new PhD position available! The student will develop remote sensing tools to support land management in the western United States, contributing to ongoing USDA-funded research on monitoring and restoring mesic and riparian ecosystems. For more details, please see: caughlinlab.com/join-the-lab/

Confused writing is usually a symptom of confused thinking. As we struggle to clarify writing, we clarify our thoughts. AI writing aids rob us of that struggle, leaving clean-looking text and thoughts still confused for lack of inspection. Writing is not just a product; it is a diagnostic tool.

new paper, led by @nkolarik.bsky.social: monitoring outcomes of ecological restoration is challenging. Satellite imagery could help, but interpretation requires statistics that can identify breakpoints in messy time-series data. We provide a practical guide: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

after more than 15 years as a scientist, I just submitted my first preprint

Life is all about making choices, and stats is no exception. You can either select the best predictive model out of a big set OR you can look at p-values from a model. Not both! Good news is choosing between prediction vs inference often streamlines workflows and makes writing more logical.

🚨 New paper, led by Cristina Barber. We used high-resolution aerial imagery to study tree mortality in a tropical landscape. Large, isolated trees were most likely to die--alarming finding! @ecologicalsociety.bsky.social esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Given that a substantial number of people will likely read AI-based summaries of our scientific papers, how should we be adapting our writing style? Are there stylistic or structural choices that will make writing more palatable to our AI overlords?

IMPORTANT: The Dutch invested €595 million annually on urban biking, resulting in €19 BILLION saved in public health care costs alone. That’s how smart governments do the math on investing in better mobility. Let’s be clear— it wastes public money to NOT do it. #CityMakingMath HT @modacitylife.com

I am so heartened to this seriously AWESOME #SaveNSF website go up today!!!! Has a take action toolkit with: 1. Press outreach templates 2. Social media toolkit 3. Elected official outreach 4. Talking points Check it out and share widely!!!! Likely more to come. www.savensf.com

Was going to post something pithy about how the takeover of New College relates to state of higher ed...but I can't. This place was my alma mater. Its quirks nourished me and I am heartbroken to see it destroyed www.chronicle.com/article/the-...

government investments in research aids the economy!!! “... a lot of our increase in living standards seems to be coming from public investment in scientific research,” said Fieldhouse, economist and author of study. “The rates of return are just really high.” www.nytimes.com/2025/04/30/b...

A bumper year for bitterbrush flowers in Boise foothills

enjoyed this book on accessory dwelling units in American cities. Zoning for single family homes is not working for many of us; ADUs are emerging as a solution. Author convincingly makes the case that policy solutions, including formalizing "illegal" ADU setups, can help alleviate housing scarcity

Proud of my hometown, Boise Idaho, for serving as a global leader in geothermal energy www.nytimes.com/2025/03/25/c...

Tenure clock extensions are a scam! Don't fall for it!

We’re making it happen… but the need and timing seems to be accelerating, EO data is an incredible value, and the barriers to entry have been lowering for a while now. The time is now!

Love the idea of a humanitarian satellite constellation

please share: I am recruiting for a PhD student to join my lab for fall 2025. I am interested in finding someone who is passionate about applying models to study plant ecology. Potential study systems include urban environments, sagebrush steppe, and tropical forest. caughlinlab.com/join-the-lab/

Having worked in Latin American cities like Buenos Aires, Santiago, Bogotá and especially Medellín, I’ll keep on saying this — global cities have a lot to learn from Latin American cities. Especially around applying the equity lens to infrastructure, and doing smart, creative things REALLY FAST.

Desert stream temps mean life or death for aquatic organisms. Drones can measure stream temps across large areas--but how do drones compare to in situ measurements? In new paper, led by Mel Campbell, we flew for 24 hours to evaluate thermal accuracy #UAS #drones www.mdpi.com/2225-1154/13...

Public lands are one of the few remaining great equalizers of America’s increasingly ultra-wealthy-centric economy. This would be the death knell for hunting and fishing access, for hiking, cycling, and other forms of rec. It would be a great betrayal of our obligation as stewards of that land

A reminder that government is fundamentally different from business: the Landsat program created more than $30 Billion in value by giving away free data. www.usgs.gov/landsat-miss...

Heartbreaking to see so many brilliant young scientists, who chose a career with the federal government to make a positive difference for our country, suddenly cut loose. I am sad and angry.

It's here and ahead-of-print at @asn-amnat.bsky.social ! 🎉 Our 22-page polyploid coexistence model is now available: doi.org/10.1086/734411 This work wouldn’t be possible without NSF support—including funding from an NSF GRFP, an NSF PRFB, and NSF DMS & DBI grants. @soltislab.bsky.social l

Most people in the US have no idea about the attacks on federally funded science or our government institutions. Many (or most!) of your family, coworkers, neighbors, and friends have no idea. My own MAGA dad thinks DOGE is just identifying waste, and that nothing has been cut. We have to tell them.

Thinking about my US Forest Service partners and research collaborators. You are all so fantastic.

International research that supports humans and nature is more important than ever. Proud of @boisestate.bsky.social and the Peregrine Fund for supporting tropical research, led by scientists from tropical countries! www.boisestate.edu/news/2025/02...

Great presentation by @nkolarik.bsky.social! Nick uses satellite observations to monitor changes in desert streams, including impacts of beavers and humans. This is part of @boisestate.bsky.social's Science On Tap event, where scientists talk about their research at local breweries #scicomm

New paper out, led by @villarreal-miguel.bsky.social. There's a disconnect between remote sensing advances and application to ecology (including only 11 UAS papers in Landscape Ecology!). We provide a guide for using drones to answer ecological ?s: link.springer.com/article/10.1... #uas #drones

As scientists, we must continue to support diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Most importantly, broadening participation in science is the right thing to do. In addition, numerous peer-reviewed pubs have shown that diverse teams are more productive and innovative. Diversity has benefits!

Just in case you thought that removing DEI criteria would mean that everyone is competing equally: NIH is removing grad students from underrepresented backgrounds from the applicant pool altogether. Their applications will not be considered. Other students, not from these backgrounds, will be.

Raise your hand if you recognize ecosystems are millions if not trillions of interactions, connections, cause-and-effect, etc, across just innumerable species and vagaries of landscape and microclimates such that we still haven't identified every species that lives on this marvelously complex Earth.

I'm so excited to share that my first dissertation chapter on SF coyotes is out in the #OpenAccess journal Ecosphere @ecologicalsociety.bsky.social. We DNA metabarcoded and genotyped hundreds of scats to explore dietary variation across the city 🧬💩 🧪 doi.org/10.1002/ecs2...

I really can’t wrap my head around congressional Democrats’ response to the past 12 days of crises. It reeks of pathetic capitulation. Trump is asserting dictatorial powers of absolute control over the entire government and the reaction is “we don’t swing at every pitch”? An appalling abdication.

mapping buildings is important for so many applications, particularly at wildland-urban interface. PhD candidate Meg Dolman @boisestate.bsky.social has produced some great new research showing how we can apply open source tools to map this key land cover type

Somme Prairie Grove is among the best models for tall grass savanna ecological restoration in the Midwest northbranchrestoration.org/map/somme-pr...

Mapping the roots of saguaros at Saguaro NP. The DBG is partnering with SNP and the U of Wyoming to map the roots of saguaros. Knowing the distribution of saguaro roots reveals how sensitive they are to droughts, and to what extent these iconic plants engineer the water cycle of desert ecosystems.

Carbon emission growth rates have slowed, and US emissions have fallen. That's not nothing. And it didn't happen by accident. Every fraction of a degree is worth fighting for, and if you need to take a rest, by all means, do. But don't evangelize defeatism.

sometimes I look at what tech bros have done with advanced technology and feel like it’s if someone invented the wheel and only used it for running over people’s fingers

Parcel-level heat measurements would have immediate benefits for society and would lead to a lot of interesting scientific questions. Perhaps NASA's Ecostress platform could fill this gap?

Lamprey christmas ornament!

Congratulations to Dr. Sandra Velazco, who successfully defended her dissertation @boisestate.bsky.social on how invasive bracken ferns can impede recovery of tropical forests. Her work shows that climate change will likely increase rates of arrested succession www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

There are already many articles for which there is more attention on Bluesky than on other comparable micro-blogging sites, meaning the academic community and the general public have clearly adopted Bluesky as one of its core places to disseminate and discuss new research. A Place of Joy.

Every year, billions of vehicles worldwide shed an estimated 6 million tonnes of tire fragments. These tiny flakes of plastic, generated by normal driving, account for 28% of microplastics entering the environment globally. Heavy vehicles eg SUVs/EVs especially. theconversation.com/car-tyres-sh...

In thinking about what rich nations owe the developing world, here’s something to keep in mind: The average American emits more CO₂ in one week than an average person in low-income countries does in one year.

Another great day in the canopy!

Happy #LGBTQSTEMDay from California Native Plants!