The GRFP lives!! (due end of October) www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...

My new @science.org editorial on the role of scientists in defending democracy is out today. As authoritarianism takes hold in the US, we must fight for the democratic principles that enable a free society and scientists have a key role. I hope you'll join us. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

A new, MUCH improved #Eucalyptus genome: - haplotype-resolved - 99.4% complete - 700x better contiguity - 35k annotated genes Kudos to Anneri Lötter, @tomasbruna.bsky.social and @jotlovell.bsky.social at @jgi.doe.gov‬, @jillwegrzyn.bsky.social‬, Alexander Myburg et al. doi.org/10.1093/g3jo...

🌏🌿 The Earth BioGenome Project has collectively surpassed another genome milestone! 🙌 🎉 Congratulations to everyone involved in this monumental global effort to sequence life on Earth. 🌍🧬 #EarthBioGenome #Genomics #Biodiversity #MilestoneMoment

Thanks Kew! The paper itself can be found here: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

So impressed by our Featured Student Speakers presenting in the keynote sessions. Just: wow! The future of forest genetics is bright #forestgenetics2025

#CartograPlant & #TreeGenes Workshop at #ForestGenetics2025 - bringing together genotype, phenotype, and environmental data for georeferenced plant populations presented by @uconneeb.bsky.social PhD student @meghanmyles.bsky.social & developer Gabe Barrett #FAIRdata

First season @toolikfieldstation.bsky.social #arctic - #EVOME is investigating species’ responses to rapid climatic changes in stream environs @uconnresearch.bsky.social @uconneeb.bsky.social @brandonlind.bsky.social SamiraObbu @airianna-mcguire.bsky.social MaryRutter #REU SarahAntebi #NSF-funded

Very excited to announce @vuruputoor.bsky.social upcoming #PhD defense in @uconneeb.bsky.social ! #genomics marathon on land plant genome evolution, from the smallest to largest - special focus on conservation genomics in #hemlocks @nature.org @ebpgenome.bsky.social @uconnresearch.bsky.social

Check out this interview with BSA member and BSA Director at Large for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Karolina Heyduk! botany.one/2025/06/karo...

One week to go!!! So excited to host our colleagues next week in the Happy Valley of Pennsylvania! Over 150 registrants from around the world!! If you’re interested in coming but unable to join in person - email me to learn about virtual options forestgeneticsconference2025.com #forestgenetics2025

Save the Date! North American Forest Genetics Society #NAFGS June 15-19 2026 in Quebec City, Canada🍁 More information coming soon at www.nafgs.org/conference2026 Join us next year!

An NIH staffer reacts to today's ruling: "I'm looking forward to the day that we are so slammed with work trying to reinstate everything that we had to terminate illegally — I'll work 24/7 to make that happen if I can."

Very happy that our manuscript "Annotation of protein-coding genes in 49 diatom genomes from the Bacillariophyta clade" is now published with Scientific Data: rdcu.be/eqwO5 Great team work with Natalia, Clara, Cynthia, Alex, @miamynta.bsky.social , & @jillwegrzyn.bsky.social

Welp, there's the Friday 🧪 hit

Reminder that SSE members in Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, India, and 152 low-income countries around the world can still get FREE registration for the virtual Evolution meeting! Please share with your colleagues: www.evolutionsociety.org/index.php?mo...

If you have tenure and you’re carrying on as normal: you are a part of the problem. The leopard doesn’t discriminate between faces. These are extraordinary times and we need you in the fight. It’s not comfortable, there is risk, and it will add more to your plate. But without you, science dies.

🚨 A new rule would let career scientists like NSF/NIH program officers be replaced by political appointees Already 14,000+ public comments, deadline is Friday 📣 Comments can be short. Courts consider them—and scientists with NSF/NIH experience are especially impactful Speak up! shorturl.at/WKuBj

Spaces are still available in our upcoming genomics workshops! Join us for Variant Detection: May 20–22 and/or Genome Annotation, May 27-29 - Participants receive guided tutorials, live instruction, & daily recordings to support continued learning. bioinformatics.uconn.edu/cbc-workshops/

It’s NSF’s 75th & college graduation season, both reminders of how far basic science funding can go. With NSF support, I’ve mentored 130+ students who are innovators in genomics, conservation, data science & more. The lab is pictured here. Please keep investing in science #ThanksNSF #NSF75 #FundNSF

HAPPY 75th, NSF! We’re celebrating this milestone by highlighting some of NSF’s most transformative accomplishments—innovations that have shaped our world and continue to drive progress in health, technology, the environment, and beyond. Read on 🧵(1/11):

Join us May 27–29 for a Virtual Genome Annotation Workshop! 🧬 Learn Linux, genome assembly, evidence-based annotation, and evaluation. No experience needed! 📅 10 AM – 2 PM ET 💻 Zoom + recording 💰 $500 ($400 UConn) Register: bioinformatics.uconn.edu/cbc-workshops/ #GenomeAnnotation #Bioinformatics

A fantastic virtual workshop to get started or expand your skills with the informatics of variant detection! Spaces available! Instruction by @noahreid.bsky.social

👏👏👏 "[we] invite manuscripts for a new, first-of-its-kind special collection focused on climate change in the US. This catalog of over 29 peer-reviewed journals covers all aspects of climate, including observations, projections, impacts, risks, and solutions" www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

🚨SCIENCE UNDER SIEGE: TRUMP’S FIRST 100 DAYS 🚨 In his first 100 days, Trump has declared war on science—slashing budgets, censoring facts, and meddling in research. From climate to cancer care, real lives are at risk. Here’s a thread on Trump’s assault on science so far—and why it matters: (🧵)

NSF director to resign amid grant terminations, job cuts, and controversy www.science.org/content/arti...

PhD Timeline xkcd.com/3081

Perfect spring day in the conifer collection @arnoldarboretum.bsky.social for the @nature.org Trees In Peril meeting: inspiring discussions to continue conservation efforts @uconnresearch.bsky.social @vuruputoor.bsky.social @meghanmyles.bsky.social @airianna-mcguire.bsky.social #beech #hemlock #ash

Congratulations to the new members elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences including in evolution and ecology: Anurag Agrawal (@anurag-asclepias.bsky.social), Graham Coop (@gcbias.bsky.social), and Jennifer Martiny, among others! www.amacad.org/new-members-...

We've put together a (starter) starter pack of UConn Researchers on Bluesky! Reply to be added 🌌 go.bsky.app/L1aw6JM

When do we start a “Grants revoked by DOGE” section of our CVs? Cause yeah, this stings….

😃😃 TOMORROW is the #DayofActionforHigherEd and we can’t wait! There are now 1️⃣7️⃣5️⃣ events planned in 44 states + online panels and workshops. There are so many ways to participate + there’s still time to plan an action on your campus. Visit our site for details! 👇 www.dayofactionforhighered.org/events

A scene to meditate on for a minute before you write your senators and representative. Spring beauty (Claytonia virginica) in the East Woods of The Morton Arboretum. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/14/b... www.house.gov/representati...

@uconneeb.bsky.social is excited to welcome @soltislab.bsky.social to @uconnresearch.bsky.social for the Biodiversity Bonanza this Thurs! Free & open to the public - RSVP: csmnh.uconn.edu/biodiversity... - join us for this amazing seminar, reception & showcase of UConn's biodiversity collections! 🌱🐛

Space available next week in our virtual genome assembly workshop!

Hartford,CT #handsoff

Absolutely proud of you all! HUG! So far, 3.1 million protesters counted today — that’s nearly 1% of the U.S. population! Photos are flooding social media everywhere. Still waiting on more numbers to come in.

#Handsoff Hartford, CT

Trump just signed an EO consolidating ALL federal payments under the treasury and requiring a pre-certification to be able to receive any and all federal payments. This would enable the Trump admin to cut off funding at any time for any reason to any institution. www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...

From October, but new to me as I write about biodiversity tonight: 38% of the world’s trees are at risk of extinction according to the first Global Tree Assessment

The attacks on academia will be compounded by the looming college student enrollment cliff. Why aren't more people talking about this??? www.npr.org/2025/01/08/n... #college #university #academia

See you there!

The past few weeks have been a relentless and unhinged assault on science & reason. Join us on Friday! www.nature.com/articles/d41... Find your local event: standupforscience2025.org

Today, a broad coalition of scientific professional societies who represent over 92,000 scientists are speaking out against the politicization and demonization of Federally funded science and government scientist jobs. It was an honor to help the Union of Concerned Scientists with this! 🧪🌎

We are excited to be hiring here in the Computational Biology Core in the Institute for Systems Genomics!! This temp to full research associate position is based out of CT! We support genomics research for over 230 labs across UConn campuses.

Come work with us! The New York Botanical Garden is hiring a Curator at the Assist. or Associate level. Profile: a productive and FUN Mycologist or Cryptogamic Botanist. Happy to talk to candidates about how wonderful one of the best botanical research centers is, easy. www.nybg.org/about/work-w...

Really happy that the @marineevoeco.com lab played a very small part in this really cool paper published with the @roneilllab.bsky.social, @vuruputoor.bsky.social, @noahreid.bsky.social, @jillwegrzyn.bsky.social and others! Big thanks to Gabe Barrett for connecting UConn and URI research teams

There’s a google doc trying to keep track of funding/grad school admission/hiring freezes & status please share 🧪 docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

The court ordered that NIH grant funding be unfrozen, so The Regime found a way around it. For NIH grants to be funded, a review panel must rank them. In order for a review panel to meet, they must post it on the Federal Register. Submissions to the Federal Register are now on hold “indefinitely”.

The Epidemic Intelligence Service, a nationally recognized program that has run since the 1950s, is a critical component of Americas public health training landscape. 🦠 (1/)