Hey all, I reached out to the PO of my NIGMS MIRA to ask if the gov't shut down, and rescheduling of study sections, might allow for some accommodation to the standard rule that PIs cannot resubmit a MIRA while their MIRA (or other RPG) is under review (waiting in scores or summary statements) 🧪

New Starbird lab equipment that we are excited to explore more in the new year! If you do lots of mammalian expression (via lots of maxi-preps), this is a true lifesaver! (Also, if you’re at UNC and are interested in using, please reach out) #ThermoScientific

Great time to be a new PI 🤦🏾‍♀️ www.statnews.com/2025/12/18/n...

🎄

Congratulations Skylar!!! Also, my first real science job was at Pfizer, so it’s a full circle moment to see they’re now sponsoring an award a student in my lab won. Excited to see everyone at BPS!!!

NSF bio hour - NSF BIO lost 40% of its staff 😑

Yesterday I joined a panel hosted by our local radio station to discuss the impacts of the many policy changes of 2025 on research, education, and community engagement. Thanks @wchlchapelboro.bsky.social for keeping our community informed about these important topics! Listen here: bit.ly/4s7BoXB

A departmental cookie exchange is always a great idea! 😁

I can't believe this still needs to be said (and more loudly): Trans rights are human rights.

Very sad to see the American Academy of Pediatrics lose vital funding support from HHS. This feels retaliatory in response to their stance defending Science and vaccines to protect children. When your kid is sick remember pediatricians treat them not RFK. Jr www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...

I’m definitely not ready for the “year in review” part of 2025. Skip.

My last college kid is coming home today and I can’t focus!

ACS Bio & Med Chem Au has launched a new Call for Papers titled “The Prodigious Diversity of Lipid Nanoparticles for Gene Delivery.” The submission deadline is July 31, 2026. More details at the link below: pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

When your friend drops off a container of your favorite cookies and is barely out the door before two have miraculously disappeared 🍪

And of course I get on social and see what’s happened 💔

Just passed the most amazing Christmas decorations on a house in Cary. And as you get closer there a sign asking viewers to donate to St. Jude ❤️

Sigh. No matter what we say, clearly these people care little for reason, evidence-based findings, or even just common sense. I started writing a thread and realized words are wasted here.

Hopefully everyone has supported great causes for Giving Tuesday! If you are interested, you can also support our lab by clicking on the link in the bottom of this page. This fund supports research in the lab, but more-so allows me to offer unique support to my trainees starbirdlab.com/donate/

Counterpoint to the article: “Loss of promising talent supported by these [DEI] programmes will substantially weaken our research capacity, limit innovation and substantially reduce discoveries important for driving scientific advancements.” pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41131402/

One of the coolest things going on here is that the GitHub repos contain Jupyter notebooks for you to try their software. In case you don't have Jupyter installed or don't know what it is: you can always upload the notebooks to Google Colab and run everything on their cloud services :)

✨Announcing our newest awardees, who are taking scientific leaps to uncover new knowledge across microbial ecology, marine microbiology, and mammalian genetics. Learn about their projects: bit.ly/HFAwardees Meet our awardees and hear from their #HFScouts in our 🧵/1

What an amazing #CellBio2025! What I took away was that the cell bio community was just as vibrant as ever. Despite the challenges of the past year, I heard so much exciting science and celebrated many accomplishments of my friends and colleagues! Thank you! 🙏🏾

Happening soon! A lot of the speakers in our session are trainees on the job market, so please come hear from the future signaling squad!

My oldest mentioned he’s been using “vintage” music players. Y’all, he bought a stereo that plays tapes and a CD player 😭

Happening tomorrow! Bring your own coffee 😁

Another wonderful evening at #CellBio2025! What an amazing source of inspiration! 🙌🏾

Excited to host this session on Wednesday with these lovely ladies and some new friends that we made as well! Come check out the amazing talks that were selected!

Attending #CellBio2025? Come join the Signaling Squad at our mini symposium on “Spatiotemporal Control of Cell Signaling Across Scales” in Room 120 from 9-11 am! I’m not saying we’re the best because there are so many great sessions, but it may be a save the best for last situation 😉

One of the things I was most excited about 1yr ago was joining 1 of the MOSIAC UE5s as a project scientist to work with those ECRs assigned to it. The opportunity to serve our greater communities. Truly a program that supported people across broad institutions, unlike the parent.

Just two new PIs and our labs! @adelitadmendoza.bsky.social @ascbiology.bsky.social #CellBio25

I’m sad to miss #CellBio2025 this year, but a student I co-mentor with @sarathomasy.bsky.social (Raneesh Ramarapu) will be presenting a paper poster and a digital poster about single-cell developmental trajectories and microtubules in corneal formation! Please check it out! @ascbiology.bsky.social

I’m in 126A from 11:15 am discussing budgeting for junior faculty in a 45 minute session #ASCB2025 Come join us!

I am SO excited to see everyone at #ASCB2025!

Proud of the newest Starbird Lab (aka Starbirdian) to become an official PhD candidate! Congratulations Camila @biophysgal.bsky.social !!! She will also be presenting her work in a talk at the Biophysical Society annual meeting where she won a travel award, so stay tuned. Lots to celebrate! 🎉

‼️The Importance of #DiversityEquityInclusion to science by @needhibhalla.bsky.social @joann-trejo.bsky.social @marymunson4.bsky.social in @natcellbio.nature.com: “diversity in the scientific workforce increases creativity and success in tackling challenging problems.” Link for free: rdcu.be/eSPGH

I feel like I’m one of the few people from the North who still loves the snow. It’s so magical (even when you have to shovel it)!

Super excited for the upcoming #cellbio2025 @ascbiology.bsky.social @embo.org meeting in Philadelphia! Check out the Special President's session on "The Rising Tide of Science Denial" on Saturday at 1pm!

If you don’t want to buy a large and complicated microfluidizer, what are people using to gently lyse/homogenize cells?

Pit stop 😁

The Boston Globe identified the companies in Massachusetts that employ the most SNAP recipients. A key stat: "In Massachusetts, 74% of working-age recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program are employed, half of them full-time." Full article: www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/28/m...

The best part! #family

Huge congratulations to our ABRCMS 2025 award winners! 🏆✨ • Isaiah Diggs – Outstanding Poster Presentation
• Lily Williams – Outstanding Poster Presentation So proud of the excellence, dedication, and growth these two have shown since joining my lab as freshmen. They shined on the national stage!

Cancer Undergrad Research Educational Program 🔬 10-wk summer experience (May–July 2026) 💡 Hands-on cancer research, year-long coaching Present at the symposium & attend a national conference $6,000 stipend + campus housing Apply by Jan 20, 2025 @unclineberger.bsky.social unclineberger.org/curep

Y’all…we worked and Biochemistry was ahead but suddenly Immuno came back strong to steal the lead (😁). Let’s take back and lead and support our students! Details below #ABRCMS2025 abrcms.org/donate/stude...

PAIR-UP session is about to start in 210A/B. Please come hear about some funded science and community building!

Everything.

This week, I withdrew from a speaking engagement at a public university because they sent me a list of prohibited “words & concepts.” I will not humor this censorship. It does a disservice to the stories I’m discussing & the audience, who deserve unfettered access to information & conversation.