Talking science news on @newstalkfm.bsky.social shortly with new research on what happens to red blood cells during trail ultramarathons. Obviously I will use this as a pretense to talk about the trail ultras I used to do (longest was 62km, so nothing too extreme). I miss it!

We have a cool new paper out in @jscicom.bsky.social 🧪, where we combined climate change and comedy! @jessamynfairfield.bsky.social and Katy Schütte created an improv show that toured rural Irish communities. I evaluated the shows, and the results are in this new paper. 1/ doi.org/10.22323/157...

I mean this, academics. If you don't feel capable of embedding a trans perspective into your class for time or expertise reasons, ask me and I will come talk to them for you. I will even try to relate it to paleogeology (or history, English, drama...), god help me.

Going on @newstalkfm.bsky.social shortly to speak about glacial retreat and what it means for mountain communities around the world. Listen in to #Futureproof here: www.goloudplayer.com/radio/newstalk

We've just had our wonderful first shows of 2025 for We Built This City on Rock and Coal up in Mayo and Donegal, and learned that the project is shortlisted for the #FallingWallsEngage award! Read about brilliant science engagement from around the world here: falling-walls.com/engage/short...

So amazed by the @eusea.bsky.social community, and grateful for the opportunity to facilitate a workshop on improvised theatre for engagement with societal challenges based on our project 'We Built This City on Rock and Coal'. What a wonderful group of people bringing together science and arts!

I was on the radio recently talking about Trump's war on science, a horrific attempt to dismantle the apparatus of science itself. www.newstalk.com/podcasts/fut...

Improv is amazing, and I'm really pleased to be bringing this workshop to @eusea.bsky.social exploring how we used improvised theatre to talk about the climate crisis in our show We Built This City on Rock and Coal!

Hard to know what to do in such "interesting times". We don't have control over a lot, but we can help others, so I'm heading back to Antarctica as faculty for Homeward Bound working with women and non-binary people on leadership for the greater good. A more just world is possible, if we make it!

Gritty continues to be a real one

The insanity of being a fire ecologist in the epicenter of a major fire event, bags packed and ready to evacuate, watching active fire from my window, while taking media requests and explaining to the public, for the 100,000th time how climate change is largely responsible for this

Universities aren't supposed to make money.

Have you ever wondered why should researchers do public engagement events have a read of @jessamynfairfield.bsky.social paper If gaining communication skills, creative expression, and competence are not enough. If done right like Bright Club it can be really good fun.

At its heart, Star Trek is a utopian fantasy about a society so advanced that they are capable of holding productive meetings that last no longer than three minutes

president tries to seize power in south korea? significant resistance. president tries to seize power in brazil? president is arrested and banned from running again. president tries to seize power in america? the courts grant him total immunity and the voters reelect him with an allied congress

This thread is 🔥🔥🔥

Voting in #ge2024 was my first general election since I got Irish citizenship, and I have to say it was a way better experience than absentee voting in the last US election. PR-STV is great for voting your actual values, and no one is engaging in voter suppression? What a place!

...while most US anti-trans activism is steeped religious right framings, Mace's rhetoric lately (on gametes & her critics supposedly "silencing" her as a woman) sounds like she's been binging UK "gender critical" blogposts. those talking points debunked here: juliaserano.medium.com/a-gender-cri...

#sneachta falling in Galway!

Hello new followers! I am a scientist/artist focused on performing arts and public engagement. I also get mad about social justice and immigration (in a good way). And I train researchers to be better communicators, collaborators, and leaders.

Sharing this great starter pack of PoC in SciComm. Already lots of great science communicators on it to follow (get in touch with @hanasciart.bsky.social to be added). go.bsky.app/MaDPSzx

It's so important to vote in #Ireland #GE24. There are quite prominent racists going for TD seats in Ireland this time around and we need to make sure they don't get a seat. These are dangerous people who spread nothing but anti-immigration sentiment and stir extreme hate. Use your vote.

Visiting rural communities to talk about climate action, I was unprepared for how many people brought up trains and buses as areas for improvement! But it makes sense, and you can see what learnings came through from all the Creative Climate Action projects here: www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

You! Yes you! Want to do awesome science 🧪? Get yourself some of the best and most enthusiastic collaborators through citizen science! Check out my world view for @natureportfolio.bsky.social on chemistry ⚗️ citizen science. (I'm v.proud of the pun at the end!). www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Yesss Irish Bluesky assemble! I've been in Ireland for 13 years now working in science/arts at various unis, but am originally from New Mexico - weeks like this you can see why I stayed. Here is a gratuitous picture of me from when I got my dual citizenship:

Take the time to read Dr. Tressie McMillan Cottam today. Her take resonate’s deeply. (Gift Link) www.nytimes.com/2024/11/06/o...

I wish I could say “I can’t fucking believe this” but I can fucking believe this.

How does participating in comedic public engagement events, like Bright Club Ireland, affect researchers who perform? I really wanted an answer to this question, because my gut feeling was that there's something extra that happens when you remix research into comedy.

I joined BlueSky about a year ago because I simply could not stay on the other site while caring for a tiny baby - there's nothing like doomscrolling at 3am looking at the future of humanity to make you question things. But I'm so excited to see more of my network showing up here! Yay! Welcome!

Last run of improv shows about climate change for the year as part of #BioeconomyIrelandWeek - really proud of these shows and hoping we get to do more next year.

And the Nobel Prize for Physics goes to... computer science.

Any improvisers on here? I feel like I knew more back on the bad place but would love to connect with more #improv people here, especially anyone doing sciencey or theatrical improv.

Just chatting to a student about solid state physics and realised that as an undergrad, it was the only of my physics and math classes with a female professor. I double majored in physics and applied math, and every single other class was taught by a man. I really hope things are different now.

The people at Consilience are fantastic to work with! They really show what peer review should be like.

If you are interested in science/art projects, the Arctic, and sailing on a tall ship then you should check out The Arctic Circle Residency which is currently open for applications. I went in 2017 and it was lifechanging! More info: thearcticcircle.org/apply/

Vibes this semester.

This is a really lovely piece of work at the intersection of art, science, and inclusion! Well done Shaun & collaborators!

When I condemn political violence I am also condemning a Trump candidacy.

Launching a new project today using improv to explore climate change, sustainability, and community in rural areas! I've been so excited for this to kick off and it's a perfect thing to come back from maternity leave for! www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

“The student left is the most reliably correct constituency in America. Over the past 60 years, it has passed every great moral test American foreign policy has forced upon the public, including the Vietnam war, the question of relations with apartheid South Africa, and the Iraq war.”

You suffering and damaging yourself in the name of a cause is not going to advance the cause. All it will do is harm you to the point where you can no longer effectively advocate for the cause. Activism involves taking care of yourself, too, so you can continue to be effective for years to come.

How did no one tell me that “iambic pentameter” was named after an Ancient Greek female stand-up comedian who told dirty jokes? (From Edith Hall’s “Introducing the Ancient Greeks”).

love to listen to Supreme Court oral arguments about fun hypotheticals like “if you have a womb is it possible you aren’t a person” and “should we have a king”

This is infuriating and comes about because equity is defined as equal representation on committees rather than representation proportional to the population. The result is pushing women into service roles.

What's really fun is when you're in a heavily male department and the stats are justified by "gender equity". When I spoke up about 75% of female academics chairing committees in our department, but only 15% of male academics, I was told it had to be that way to meet uni benchmarks for gender.

Reading this book last night, my toddler pointed at the girl on the right and said, "she is looking at her phone". Makes sense that the two emotions are happy and looking at your phone 😅

Every time I see a headline about "AI" now I mentally replace it with "autocomplete": Autocomplete will be 'teaching' thousands of kids this fall Autocomplete is bad at following copyright law, researchers say Autocomplete doesn't have all the answers - especially this election season

“I’m so exhausted I just want to stay at home and wear a dress and bake pies all day.” Honey no. Listen to me. You want to form a union.

A HELPFUL GUIDE FOR DISORIENTED NEW USERS: - this place is not a place of honor - no highly esteemed deed is commemorated here - nothing valued is here - what is here was dangerous and repulsive to us - this message is a warning about danger

THE PROBLEM: Most forms of energy are harming the environment THE SOLUTION: Switch to alternative forms of renewab... THE PROBLEM: Hold on, I have an idea, what if we made invisible valueless money that eats electricity THE SOLUTION: ...what? THE PROBLEM: Also I have this plagiarism machine