Come be my colleague! Tufts Chemistry is hiring a tenure-track Assistant Professor working on materials with energy applications. We have a fantastic, supportive environment for you to start your research career. Send questions to me or @chemysl.bsky.social apply.interfolio.com/175284

Clean trip to the dermatologist—back on the annual carcass inspection plan!

When I was at NIH and shutdowns loomed, it was discovered that the administration was planning to shut down PubMed. The head of NCBI called the powers that be and pointed out that this would threaten patient safety Who knows what will happen now Just in case, remember Euruope-PMC (europepmc.org )

As much as I don’t need a reason to listen to The Minutemen, it’s disturbing how often one comes up youtu.be/0lguvLMuQeI?...

The GRFP announcement from NSF cuts out an entire cohort of 2nd year students from consideration, without warning. This is so deeply unfair that it warrants a formal protest from the scientific community. If someone wants to work with me to craft an open letter and solicit signatures, LMK.

Come join us at SBU Chemistry! We are looking for an Assoc/Full Prof in Materials or Polymer Chemistry, supported by the SUNY Empire Innovation Program. Deadline Oct 16. Reach out if you have any questions! apply.interfolio.com/173681 #facultychemjobs

Week 4 Javits Lecture Hall lost bottle report. Cooler weather & first round of night-time exams appear to be having an impact

kid asked about buying tix for an Earl Sweatshirt show today & I couldn’t avoid the “$60?!? what ever happened to Free Earl” gag

at the very least messing around with synths & pedals has gotten me to the stage where replacing an HPLC pump power supply is manageable (but big 120 V power caps are still scary). still need to fix the switch wiring, secure everything, & seal it back up.

Week 3 Javits Lecture Center lost bottle report

@jeffvandermeer.bsky.social just read the return to Dead Town part of Absolution last night, then heard Dead Moon’s 40 Miles of Bad Road this morning & got heavy sympathetic vibes (even if Old Jim might not have appreciated it) youtu.be/o82y1EJRo38?...

Here is a word cloud of the words that were missing from the noncompetitive renewal awards but had been present in the parent award. 3/4

must look older than I think because I went to CVS & they stuck me with the mNexspike

Week 2 Javits Lecture Center lost bottle report

leaving the kid with some big old trees

first day of classes always got me like youtu.be/yByI9C1hooY?...

When I was back home I spent an afternoon volunteering at the food bank my mom helps run. It’s in a mid sized Midwestern city. It was pretty eye opening. These are people who are really reliant on the social safety net that the BBB slashed. Here’s a list of observations 1/x

Calling all chemists and polymer scientists! We are seeking your feedback on new recommendations for classifying and defining polymerization reactions—a chance to help shape the language of our field. Read the provisional recommendation here: iupac.org/recommendati... #chemsky #polymers @iupac.org

It's really hard to take institutional messages about internet security seriously when every link in the messages are redirected through e2ma urls rather than actual urls. (also makes saving zoom links to a calendar really annoying.)

My parents always told me I used to cry when the baker would fall down the stairs on Sesame Street. About to cry again--I learned so much from Sesame Street, Electric Company, Villa Alegre, Mr Rogers, Reading Rainbow. Wanton destruction of another public good. www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fCF...

Shout out to Bill Beaty of the Washington Chem dept for info on repairing Ika hotplates--maybe got one heating again (though used the method my dad taught me: open a thing up, poke around a bit, shake your head, and close it back up to find it works again). staff.washington.edu/wbeaty/chem_...

Sonny Sharrock quartet with a heavy and still relevant protest song - listen to the dedication

RIP Tom Lehrer #synthsky

Harvey Mudd is hiring a tenure track analytical chemist. Come join my department!

Amazing to have to do "Research Security Training" and take these statements seriously in 2025: "Freedom of Inquiry. Core tenet of integrity; scientists decide line of investigation and project. Researchers are experts; freedom to conduct work without interference."

Maybe a little too soon to revisit the wild Sabbath Blaath cd they steered me to at Aquarius Records a long time ago, but sabbath can handle it. hcbrecords.bandcamp.com/album/sabbat...

I wrote about Unwound. erickbradshaw.substack.com/p/unwounds-n...

facing a penalty shot as a hurling goal keeper looks terrifying

We are looking for a PhD student for a project on chloronitramide in drinking water. Please spread the word! jobs.ethz.ch/job/view/JOP...

Mostly finished building a Ciat-Lonbarde Rollz-5. Shoddy woodwork! Sketchy dangling paper mounted circuits (added a battery clip later)! Tangles of alligator clips! Pleasing (to me anyway) bursts of clicks & blips & static! and it seems to work fine with the regular synth parts.

serious wondering if dude’s last name used to be Human but he was forced to change it because it was obviously wrong

Saddened to hear of the passing of luminary scientist, Gabor Somorjai. With Gabor, @berkeleylab.lbl.gov has led the way in understanding materials through their surfaces, be that structure, dynamics, sorption, and transformations relevant to energy applications. He will be missed.

#chemsky, have you used a Wisconsin Photoreactor? I designed them and will soon defend my PhD. I’d like to include photos of Wisconsin Photoreactors in use by other chemists in my defense. Please share (reply to this post or DM me) a photo of your photoreactor in action! doi.org/10.1021/acs....

A side detail in a set of great stories, but still entertaining to imagine I could check out the refurbished models of the same fire stairs tomorrow. (from _Crook Manifesto_ by @colsonwhitehead.com )

#chemsky 🧪 ISU Department of Chemistry is hiring a scientific glassblower. Thrilled we are hiring for this position given the impending retirement of our current glassblower. isu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/IowaStateJob...

As someone who has greatly benefited from the NSF MRI program, I'm sad to see that the 2025 submission window was canceled. www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...

Great paper here on @chemrxiv.bsky.social from the Lipschultz lab @jeflip.bsky.social - 1st author J. Shah just gave a super talk on this Ti-cat dehydroxylation work at our ACS Conn. Valley Section symposium today - really neat rearrangements and compound fragmentations as synthetic strategy too

*Biden tries to forgive student loans* SCOTUS: Whoa there, that is, uh, a major question. Which means you can't do it. *Trump revokes part of the constitution* SCOTUS: Obviously, we got to give the President the benefit of the doubt on this one.

The staff at Iran's National Museum in Tehran have sandbagged the exhibitions they cannot move. I just...

NEW: NSF will be kicked out of their building. Announcement will be made tomorrow by HUD Sec. and Governor of VA. HUD will take over the NSF building over the next two years. NSF staffer: "There is no planning for NSF, no identified future location, appropriation for a new building or a move."

hitting up bandcamp for the new Matmos album for the drive to the show in Queens tonight (also billy woods, Rhys Langston, SG Goodman, Mary Halvorson, & Phil Langero in case there’s traffic)

ACS represent at WorldPride DC

excited to be in dc to see @kateaubrecht.bsky.social become an AAAS fellow!

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...

very fun to read frederick douglass accurately describe the problem with the pardon power in 1867

I wish this @intelligencer.com piece had discussed in context what this means for public universities that often don't have control over their budgets. State legislature cuts our budget, we are forced to raise tuition, and we can't throw around discounts. It's potentially devastating.

Presidential budget is out. Here's NSF. Biggest cut, by amount, is $1 billion, or 66.8%, from MPS (Physics & Math directorate). nsf-gov-resources.nsf.gov/files/00-NSF...

At least the annual campus heating shutdown has enabled me to discover that I can use a wireless mouse with my hand inside the pocket of the hooded down jacket I am wearing inside my office.

“Gold standard” got me thinking back on Elena Ceaușescu’s remarkable career as a polymer chemist. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elena_C...

I had my first chance to point out to on a grad student paper that performative is a contranym, and use this link. Thanks, @asociologist.bsky.social! scatter.wordpress.com/2025/05/19/p...