Pro tip when applying for a faculty position: make sure you include all required documents, and address the ad's expectations. When small, out of the way departments get >130 applicants for 1 spot, you have to know the market is tight. #academicsky

He's not challenging "orthodoxy", he's ignoring data. Stop dancing around his disinformation campaign and call it what it is -- an all out attack on Science and America's place in the scientific world.

One of the things about Trump saying Khashoggi was not very well liked is he's laying groundwork for the US killing of journalists that he doesn't like. Before his dementia got really bad, he often tried to normalize abhorrent behavior so he could do it. It's a default mode of thinking for him.

Colleagues and I were discussing how many physics/physical science majors don't know about integral tables. They want Wolfram alpha or something. One posited the lack of physical textbooks is a cause. What else is lost with rented copies of e-books and online HW subscriptions?

A great victory in the lab at a regional state funded PUI is getting a poorly constructed circuit working at all. It's a step toward a less-poorly constructed circuit working. Then you can get data. The Vannette Lab had a great victory today. #Academicsky #Physics

AP News calling VA Governor for Spanberger. NJ Lt. Gov. looks strong for Sherrill apnews.com

Another failing of AI. Pattern recognition is not thinking or understanding. Ask my introductory physics students. phys.org/news/2025-10...

It seems when we don't get good rest, our brain may force the issue. Sleep is necessary for quality thinking. Don't disregard it #AcademicSky. medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10...

Asked a class today what they feel marks a faculty member who does not value their time. Going over time. Reading from slides. Auto graded homework. Assignments without feedback. Notably absent were difficult assignments, expecting effort, and dense readings. Does #AcademicSky have thoughts?

Another bit of data regarding misplaced "trust" in the LLM AI hype. Only a little bit of poison in the training is enough to corrupt the system, even when it is very large. techxplore.com/news/2025-10...

This is a really neat innovation. Passive thermal regulation for buildings that is more effective at higher temperature. phys.org/news/2025-10...

Trump's higher ed ransom note is here - everyone would have to acquiesce to their unprecedented demands or not be "given priority for grants," plus they can demand "reimbursement" for "violations" www.wsj.com/us-news/educ... A mechanism to enforce fealty. An attack on academic freedom and democracy

The Dept of Energy is apparently trying to prevent the use of the word "green." I propose swapping it for 550. In the spectrum 550 nm light is green.

Fellow faculty, we must speak about the destruction of our rights in our classrooms. All 4 of the 1A rights are being dismantled. On Monday, in my physics lectures, I will begin by showing the text of the 1A and explain what each part means and how it is being destroyed. 1/

The call to federalize DC is a call to bring the one police force that stood against the Jan 6 insurrection under Trump's control. Who will be there to prevent the coup in Jan 2029?

Hopefully someone has archived the climate reports already. If you have a non-US government source, would you post a link? phys.org/news/2025-08...

It doesn't seem like the Robot Drummer is trashing hotel rooms or anything (yet). They also haven't implemented it IRL. techxplore.com/news/2025-08...

Science relies on being honest with each other and with ourselves. Fraudulent science may become more prevalent than real science. All so someone can have the good reputation needed for tenure. It's unclear how to balance publishing expectations with what's feasible. phys.org/news/2025-08...

This is an example of bad "science" writing. The author has a clear agenda, and is pushing a narrative without any supporting information. I think MedicalXpress should label this as Opinion. medicalxpress.com/news/2025-07...

I hope we all remember that regulations on business practices do not hinder innovation. They hinder exploitation. This is why hardcore capitalists do not want to be regulated. They make money by exploiting everything and everyone around them.

Those I follow on here don't really talk about this, but there are many in my region saying we need to find common ground. To them I say there is no common ground with a fascist. A line exists for us all. Know where yours is.

Doing Things the Stupid Way ought to be this administration's tagline. DOGE wrong about Social Security, says former SSA chief www.npr.org/2025/03/24/n...

After a long hiatus, back to Bluesky. Sharing this one. It's appropriate that a Scot solved it as James Clerk Maxwell won the Adams prize in 1856 on the structure of Saturn's rings. His was the only submission b/c he was the only one who made any progress. phys.org/news/2025-03...

Back at things, I guess. A new vulnerability in LLMs has been exposed. This one is hard to detect because it works on the reasoning level, not training or user query. techxplore.com/news/2025-02...

It's a bit misleading to say "37 dimensions" and leave it at that. They don't mean "34 more dimensions than we live in." They're using dimensions to mean possible results of a measurement. At least, as near as I can make out from the paper. phys.org/news/2025-02...

This one is worth a read. I have talked about confusion in number scales among the general population. Here they are talking about scientists not understanding the measurement process. If you teach undergrads, maybe work this into your course. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Chicken vindaloo spicy enough to drain your sinuses, including your inner ears, has got to be healthy.

This is pretty neat considering a significant obstacle to recycling is profitability. But why say "photonic energy" in the article when "light" would work? To sound science-y? phys.org/news/2025-01...

The Executive Branch keeps saying there is a "mandate," as is mentioned in this article. Reminder that there is no mandate. Trump administration puts senior USAID officials on leave : Goats and Soda www.npr.org/sections/goa...

More of this, please.

New Provost appointed a new Assoc. Provost. The announcement highlighted DEI work and dedication to its principles. Win at a regional state school.

This is one of the intended consequences of the DEI purge. Unless we have a diverse group of people participating in the studies, our understanding will be severely limited. FDA initiative for diversity in cancer studies disappears : Shots - Health News www.npr.org/sections/sho...

This is what politicized science looks like. ~4 years of insufficient evidence to say COVID-19 pandemic was the result of a lab leak. Less than 2 days in charge, and Ratcliffe pushes this out. We had a term for this type of thing in grad school - bullshit. bbc.com/news/article...

For anyone who needs this - we're in the "exhaust the outrage" phase. Everything is infuriating. It's important to breathe and allow yourself to check out now and again. Resistance is a marathon, not a sprint. Be aware of your reserves. We'll need energy for the long term.

Started my adventure into more active public engagement today. Other scientists at regional state universities, I encourage you to reach out to your local paper about contributing op-eds regarding scientific literacy. Mine isn't great, but it's a start. www.ourmidland.com/opinion/voic...

"Through seas of knowledge, we our course advance, discovering still new worlds of ignorance." That is painted in the Detroit Public Library Main Branch on the third floor.

Starting my Henry Marsh Inst. for Public Policy year. Most bios of my classmates talked about service work, business, military experience. I thought I should state my background. Education, teaching, and research focus. I have a lot to learn this year.

Student after the first lecture today: It's been 2 years since I had a class with you. This was expected, another burner. See you on Thursday. It might be discouraging, except the one above and another stayed after to discuss a result in some detail. With each other and not me.

Two more AI related red flags. Offload your thinking and you end up not being able to think. phys.org/news/2025-01... And...

Turns out a very small amount of bad information is enough to cause problems with LLM output. For context in the article, 0.001% is 1 part per 100,000 or 10 ppm. I see no reason the reault should be limited to medical information. medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01...

For me and my sensibilities, Barbariccia's trumpet at the end of Canto XXI of Inferno is why the work is part of The Divine _Comedy_. Dante was a truly great poet.

As one who went to college during Alanis Morissette's heyday, I am pretty confident TurboTax using Ooh La La by Run the Jewels in a commercial is ironic.

I do enjoy the snow this time of year.

Clearing driveways and sidewalks is a good activity for thinking. Plus, if you do it early enough, the quiet scrape of the shovel is all you really hear.

My favorite part about coming up with new homework problems is seeing how the answer comes out. Projectile onto an elastic semi-cylinder some distance away. Where does it land on it's second bounce? Straightforward, but you need to be disciplined with the steps.

This is interesting. Chatbots showing cognitive decline with age. Not sure what to make of it. medicalxpress.com/news/2024-12...

I've wondered for a while now why we call the American political right "conservative." They are regressive and want to dismantle our system. The Democrats are conservative. Keep things basically as they are. I tend to support them because I'm not going any further to the right.

Just read a Politico article about the proposed end to birthright citizenship. The argument hangs on "subject to the jurisdiction" of the US. If a person is not "subject to the jurisdiction" can they be held accountable to the laws? www.politico.com/news/2024/12...