Let’s get more scientists into Congress!

I spoke with Laura Schenkman at The Transmitter about my candidacy for the House! Going from the lab to public life is a huge transition. From a lifetime of research to biotech to democracy to running for office, here’s the story of one scientist: www.thetransmitter.org/policy/is-th...

Friends, we're hot on the heels of a terrific forum at the meeting of Princeton/West Windsor Democrats. On my first outing, I finished 3rd out of 17 candidates. It's a pretty good start. So...please join me for my very first Princeton meet-and-greet! partiful.com/e/lskdUTn4n0...?

Congratulations to @briandepasquale.bsky.social on being a Sloan Research Fellow! 🎉😊🎉 sloan.org/fellowships/...

My campaign faces its first test: qualifying for the ballot. From my work on gerrymandering, I know that New Jersey politicians play dirty. To beat their games, I need at least 1,000 signatures from Democrats and unaffiliated voters in the 12th District. To help, sign up at SamForNJ.org - or DM me!

ICE at the polls! Bannon is basically yelling “fire” in a crowded theater here. His objective is to cause chaos (and suppress votes on the left). And it’s already working. This threat works on multiple levels and doesn’t have to be “real” to serve its purpose. Let me explain & offer some advice.

News from central Jersey: I'm running to represent New Jersey's 12th Congressional District. By entering the fray, I hope to bring ideas of repairing our frayed republic. Not only to defend it in 2026, but to build something stronger, for generations to come! samwang.substack.com/p/entering-t...

Really important for Science in the US Spread, and do!

My @nytimes.com op-ed: The Boomers Are Protesting Trump. Where Is Gen Z? www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/o... (gift link) The key point: "The absence of young people from conventional protests is both a problem and a warning."

How do you pinpoint the moment when a brain makes up its mind about a decision? @racheltompa.bsky.social wrote a lovely short article for the general public on answers found by @thomas-zhihao-luo.bsky.social and @timkimd.bsky.social when they were in my lab. @simonsfoundation.org bit.ly/43DiM70

Thank you @emilysingerneuro.bsky.social ! Yes, please share your research stories! So many great things to showcase to the public! bsky.app/profile/carl...

I've been super excited about @kevinjmiller.bsky.social and @neurokim.bsky.social's AI scientist project since I heard about it delighted to see them collaborating here with the awesome @kenneth-harris.bsky.social and lab to create full-on new science and new scientific insights. It's the future!

I beg you to read this thread but only if you promise to read all the alt texts

@markhisted.org , you have been and are incredibly brave and admirable. I hope the rumors are false. and: keep up the amazing work!

Ecstatic to announce our exciting new paper! Rat-mon y Cajal found a new friend to help him learn. Introducing, Dr. Tutor-us!

What is it like for a U.S. citizen to be kidnapped by CBP? What are they like, how do they talk when they speed off with you in their car? Hear it directly from this woman with extraordinary courage and presence of mind, who bravely shamed them and non-violently fought back until they released her.

U.S. Public Research Benefits is a searchable repository that showcases the value of basic science in an easy and accessible format. @baselesspursuit.bsky.social shares how he and his colleagues developed the resource. #neuroskyence www.thetransmitter.org/science-and-...

Mark is so right about this.

Don't miss No Kings! Bring your American flags 🇺🇸 , protesting this lying, cruel, law- and Constitution-breaking administration is the most patriotic thing you can do! 😊🇺🇸

Firm, elegant, and clear "No Way" response to Trump's compact from MIT "fundamentally, the premise of the document is inconsistent with our core belief that scientific funding should be based on scientific merit alone" Well said, well done, well led MIT!!! orgchart.mit.edu/letters/rega...

I am proud of MIT, where our branch of AAUP has voted unanimously to endorse this statement urging MIT leadership and the MIT Corporation to reject the Compact wholesale docs.google.com/document/d/1...

Another absolutely astounding "gem" in the compact: abolish units that "belittle" conservative ideas -- while doing it in the name of an "intellectually open campus" 😮‼️ 😂 Amazing! apparently no sense of irony (or consistency) whatsoever! 😂 Also completely incompatible with First Amendment.

Excellent analysis of the Trump compact for universities -- read it, recommend it, share it. Among the big points: take away the law's predictability and fairness, and instead become entirely subjugated to arbitrary whims of the DOJ. Dangerous and un-American. balkin.blogspot.com/2025/10/the-...

Message to university leaders considering signing—or negotiating—the extortion letter.

Federal workers are speaking out on how the Trump regime is harming Americans: "We stand here today at a moment of the greatest assault of our lifetimes on our freedoms. The US Constitution is being shredded... We are here to call on Congress to stand up and stop it." youtu.be/uw1KwIBgrCw?...

Comment now! Cutting off student visas is terrible for US competitiveness in key research areas.

Thank you @nancyrmack.bsky.social and @princetonneuro.bsky.social for a great explainer about our paper! pni.princeton.edu/news/2025/wh...

Always exciting when someone reads one's work! Thank you for the interest and the quotes @ulisespereirao.bsky.social And a shout out here to Adrian Bondy, @juliecharlton.bsky.social and @thomas-zhihao-luo.bsky.social, the wonderful co-first-authors who led the work. Adrian is on the job market!

Life is a crazy rollercoaster these days! Yesterday I was all proud of people in my lab, like @thomas-zhihao-luo.bsky.social and @timkimd.bsky.social and the paper they posted about. Today? -- gah 😳🤯 straight corruption! Up & down like that All. The. Time! Breathe deep, everyone. It's a marathon

What happens in your brain when you make up your mind? Postdoc (soon faculty at U. of Utah) @thomas-zhihao-luo.bsky.social and ex-grad student (now Shanahan Fellow at Allen Institute) @timkimd.bsky.social have some answers in this new paper out in Nature! www.nature.com/articles/s41... 🧵 1/6

The First Amendment and a Free Press are fundamental to freedom and to making America a great country. Threatening to take away broadcast licenses for criticizing the president is a direct attack on the First Amendment. We have to speak up, be active, defend it. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/18/u...

The Trump administration's assaults on great American successes, like this one, leave many of us scientists bewildered and not knowing how to respond. But inaction is not an option. If you don't know what to do, put time and effort into figuring out what to do. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/14/m...

This rule would have meant I couldn't do my Ph.D. in America. I did do it in America. Became a professor. 12 thriving U.S. labs are now headed by trainees from my research lab. Like me, they are all working hard to enrich American knowledge and society. With this self-harming rule, none of that.

As of today, I am a US citizen! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 I am very excited. 🎊 This wonderful country has given me a family, a career, and a community I love. First duty as a patriotic citizen? 🇺🇸 Speak up to defend our Democracy, our Constitution, and our science, all under grave threat.

Having to spend time ironing can put a wrinkle in other plans, which is why wash and wear cotton has become so popular. But did you know that the basic chemistry to create these fibers was developed thanks to public funding? Learn more here: publicusaresearchbenefits.com/examples/202...

The same National Science Foundation that the President’s budget wants to cut in half. In half! We should triple it.

Reminder: Nobel-prize winning PCR (1983), used in basically all genetic tech today, was only possible because of extremophile bacterium discovered in 1964 in Yellowstone funded by a small ~$80k NSF grant with no obvious application at the time. #science 🧪 www.richmondscientific.com/how-a-discov...

Some types of tumors are incredibly hard to treat because they mix with healthy tissue instead of forming isolated blobs. Federally funded scientists at Stanford used the immune system's own defenses to treat these tumors. Learn more here: publicusaresearchbenefits.com/examples/202...

Before there was Minecraft or Fortnite, there was Tennis for Two, a simple tennis simulation played on an oscilloscope. It was originally designed by William Higinbotham at the publicly funded Brookhaven National Laboratory in 1958. Learn more here: publicusaresearchbenefits.com/examples/202...

It's hard to imagine a world without GPS, letting us get to unfamiliar places with the greatest of ease. But did you know that GPS initially started as a federally funded project under the department of defense? Learn more at: publicusaresearchbenefits.com/examples/202...

Did I remember to lock my car? I think so... Did I remember to ensure none of its electronics were hacked?! Erm... Fortunately, none of us have to go through this thought process, and it's largely due to NSF-funded research. Read more about it here: publicusaresearchbenefits.com/examples/202...

Wonder what kind of innovations publicly funded science has generated? Look no further than the device you may be reading this post on! Touchscreens started as a NSF funded thesis project at the University of Delaware. Learn more at: publicusaresearchbenefits.com/examples/202...

Scientists - consider writing to your hometown paper to explain the value of what we do: sciencehomecoming.com

If your kid has lactose intolerance, lactose-free milk is a huge relief, right? Did you know it exists thanks to federally-funded research? So many tangible benefits of federally-funded research. Post & share. Enjoy or suggest a story. Or join the team! 😊 bit.ly/4564Uni

Very well-articulated piece about how every American wins from federally funded innovative science

we're crowd-sourcing a searchable repository of tangible benefits stemming from federally-funded research. Come enjoy the great stories; or send in an idea; or volunteer to join the team. publicusaresearchbenefits.com please share and re-share so we get more great stories in there!