UPEN (the Universities Policy Engagement Network) just published my piece on Slow AI. Encouraging to see academics & policymakers valuing reflection over speed. upen.ac.uk/resources/th... How do you pause with AI? #GenAI #AI #SlowAI #SciComm #Policy

A great round up the issues in academic publishing, particularly the metrics. I feel AI is also highlighting these issues since many AI models have been inadvertently trained on retracted papers. Goodhart's law states: "When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure." #Research

'In a preprint posted on medRxiv on 12 September1, researchers identified more than 400 such papers published in 112 journals over the past 4.5 years'. Link to preprint: www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...

You couldn’t make it up! 🤣

I've shared this quote before but I'll share it again, as it's one I've been thinking about a lot as I've watched how our oligarchs have been behaving over the past few months.

Getting close to 50k views and I'm wondering is it just everybody is scared to say this and pleased I did? Because if there's so many of us who agree, trust me I'd know if 1k people disagreed with me let alone 50k, why are we letting AI ruin our universities? Together we can turn back the tide.

Spot on, and so glad @cenmag.bsky.social published this piece. I consider myself extremely lucky — in my PhD, I was well resourced, had a lot of freedom, and I worked in a mostly positive group culture. Still, I was horribly overworked and had severe mental health struggles. #AcademicSky ⚗️ 🧪 (1/4)

This is now the second use of the term “cold spots” I’ve seen in relation to commuting to university in the UK. What is the definition of a cold spot? Is it time or distance based? Either way, we have freezing spots in Ireland! 🤣 we have students & staff commuting across the entire country #HigherEd

This is spectacular 👏

After presenting the feedback from our project at the Variety in Chem Ed & Physics HigherEd conference in Liverpool this week, we’ve collected a LOT more at @dublinmaker.bsky.social! Our research ambassadors are engaging with hundreds, while I cut up fliers #DublinMaker #VicePhec25 #ChemEd #SciComm

I was just reminded of an interesting “chemistry from theatre” nugget. Before electric lighting, candles were the only way to light up theatres and stage shows. Then, in 1816, Thomas Drummond invented the “limelight”, which he originally designed for lighthouses #Chemistry #Thread #ChemSky

“All we need now is for Starmer to take a dislike to The 2 Johnnies, and he’ll have alienated every different genre of Irish person between the ages of 25 and 35” 🤣

This time last week we had a great time in @rsc.org Burlington House #London for my book launch. Thanks to everyone who joined us, especially @andrestrujado.bsky.social for this absolutely fantastic silver mirror coke bottle! Onscreen Chemistry is available now in bookstores #BookLaunch #ChemSky

Hello little Red-tailed BumbleBee, welcome to our garden today. On the menu you’ll find flowers from courgettes, onions, and tomato’s as well as pansies, roses and hydrangeas. I finally found some time to enjoy our garden after a busy academic year #Summer #Garden #Pollinators

Publication rates before and after tenure: clear decline post-tenure in non-lab-based fields and sustained in lab-based fields. Super interesting. arxiv.org/pdf/2411.10575

We need a ban on disposable vapes in Ireland as soon as possible!

NEW POST on AI, learning and why knowing stuff still matters. carlhendrick.substack.com/p/the-most-i...

Deep Blue is 30 years old and was capable of defeating chess grand champions. It could be housed in a single cabinet. ChatGPT spans untold data centers devouring massive amounts of electricity and it got its ass whipped by an 8 bit gaming console from the 1970s.

Our colleague, and Onscreen Chemistry author, @drjohnodonoghue.bsky.social‬ spoke to the @chemistryworld.com‬ team about his book. Watch the webinar: www.chemistryworld.com/webinars/ons... And read more on Breaking Bad in your May print issue of EiC and at: edu.rsc.org/analysis/the...

Very pleased to have this out in the wild now, @jillymackay.bsky.social, Hronska and I looked at how HE staff understand the terms blended, hybrid, and hyflex learning and whilst there is relative consensus regarding blended and hyflex (when known), the use of hybrid is a bit of a mess #AcademicSky

Learn more about the fascinating world of the big and small screen through a chemist’s eye in our free webinar Onscreen chemistry: The portrayal of chemical science in film and TV with author @drjohnodonoghue.bsky.social, streaming now! www.chemistryworld.com/webinars/ons...

We had an absolutely spectacular day last weekend to climb Ireland’s tallest mountain again, Carrauntoohil. It was hot and tough, but hugely satisfying to have such an amazing view at the top #Ireland #climbing #Kerry

i think the biggest public relations coup AI boosters scored was calling it “AI.” people genuinely think it is an intelligence, and that when they query it, it is providing reasoned answers

Happy birthday to the electron! ⚛️ #OTD in 1897, Joseph J Thomson announced his identification of the electron — the first subatomic particle to be discovered. www.compoundchem.com/2018/04/30/e... #ChemSky 🧪

I’m registered and looking forward to this. I’m fairly sure I’ve never missed a MICER since the year it started - maybe @mkseery.bsky.social will give me an long attendance award 🤣 #MICER #ChemEd

The Science Teaching Survey closes 7 April! Have we heard from you yet? Science education needs to change – and as someone who works in education, your perspective matters more than anyone’s. Take part in the survey: buff.ly/FaqBZBb #ChemSky #SciTeachUK

Well done Kristy - great to see a useful article about this new research. Huge thanks to both the SEC & NCCA here in Ireland for their quick and useful response to our inquiries #ChemSky

I’m delighted to see my book “Onscreen Chemistry” is now available online with the Irish bookstore @kennysbookshop.bsky.social, for a great price too ☺️! #Supportlocal #Chemsky #booksky www.kennys.ie/shop/onscree...

Are you a science teacher, head of department or technician in a secondary school in the UK and Ireland? Please fill in the Science Teaching Survey, with questions on understaffing, job satisfaction, and the gaps in support and resources 👇 schoolzone.questionpro.com/a/TakeSurvey... #uked #stemed

Marshall Shepherd is a remarkable scientist, past AMS president, and science communicator. This piece explains why we all need basic science in easy to understand terms. 🧪💡🔌☀️💨🔋 www.forbes.com/sites/marsha...

This is great 😊 ! This is one of the reasons I wrote my book Onscreen Chemistry. I wanted to know how much on-screen representation affects real world perceptions. It looks like it can have a big effect! #Flow #Onscreencats #ChemSky #Booksky #MovieSky

I was really looking forward to two chemistry education conferences in the US this summer, putting money away long ago for them - but I don’t think I will be attending either now. I cannot support a country with an anti-science and research stance, among many other things #Science 🧪 #ChemSky

This is a fantastic read! I think it read it back in 2021 when it was first published, but it still rings true and the author provides a fascinating journey #Research #SciComm #ChemSky

Nonfiction science new releases for March, 2025! Which of these books are on your TBR? Did I miss any ? I want to read *so many* of these but I’m most excited for WHITE LIGHT, EVERYTHING IS TUBERCULOSIS, and FEMINISM IN THE WILD. #booksky #chemsky 🧪 #nonfictionbooks #nonfiction #science #🧪

Huge thanks to @cenmag.bsky.social for this nice write up about my new book - Onscreen Chemistry. Thank you also to everyone for all the well wishes and positive reaction to the book so far #Chemistry #ChemSky #Science 🧪 #BookSky #NewBook cen.acs.org/education/sc...

Onscreen Chemistry: The Portrayal of Chemical Science in Film and TV weaves together the story of chemistry in both fiction and nonfiction programming with the development of photography itself. cen.acs.org/education/sc... #chemsky🧪

Another for #InternationalWomensDay During WWI, Marie Curie created a vehicle that contained a hospital bed, a generator, an X-ray machine and photographic darkroom equipment. These “petite Curies" could be driven right up to the Front. Curie also helped train 150 women as radiology technicians.

We are so blessed in Ireland to have an incredible array of women writers. From fiction, to non-fiction, to children's books, they have brought us so many wonderful and inspiring books. We've put together a selection to celebrate them today on International Women's Day. www.kennys.ie/shop/irish-w...

It's #WorldBookDay (in the UK and Ireland, at least) 💙📚 Love the smell of new or old books? Here's the chemical explanation for what you're smelling! www.compoundchem.com/2014/06/01/n... #ChemSky 🧪

This great scene is included in my book (Onscreen Chemistry). He is using the “Siwoloboff method” involving a Theile Tube, but this is normally used for liquids, not solids. The 89% figure comes from the fact that 240C is 89% of the BP of pure heroin (272-274C) #ChemSky #Onscreenchemistry #Booksky

When I worked in UK academia I recall hearing of a Japanese man who was baffled at how Britain had decided to run its universities like firms. “Why? Your universities are excellent and your firms are terrible.”

From Feb 12, Chemistry educator @drjohnodonoghue.bsky.social brings us Onscreen Chemistry: The Portrayal of Chemical Science in Film and TV 🧪 amzn.to/4gM6HRD

Delighted to be included on this list of #PopSci books - thank you Joanne. It’s an interesting array #BookSky #Science 🧪 #ChemSky

What's that, you say? A charming children's book about cats that's also an anticapitalist fable? In the public domain???

Hey, what's up with books having sprayed edges these days? LET ME TELL YOU THE STORY! I was there! Thread: 1/13

Looks like my electric car was charged mostly on green energy again. I get home from work, plug it in, the timer charges it from 2-5am. The next day I unplug & drive to work, costing €3 - vs €15 for train or bus & the car takes less time. Hey @irishrail.bsky.social please make public transport work!

WFH increases productivity by 12% in the public sector. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Thanks to the @tcddublin.bsky.social media team for this! It looks like my book is starting to appear in the wild this week - I really hope everyone enjoys the story of onscreen chemistry. Rem there is a 30% discount on @rsc.org till end Feb #ChemSky #Booksky #chembook www.tcd.ie/news_events/...

Now that the book is out in the wild & people have read the preface.. this is Stocaí 🤣 He kept me company through all the writing & forced me to take breaks. There are plenty of obsessive & persistent scientists in the book, maybe they just needed a cat! #ChemSky #OnscreenChemistry