I am so honored to participate in the doctoral hooding ceremony of Dr. @krislaferriere.bsky.social today! Kris helped me kick off our research group here at Purdue 5 yrs ago, and is now moving on to be a postdoctoral scholar at the Florida Space Institute at the University of Central Florida! 🥳🚀🪐☄️

If the US focuses exclusively on the “hot” science of today, it will be completely unprepared for the science and technology challenges and opportunities of tomorrow. Meanwhile, other countries will happily take the lead. (🧵3/3)

USGS Folks can’t be at #LPSC2025 and someone hung up a shirt with a flower as a memorial of sorts. We’re already feeling the loss of their presence and a bunch of other members of the community who can’t be here for a myriad of reasons.

Just got an email from the Fulbright Association. As of right now, funding has been cut off to 12,500 US citizens currently abroad and and more than 7,400 foreigner scholars and students in the United States

I once wrote a short story about a planetary robot that cost billions and took years, only to reach its destination, turn around and phone home, but no one was left to listen, to understand, to interpret its discoveries. I thought I was joking.

**There’s no commercial equivalent to NASA science.** Many companies—like ALL of these commercial lunar landers—survive out of NASA science. If enacted, this would cede United States leadership in space science (primarily to China).

**This would end space science as we know it.** I’d probably be out of a job. Successful ongoing missions would be turned off. Future missions would be axed. Some research centers (NASA & non-NASA) would likely dissolve.

This administration is literally destroying US science. The NSF REU program is a foundational pathway for building the next generation science workforce. I say as an REU alum.

In thinking about mental health and wellness, we want to recognize other groups under persecution as well: people who are transgender/nonbinary, have disabilities, don‘t have documentation, people of color, and others. Take care of yourselves, find your communities, be allies and support each other.

Forgetting the sour cream in my burrito bowl is a mistake. Destroying our infectious disease response infrastructure is malpractice. We are being run by willfully incompetent people who are counting on us being stupid.

Next stop for Europa Clipper: Mars??? That’s right, we are doing a rare Mars gravity assist on March 1st to help pick up speed on our journey out to the Jupiter system. More info and cool animations below!

Researchers explore the use of machine-learning techniques for classifying maria, cryptomaria, and plains regions on the surface of the Moon. aasnova.org/2025/02/24/f... 🔭🧪

Federal science agencies are under threat. AGU has made it easy to advocate for NSF, NOAA, NASA and more. Visit AGU’s Science Policy Action Center to stand up for science. fromtheprow.agu.org/standing-tog...

Want to go visit the national parks this year? Sorry. The reservation system is shut down, EMT personnel are gone, so don't get hurt or lost. No one can clean the bathrooms or cabins, so they'll be closed. Rangers are fired. www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti...

Government’s wins are often invisible: Systems that avoid plane crashes; alliances that avert war; surveillance that prevent pandemics. Government wins are often *the avoidance of loss.* So how do we tell the story of the destruction of government? The story of future losses *not* averted?

Fun morning ice skating with the Purdue EAPS department! 🥰⛸️❄️🏒

Are you an undergraduate student thinking about graduate school in the sciences? Consider applying to Purdue's new B4PhD Program! This is a free, online mentoring program designed to help you prepare for graduate school. More information and link to application here: www.purdue.edu/science/grad...

Howard University is officially reclassified as an R1!!!! Remaining the only HBCU to have this status. carnegieclassifications.acenet.edu/institution/...

Taking a moment to breathe and watch the pearly clouds go by (on Mars). www.nasa.gov/missions/mar...

not paying indirect costs for research is like only paying the players in the Super Bowl. can't have a Super Bowl without coaches, referees, security, janitors, announcers, stadium staff, and a stadium - and you can't have research without supporting people and facilities

USAID doesn’t just support overseas work. UCAR COMET, who are hosting my sabbatical, get a big portion of their funding from USAID. This funding employs US people to develop training geoscience materials, free for anyone, incl. in the US, to use. Defunding USAID hurts the US, too. www.comet.ucar.edu

This framing is their framing, and NYT took the bait. The correct and accurate framing is: “Deep cuts to medical research threatens progress on cancer and heart disease research, costs the economy $80B, and threatens 300,000 jobs across red and blue states”

Whenever you hear someone sneer about scientific research that seems useless to them — “they’re studying the spit of lizards?!” — remind them that’s exactly how we got Ozempic. globalnews.ca/news/9793403...

For every dollar of federal research funding in the United States, universities generate between $2.30 and $3.00 of economy activity, much of that in local communities. That doesn’t even include the return on investment of getting a college or graduate degree, which research also dollars support.

"Each year, NIH awards over 60,000 grants that directly support more than 300,000 researchers at more than 2,500 different institutions. In fiscal year 2023, every $1 of NIH funding generated approximately $2.46 of economic activity" www.nih.gov/about-nih/wh...

Scientists have put together a group letter sites.google.com/view/space-s... "To NASA leadership and our elected representatives: We write as members of the space science community who are dismayed by the impact of recent events on taxpayer-funded, NASA-supported science, missions, and communities."

If you were in need of nerdy distraction: here is a shear thinning glacier flow demo we did in our glaciology class today

Remember that our tax dollars paid for this data. It is our data. The government is the people. Every dataset removed is theft. #gischat

The NSF "is planning to lay off between a quarter and a half of its staff in the next two months, a top National Science Foundation official said Tuesday."

Ack!!! Wtf. I guess I need to rewrite some of my labs for the Earth and Planetary GIS course I’m teaching this semester. 😫😫😫 This is so messed up.

Inclusion is no longer a NASA core value www.nasa.gov/careers/life...

It would be fantastic if major federal institutions would acknowledge that the executive branch cannot legally unilaterally cancel or redistribute congressionally appropriated funding on ideological grounds and thus they have no legal obligation to comply with such directives

Federal grants are your tax dollars, put into projects that improve and enrich your community and your life. It is not okay for all those projects and the livelihoods of all the people who work to make them happen to be held hostage over some ideological gripe. www.usa.gov/elected-offi...

I think some people hear “grants” and think that without them, scientists and government workers just have less stuff to play with at work. But grants fund salaries for students, academics, researchers, and people who work in all areas of public service. “Pausing” grants means people don’t eat.

Over 200 JPLers have lost everything in the LA fires. Every single project I work on includes at least one, most multiple. Everyone at JPL is affected, everyone is utterly heartbroken for our community. Ways you can help: giving.caltech.edu/areas-to-sup...

Photo I just took of Mars setting behind the Moon

JPL is one of NASA's major science and climate centers—home to the Mars rovers and 1000s of people. Firefighters held back the flames at JPL’s gates, but many of our coworkers lost their homes. Here’s a thread of their public GoFundMes if you can share & support however possible:

My friends (and amazing planetary scientists / geologists) Elena & Topher Amador-French lost their home last night in the Eaton Fire. They had to flee with minutes warning. If you’re able, please donate to them and their family. Venmo: Elena-Amador.

Many of you know Michele Judd—the former director of the @caltech.edu Keck Institute for Space Studies (KISS). She’s supported lots of studies that have changed planetary science. She and her family lost their home in Altadena this week in Eaton fires this week. Consider donating. gofund.me/0ce9bbd9

On Sunday, I had the immense honor of participating in the doctoral hooding ceremony of Dr. Riley McGlasson! We’ve had so many fun science adventures together over the last four years, & I’m excited to see her head off to be a postdoctoral research geologist at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum!

I am honored to be at #AGU24 this week to accept the Greeley Early Career Award in Planetary Sciences. I feel so fortunate to get to be on this career path and am grateful to everyone who has opened doors for me along the way. Thank you!