Getting ready for my world famous swimming pool microbiology lecture for the intro micro for non majors class. Took samples before and after water polo class, as well as from my suit. Gross.

Running a little experiment right now to see how Vibrio responds to decaying echinoderm tissues. It’s always fun when you can see things on plates!

To give some perspective on the diversity of lectures and talks I give this week: 1) head lice and crabs; 2) underwater survey techniques and research cruises; 3) grad student funding opportunities and how to craft a proposal; 4) methods for surveying microbial diversity; 5) overview of marine jobs

Anyone got any tips for how to budget for science (or other) goods that are ordered through distributors? Not only are tariffs being requested when they arrive but couriers are tacking on “processing fees” for the collection of duties and tariffs.

Had my first taste of tariffs today. Bought some sporting gear from a website with a .com address; total cost $45. Shipper then contacted me to say I needed to pay $25 in “customs duties”. Looked at tracking and it came from Spain. JFC

Now to match this with animal density and average fecal nutrient concentration to estimate role of seabirds on pelagic microbial ecology and biological C pump. Awesome study! www.cell.com/current-biol...

Preparing for an experiment. My PhD advisor always said never throw anything out, so my freezers are full of samples. Turns out they’re useful 12 years on!

Here we show that >90% of Paenibacillus encode a unique Spo0B with a transmembrane domain! TM domain helps it interact with its phosphorelay partners. Congrats to @isabellalin.bsky.social who left for grad school this week and her mentor @cassidyprints.bsky.social! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Guess I’m going to get some immunizations next time I’m in Australia…

Anyone have any recommendations on sites/vendors from whom to buy second hand -80 freezers? Mine got fried during construction by my institution and they won’t replace it…

Excited/petrified about teaching 3 classes as of tomorrow, and having a new NSF grant starting, and no technician.

Great to see a class I designed and initiated featured by Cornell. Though I’ve moved on to other teaching in marine science, awesome to know that it will continue to generate broader understanding of microbial ecology and scientific literacy cals.cornell.edu/news/2025/08...

Sea star wasting disease represents a suite of stress responses. Recent work by Prentice et al (2025) identified Vibrio pectenicida FHCF-3 as causing a SSW condition in Pycnopodia helianthoides. I investigated this bacterium’s autecology. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Oh oops… classes start on Monday!

Faculty search announcement 2025: Tenure-Track Assistant Professor in Microbiology at UT Southwestern. We seek candidates working in microbial pathogenesis (some preference may be given to bacterial pathogens). Come join our community! (1/5) www.utsouthwestern.edu/departments/...

Totally just felt the earthquake in Brisbane (est 5.2)

Amazing day today in Hawaii furthering our work on Diadema scuticociliatosis. Started the day collecting a further suite of diadematid urchins for microbiome studies, followed by SEM work at UH Manoa to study ciliate morphology. Grad student @brayan-vilanova.bsky.social killing it out here!

Successful day sampling one of the other Diademas, Diadema paucispinum (Wana) in Oahu. This species isn’t yet affected by scuticociliatosis, so we are trying to provide baseline info its microbiome. Learned the hard way that their spines are more venemous than their Caribbean counterparts, ouch!!

An ode to my dive booties, now departed. After 30 years, it is time to say goodbye. These have seen me through from early diving as a teenager in Australia, through fieldwork as an undergrad at UQ through intertidal work in California as a grad student, to recent work in the Caribbean and Florida.

Excited to see a session on marine diseases at the upcoming ASLO meeting in Glasgow!

Gearing up for more echinoderm disease fieldwork coming up in the next few weeks followed by fall semester (teaching 3 classes…). Whatever happened to summer?

Did it! 25 miles and change with 4 days to go!! So thankful to my sponsors! I’m going to keep going until Aug 1… www.gofundme.com/f/swim-5-mil...

Its that time again - the list of Ecology/Evolution/Marine Bio Labs recruiting grad students for Fall 2026 is live! PIs enter your position info here: forms.gle/2XTHBP6CZGEn... Prospective students (and PIs not recruiting) share the composite list: docs.google.com/spreadsheets... Please share! 🧪

Another 3500 today in Boulder; was going great splitting lane with another person until a slow poke wanted to circle swim. Oh well. Still got there 3000m to go before I meet my goal for the American Cancer Society! www.gofundme.com/f/swim-5-mil...

As part of a newly funded project we are seeking student in marine microbial ecology & urchin disease dynamics 🧫🌊🦠 PhD | Spring/Fall 2026 start Job Ad Here 👉 shorturl.at/fSMy9 Apply here 👉 forms.gle/gfMnHutijfqC... More: theaquaticmicrobiologylab.com @ianhewson.bsky.social @viromegirl.bsky.social

3500m today at altitude! 33500 of the 40200m goal for the month! Wasn’t easy dodging t’storms today but made it! www.gofundme.com/f/swim-5-mil...

Another 3100m at altitude today, which brings it to 30,000m out of the 40300m goal. Will I make it? www.gofundme.com/f/swim-5-mil...

Lots and lots of traffic today about Sea Star Wasting in Florida. This probably isn’t the same thing as in the Pacific, but speaks to the fact that there is no case definition, and that it’s very non specific and describes when stars fall apart. See www.frontiersin.org/journals/mar...

Altitude training for the next 5 days! In Boulder co, 5340ft. 2600m today, all free and water polo like with 5 people each lane! 26900 of the 40300 to go. Will try my best though the lack of 02 is def noticeable. www.gofundme.com/f/swim-5-mil...

Notice of Award is in! Join our team at NIU to study marine microbial ecology & disease dynamics in sea urchins 🧫🌊🦠 PhD | Spring/Fall 2026 start Job Ad Here 👉 shorturl.at/fSMy9 Apply here 👉 forms.gle/gfMnHutijfqC... More: theaquaticmicrobiologylab.com @ianhewson.bsky.social @viromegirl.bsky.social

Very solid 3100 m mostly backstroke today at our lovely Cass Park Pool as part of my charity swim for the American Cancer Society! Had to take a couple of days off to rest a shoulder but back to it! Total so far is 20,200m of the 40,233m I’m aiming for (25 miles). www.gofundme.com/f/swim-5-mil...

Recognizing that funding and sampling opportunities might be limited, I have a freezer full of bacterioplankton samples and some animal samples from around the world that have been at -80 since collection. Anyone interested in seeing a list with metadata? Happy to part if you pay shipping.

Another 3000m, only 28830m to go for my cancer charity swim marathon this month. Mix of mid dist free and IM. Nice to be out in the sunshine! www.gofundme.com/f/swim-5-mil...

I’m swimming to support the American Cancer Society this July! While it’s 5 miles my goal is 25 miles, and I’ve already swum 5.22 in 3 workouts. My goal is to raise $250. Please support me if you can! ablink.messages.gofundme.com/ls/click?upn...

$1000 registration for ASLO 2026 and abstracts due 8 months ahead of the conference. Anyone need a kidney? And who’s good at reading a crystal ball?

🧬 Interested in aquatic micro, nutrient cycling, river-ocean interfaces I’m seeking a postdoc candidate to apply with me for the 2026 Walder Biota Fellowship ($70k+/yr for 2 yrs, $20k/yr research). Details: www.biotaawards.org/2026-applica... #ecosky #biogeochemistry #BiotaFellowship #microsky

Looking for advice on a temp/sal/chl sonde for 1-3 deployments in seawater. Anyone have good experiences or bad experiences? Or does anyone have one that they won’t be using for the next couple of years that we might rent?

Check out our field sampling update on our lab website, work we continue to do in support of Diadema Scuticociliatosis outbreaks Field Update: USVI Marine Disease Survey www.theaquaticmicrobiologylab.com/news CC @ianhewson.bsky.social #microsky #ecologysky #marinedisease 🌊🦠🧬

Oof - the day has come when I have to respond to reviewers telling them we can’t address their concerns bc we lost all samples and reagents in last year’s hurricanes. Hoping for empathy and that we did manage is sufficient…

Congratulations, fantastic news 🎉

Just tallied up lab alumni (n=57) and their career paths post leaving my lab. Super proud of everyone!

Peace and diplomacy.

Sometimes you just got to swim it out

Gosh it would be nice to be able to pop by to look after parent for a few days. Trouble is, for me, it’s a 29 hour, health damaging, $2500 airfare to do so.

Shocked and horrified about the Air India crash. I travel a lot and have flown a lot on the 787. Cannot imagine what happened there.

Urchins vs. Hawaiian reefs! www.earth.com/news/coral-r...

aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.... I was asked to write this based on an ASLO town hall. Apologies but the journal wanted $3200 for open access which I just couldn’t afford. Lmk if you’d like to see it.

My Canadian university, Queen's, is offering TWENTY 4-year funded PhDs (40k CAD/yr) for a student of ANY citizenship who has been accepted at a top 100 US university but have had offer rescinded OR are reconsidering offer due to US policy. Details found here👇 www.queensu.ca/grad-postdoc...

Heading to Australia; the end of the path unclear on a family emergency. Soaking up the beauty and sounds of nature sooth.