakota Watson 🍉 (she/they)

Alt NIH Bluesky 🧪 @altnih4science.bsky.social · 20/02/2025

The thing about destroying NIH is NIH’s scale in medical research just dwarfs everyone else. For ex, in 2023 the American Cancer Society gave out $64.5 million worth of grants. Sounds big, right? But NIH’s budget was $49 billion. With a B. Kill NIH and the floor drops out of US science.

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Reposted by Lakota Watson 🍉 (she/they)

Megan Zahneis @mzahneis.bsky.social · 10/02/2025

We @chronicle.com reported on Friday that applications for F31 diversity fellowships had been withdrawn. Now, multiple scholars tell me their applications have been re-assigned to their original study sections, in a reversal of instructions NIH officials gave reviewers last week. #AcademicSky

chronicle.com

‘We’re Being Punished’: NIH Tosses Some Grant Applications From Minority Researchers

The sudden withdrawal affects early-career scholars who applied for a prestigious federal grant with a diversity notation — flagging that they came from underrepresented backgrounds.

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Reposted by Lakota Watson 🍉 (she/they)

Alt National Park Service @altnps.bsky.social · 09/02/2025

Nearly $7 million has been “apportioned” over the past week to cover DOGE-related expenses.

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Reposted by Lakota Watson 🍉 (she/they)

Miriam Goldstein @miriamgoldstein.bsky.social · 06/02/2025

Just in case you thought that removing DEI criteria would mean that everyone is competing equally: NIH is removing grad students from underrepresented backgrounds from the applicant pool altogether. Their applications will not be considered. Other students, not from these backgrounds, will be.

Update: They were removed from our reviewer assignments completely. I'm so sorry to all those graduate students.

Anonymous to protect the identity of the NIH employee I spoke to...I am on study section next month to discuss F awards. We were just instructed to put the F31-Diversity applications on the bottom of our priority list for review because there is a chance we may not be able to review them. My heart is breaking for the grad students and their mentors that put so much work into these just for them to be disqualified and thrown out.

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Lakota Watson 🍉 (she/they) @watsonlakota.bsky.social · 05/02/2025

The F31 diversity grant opportunity has been wiped from NIH websites and NIH RePORTER. The “current” opportunity number is not even listed as an expired opportunity (ie there is no evidence of it ever existing.) this change was made between 5:45pm 2/3 and 3:15pm 2/4. 1/2

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Reposted by Lakota Watson 🍉 (she/they)

It's Going Down @igd.bsky.social · 04/02/2025

Protesters are gathering outside of the office of Chuck Schumer, the leader of the Senate Democrats. Democratic politicians continue to vote to confirm Trump's appointees, while many are calling on them to obstruct Trump's project at every turn.

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Reposted by Lakota Watson 🍉 (she/they)

Del-icious (they/them) @brandnewhuman.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

Made a guide for how to take action to protect gender affirming care. These youth and their families are in a state of terror and crisis. Check this out to learn what's happening and for an easy-to-use list of actions to take. #transnews #transgender #protecttransyouth

patreon.com

How To Take Action to Protect Gender Affirming Care | Translations

Get more from Translations on Patreon

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Reposted by Lakota Watson 🍉 (she/they)

Alt National Park Service @altnps.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

Elon Musk now has access to your Social Security number. The world’s richest man has gained access to the confidential personal information of every taxpayer in the United States.

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Reposted by Lakota Watson 🍉 (she/they)

Gregg Gonsalves @gregggonsalves.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

Are you funded by #NIH, #NSF or #CDC? Please post any letters or communications you’ve received from these agencies or HHS about restrictions on grant funding, publications etc. I want to catalog all of them for the record. #medsky #episky

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Lakota Watson 🍉 (she/they) @watsonlakota.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

They WILL find a reason to exclude you from society—through imprisonment and forced labor, or through death. Our duty in the face of fascism is to listen to and protect those on the chopping block. Please please please, listen to us and throw a fit on our behalf NOW, or you will be next 7/8

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Lakota Watson 🍉 (she/they) @watsonlakota.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

For now, it’s The Gays and DEI programs which are being targeted. Scientists are being literally censored to remove queer folks and queer “ideology” (facts) from publications. But next up, it could be you. Look at the ICE raids happening now: US citizens are being arrested as well 6/

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Lakota Watson 🍉 (she/they) @watsonlakota.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

Disproportionally affected by disability. The 1920s flu pandemic normalized loss of life for disabled folks, a mirror image to the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. I don’t call people or politicians Nazis lightly, but this? This is Nazi shit. 5/

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Lakota Watson 🍉 (she/they) @watsonlakota.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

Now, in 2025, the CDC is scrubbing all mention of queer and gender-affirming language from their websites. When you want to obtain power, the best strategy is to target the most isolated and smallest populations. This serves a double purpose when it comes to disability, as minority pops are 4/

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Lakota Watson 🍉 (she/they) @watsonlakota.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

Queer and disabled folks are often a footnote (at best) in Holocaust history. It has only been within the past few decades that we have gained even remotely equal rights and public visibility. Even today, gender dysphoria is included as a medical diagnosis. 3/

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Lakota Watson 🍉 (she/they) @watsonlakota.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

They burned all books and documents at the institute and declared gay men & trans folks as enemies of the state, eventually extending this to include all queer persons. Queer folk, along with political opponents and disabled folks were the first imprisoned in Dachau 2/

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Lakota Watson 🍉 (she/they) @watsonlakota.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

The first people imprisoned in Nazi German were not Jews, they were political opponents and “asocials”, a category which included almost all queer folks and many disabled folks. On May 6th, 1933 (96 days after taking office), the Nazis raided the Institute for Sexual Sciences 1/

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Reposted by Lakota Watson 🍉 (she/they)

Evan Dorkin @evandorkin.bsky.social · 25/01/2025

Commit the sin of empathy.

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Reposted by Lakota Watson 🍉 (she/they)

Jess Piper @piperformissouri.bsky.social · 23/01/2025

If you would like to see how much economic activity and grants and how many people are employed through NIH in your state, just use this handy website. And then contact your Congressional Rep and tell them to prioritize NIH. www.unitedformedicalresearch.org/nih-in-your-...

unitedformedicalresearch.org

NIH In Your State - United For Medical Research

Select a state on the map to see the impact of NIH funding across America.

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Reposted by Lakota Watson 🍉 (she/they)

Jane Liebschutz, MD MPH (she/her) @liebschutz.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

All NIH study sections canceled indefinitely. This will halt science and devastate research budgets in universities.

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Reposted by Lakota Watson 🍉 (she/they)

Jackie Flynn Mogensen @jackiefmogensen.bsky.social · 23/01/2025

If you're a researcher impacted by the NIH/CDC/FDA travel and communication pause and are open to chatting about your experience, big or small, please reach out to me at jmogensen@motherjones.com or DM for Signal

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Lakota Watson 🍉 (she/they) @watsonlakota.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

history books will have nothing good to say about a medical school which invites war criminals to speak about “saving lives” @umbaltimore.bsky.social @ummedschool.bsky.social @baltimorebeat.bsky.social

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