Benjamin Hlina, PhD
@benjaminhlina.bsky.social
Postdoctoral Fellow @UWindsor working on spatial ecology and food web dynamics on Lakes Ontario and Huron| 🇺🇸🇨🇦 | benjaminhlina.com
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Benjamin L. Hlina, PhD
Welcome to my site! I am a fisheries scientist and programmer currently based at the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research working with Drs. Aaron Fisk (University of Windsor) and Tim Johns...
benjaminhlina.com
I don’t use social media much, so here is a bit about me:
I love fish, nature, R, outdoor recreation, music, and books. If you want to know more about me checkout my website and blog at benjaminhlina.com and blog.benjaminhlina.com get outside!
I love fish, nature, R, outdoor recreation, music, and books. If you want to know more about me checkout my website and blog at benjaminhlina.com and blog.benjaminhlina.com get outside!
Reposted by Benjamin Hlina, PhD
Walz: "To Americans who are watching this, I've got a question for you: What side do you want to be on? The side of an all powerful federal govt that can kill, injury, menace, & kidnap its citizens off the streets? Or on the side of a nurse at the VA hospital who died bearing witness to such govt?"
January 25, 2026 at 8:24 PM
Walz: "To Americans who are watching this, I've got a question for you: What side do you want to be on? The side of an all powerful federal govt that can kill, injury, menace, & kidnap its citizens off the streets? Or on the side of a nurse at the VA hospital who died bearing witness to such govt?"
Reposted by Benjamin Hlina, PhD
A video of Alex Pretti reading out the final salute of an unnamed veteran he cared for until the end of his life in the ICU, posted to Facebook by his son.
January 25, 2026 at 1:18 AM
A video of Alex Pretti reading out the final salute of an unnamed veteran he cared for until the end of his life in the ICU, posted to Facebook by his son.
Reposted by Benjamin Hlina, PhD
Frozen ships in -22°C in to Toronto harbour
January 24, 2026 at 1:02 PM
Frozen ships in -22°C in to Toronto harbour
Reposted by Benjamin Hlina, PhD
We kidnapped a kid. But his parents didn’t do exactly what we asked so we fed the child. As you can see, we, the kidnappers, are clearly the good guys. We will not take any questions.
ICE spokesperson Marcos Charles: "My officers stayed with the child. They cared for him. Took him to get something to eat from a drive-thru restaurant and spent hours ensuring he was taken care of. Again, my officers did that, not his father ... his family refused to open the door and take him back"
January 24, 2026 at 2:39 AM
We kidnapped a kid. But his parents didn’t do exactly what we asked so we fed the child. As you can see, we, the kidnappers, are clearly the good guys. We will not take any questions.
Reposted by Benjamin Hlina, PhD
That’s just not right…
January 24, 2026 at 8:39 PM
That’s just not right…
Reposted by Benjamin Hlina, PhD
Reposted by Benjamin Hlina, PhD
What are your ins and outs for 2026? ✨🌊
January 8, 2026 at 2:14 PM
What are your ins and outs for 2026? ✨🌊
Great resource on spatial analysis
Some lecture notes on spatial and temporal modelling, illustrated using R - darrenjw.github.io/spatio-tempo... - #rstats #rspatial #quarto
Spatial and temporal statistics
darrenjw.github.io
January 1, 2026 at 6:26 PM
Great resource on spatial analysis
I am building a shiny app that interacts with a pgSQL db this is hosted on AWS RDS with the app being deployed on an AWS EC2. I have made dockerfile and GHA that build GHCR and deploy the app but stumbled upon {golem} a bit after the fact.
Do ppl have examples of usage of {golem}.
#Rstats #Rshiny
Do ppl have examples of usage of {golem}.
#Rstats #Rshiny
December 16, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Reposted by Benjamin Hlina, PhD
All the material for my Bayesian Data Analysis course is available online, including the lectures, which we re-recorded this fall (some of them by @aloctavodia.bsky.social and Noa Kallioinen while I was on vacation). The video links are listed in the schedule at avehtari.github.io/BDA_course_A...
Bayesian Data Analysis course - Aalto 2025 – Bayesian Data Analysis course
avehtari.github.io
December 11, 2025 at 2:20 PM
All the material for my Bayesian Data Analysis course is available online, including the lectures, which we re-recorded this fall (some of them by @aloctavodia.bsky.social and Noa Kallioinen while I was on vacation). The video links are listed in the schedule at avehtari.github.io/BDA_course_A...
Reposted by Benjamin Hlina, PhD
There's been much talk about the "Just a Job" piece in Nature Human Behavior — absent an ability of many to read it. The author is here, @laraffington.bsky.social. In the post below, she shares a link available to all.
December 9, 2025 at 12:58 AM
There's been much talk about the "Just a Job" piece in Nature Human Behavior — absent an ability of many to read it. The author is here, @laraffington.bsky.social. In the post below, she shares a link available to all.
Reposted by Benjamin Hlina, PhD
Travel from the comfort of your own home this #25DaysofFishmas as we explore fishes from all across the US each day in December. Best part? No sleeping on air mattresses in guest rooms!
The road trip kicks off with fishes from the southeastern US on Monday Dec. 1!
The road trip kicks off with fishes from the southeastern US on Monday Dec. 1!
November 28, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Travel from the comfort of your own home this #25DaysofFishmas as we explore fishes from all across the US each day in December. Best part? No sleeping on air mattresses in guest rooms!
The road trip kicks off with fishes from the southeastern US on Monday Dec. 1!
The road trip kicks off with fishes from the southeastern US on Monday Dec. 1!
Reposted by Benjamin Hlina, PhD
#30daymapchallenge | Day 22 Data: Natural Earth | The Great Islands
Earlier this summer I finished this print version of my map from last year depicting our Great Lakes as islands. Been trying to learn more about lighting techniques in Blender—I think this was a big leap forward from 2024 version!
Earlier this summer I finished this print version of my map from last year depicting our Great Lakes as islands. Been trying to learn more about lighting techniques in Blender—I think this was a big leap forward from 2024 version!
November 22, 2025 at 1:20 PM
#30daymapchallenge | Day 22 Data: Natural Earth | The Great Islands
Earlier this summer I finished this print version of my map from last year depicting our Great Lakes as islands. Been trying to learn more about lighting techniques in Blender—I think this was a big leap forward from 2024 version!
Earlier this summer I finished this print version of my map from last year depicting our Great Lakes as islands. Been trying to learn more about lighting techniques in Blender—I think this was a big leap forward from 2024 version!
Reposted by Benjamin Hlina, PhD
Today is World Fisheries Day! 🎣
Fishing has been an essential part of human history for thousands of years and continues to support communities around the world. In recent decades, technological advances have expanded the range of fishing vessels and increased their efficiency,
1/5
Fishing has been an essential part of human history for thousands of years and continues to support communities around the world. In recent decades, technological advances have expanded the range of fishing vessels and increased their efficiency,
1/5
November 21, 2025 at 9:55 AM
Today is World Fisheries Day! 🎣
Fishing has been an essential part of human history for thousands of years and continues to support communities around the world. In recent decades, technological advances have expanded the range of fishing vessels and increased their efficiency,
1/5
Fishing has been an essential part of human history for thousands of years and continues to support communities around the world. In recent decades, technological advances have expanded the range of fishing vessels and increased their efficiency,
1/5
Reposted by Benjamin Hlina, PhD
Michigan lawmakers want to greatly increase funding for invasive mussel control research in the #GreatLakes to $500 million over the next 10 years - as Great Lakes Fishery Commission's Greg McClinchey says in this article: "Mussels are this generation’s sea lamprey" bridgemi.com/michigan-env...
Michigan lawmakers seek $500M to stop mussels, save Great Lakes whitefish - Bridge Michigan
US Reps. Debbie Dingell and Tim Walberg are planning legislation to boost research to control invasive mussels, following Bridge Michigan reporting about the impending collapse of whitefish.
bridgemi.com
November 11, 2025 at 4:49 PM
Michigan lawmakers want to greatly increase funding for invasive mussel control research in the #GreatLakes to $500 million over the next 10 years - as Great Lakes Fishery Commission's Greg McClinchey says in this article: "Mussels are this generation’s sea lamprey" bridgemi.com/michigan-env...
Reposted by Benjamin Hlina, PhD
Sea lamprey control - a joint effort between the US + Canada - has allowed lake trout to make a comeback in the #GreatLakes over the past 60 years. This fall marks the 3rd year the Fond du Lac Band has been able to practice the tradition of subsistence netting www.mprnews.org/story/2025/1...
Fond du Lac Band resumes tradition of harvesting Lake Superior trout to continue culture, feed students
Lake trout were nearly wiped out in Lake Superior by the invasive sea lamprey. But a successful control project has helped bring the trout back from the brink. That’s allowing the Fond du Lac Band of ...
www.mprnews.org
November 4, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Sea lamprey control - a joint effort between the US + Canada - has allowed lake trout to make a comeback in the #GreatLakes over the past 60 years. This fall marks the 3rd year the Fond du Lac Band has been able to practice the tradition of subsistence netting www.mprnews.org/story/2025/1...
Reposted by Benjamin Hlina, PhD
Some good advice in here but one critical piece I always give is this:
Get a hobby. Preferably a mildly social one. One that has NOTHING TO DO WITH SCIENCE. NOTHING.
You need friends. Not colleagues. FRIENDS. Friends who will love you no matter your research prospects...
Get a hobby. Preferably a mildly social one. One that has NOTHING TO DO WITH SCIENCE. NOTHING.
You need friends. Not colleagues. FRIENDS. Friends who will love you no matter your research prospects...
What's one piece of advice you'd give to someone considering a PhD?
We asked 3785 doctoral candidates across 107 countries for their hard-won wisdom
go.nature.com/4nDjJ7t
We asked 3785 doctoral candidates across 107 countries for their hard-won wisdom
go.nature.com/4nDjJ7t
27 things we wish we’d known when we started our PhDs
Nature’s survey of PhD candidates reveals hard-won wisdom on choosing supervisors, managing mental health and surviving academic culture.
go.nature.com
October 6, 2025 at 2:23 PM
Some good advice in here but one critical piece I always give is this:
Get a hobby. Preferably a mildly social one. One that has NOTHING TO DO WITH SCIENCE. NOTHING.
You need friends. Not colleagues. FRIENDS. Friends who will love you no matter your research prospects...
Get a hobby. Preferably a mildly social one. One that has NOTHING TO DO WITH SCIENCE. NOTHING.
You need friends. Not colleagues. FRIENDS. Friends who will love you no matter your research prospects...
Reposted by Benjamin Hlina, PhD
FINALLY! 🥳
A Baltic Sea Tracking Network is on the way!! Thanks in part to a receiver loan from @oceantracking.bsky.social members of ETN based at SLU & LUKE (Finland) have deployed what we hope is just the beginning 💪
You can find out more about the project here: tinyurl.com/yc5nhxr5
A Baltic Sea Tracking Network is on the way!! Thanks in part to a receiver loan from @oceantracking.bsky.social members of ETN based at SLU & LUKE (Finland) have deployed what we hope is just the beginning 💪
You can find out more about the project here: tinyurl.com/yc5nhxr5
The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences launches large-scale fish tracking – aiming to provide new insights about fish in the Baltic Sea
SLU has deployed 80 acoustic receivers along two lines in the Baltic Sea. By listening for signals from tagged fish, the receivers will reveal migration routes and uncover new insights on life beneath...
tinyurl.com
September 4, 2025 at 8:55 AM
FINALLY! 🥳
A Baltic Sea Tracking Network is on the way!! Thanks in part to a receiver loan from @oceantracking.bsky.social members of ETN based at SLU & LUKE (Finland) have deployed what we hope is just the beginning 💪
You can find out more about the project here: tinyurl.com/yc5nhxr5
A Baltic Sea Tracking Network is on the way!! Thanks in part to a receiver loan from @oceantracking.bsky.social members of ETN based at SLU & LUKE (Finland) have deployed what we hope is just the beginning 💪
You can find out more about the project here: tinyurl.com/yc5nhxr5
Reposted by Benjamin Hlina, PhD
This package has data that can be used instead of nycflights13 to teach joins, and also to look at temporal trends and draw maps. It has to coolest hexsticker vahdatjavad.github.io/ecotourism/ and cute creatures: mantarays, gouldian finches, glow worms and orchids
September 19, 2025 at 10:33 AM
This package has data that can be used instead of nycflights13 to teach joins, and also to look at temporal trends and draw maps. It has to coolest hexsticker vahdatjavad.github.io/ecotourism/ and cute creatures: mantarays, gouldian finches, glow worms and orchids
Reposted by Benjamin Hlina, PhD
I haven't used {DeclareDesign} before, but I have been using {marginaleffects} in my simulation-based power analyses for the past year or so, and I recommend you do too.
The new {marginaleffects} release for #RStats (0.30.0) comes with two new vignettes:
1. Speed up computation with automatic differentiation (often 10x gains) marginaleffects.com/bonus/perfor...
2. Power analyses with {marginaleffects} and {DeclareDesign}. marginaleffects.com/bonus/power....
1. Speed up computation with automatic differentiation (often 10x gains) marginaleffects.com/bonus/perfor...
2. Power analyses with {marginaleffects} and {DeclareDesign}. marginaleffects.com/bonus/power....
37 Performance – Model to Meaning
marginaleffects.com
September 13, 2025 at 6:41 PM
I haven't used {DeclareDesign} before, but I have been using {marginaleffects} in my simulation-based power analyses for the past year or so, and I recommend you do too.
Reposted by Benjamin Hlina, PhD
September 11, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Reposted by Benjamin Hlina, PhD
An Op Ed in the @theglobeandmail.com on World Lake Day. www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...
Opinion: Let’s both celebrate – and worry about – our Great Lakes on World Lake Day
Canada’s freshwater benefits us greatly - and we need to return the favour
www.theglobeandmail.com
August 27, 2025 at 12:32 PM
An Op Ed in the @theglobeandmail.com on World Lake Day. www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...
Reposted by Benjamin Hlina, PhD
Obviously, and laughably wrong. Whales do not in fact fly into windmill blades. Entanglement in fishing gear, and getting hit by ships is the main cause of right whale deaths. And the other whale species are doing just fine in the Atlantic.
RFK Jr claims that windmills are "wiping out the whale population" in the Atlantic
August 26, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Obviously, and laughably wrong. Whales do not in fact fly into windmill blades. Entanglement in fishing gear, and getting hit by ships is the main cause of right whale deaths. And the other whale species are doing just fine in the Atlantic.
Reposted by Benjamin Hlina, PhD
By sequencing DNA from a bloom near Barker’s Island in Superior last fall, researchers linked the toxins to Microcystis aeruginosa. The Minnesota Sea Grant called it a “breakthrough discovery.”
Researchers ID organisms behind algae blooms near Barker's Island
By sequencing DNA from a bloom near Barker’s Island in Superior last fall, researchers linked the toxins to Microcystis aeruginosa. The Minnesota Sea Grant called it a “breakthrough discovery.”
www.duluthnewstribune.com
June 13, 2025 at 11:47 AM
By sequencing DNA from a bloom near Barker’s Island in Superior last fall, researchers linked the toxins to Microcystis aeruginosa. The Minnesota Sea Grant called it a “breakthrough discovery.”