Emme Bruns
ebruns.bsky.social
Emme Bruns
@ebruns.bsky.social
Assistant professor of Biology-University of Maryland College Park
plant disease ecology and evolution
Reposted by Emme Bruns
As RFK Jr.'s new vaccine panel ponders changing the hepatitis B vaccination schedule, some doctors recall past patients, including children, who died painful deaths before there was a vaccine. n.pr/3McwKqG
Doctors warn delaying hepatitis B shot for newborns could revive a deadly threat
As RFK Jr.'s new vaccine panel ponders changing the hepatitis B vaccination schedule, some doctors recall past patients, including children, who died painful deaths before there was a vaccine.
n.pr
December 3, 2025 at 1:36 PM
Reposted by Emme Bruns
Amy Angert and I are recruiting a #postdoc to participate in a collaborative NSF-funded study of demographic responses to climate across the geographic range of the scarlet monkeyflower. Please repost! jobs.ncsu.edu/postings/224...
November 7, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Everyone should read this.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
www.nytimes.com
October 31, 2025 at 1:24 PM
Reposted by Emme Bruns
This should make you angry.

Republicans point fingers at problems about our health and our science, while they turn around and systematically dismantle the programs and agencies that work to fix them.

As SNAP benefits shut down on 11/1, remember who's responsible for our kids going hungry.
October 23, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Reposted by Emme Bruns
If the National Guard is really in D.C. to protect federal
property, they should probably have been at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. two days ago
October 22, 2025 at 7:15 PM
Another example of the new MAHA “Gold-standard” science: Hiring key science positions based on personal connections with the Vice President rather than scientific credentials. To be clear: this is another example of cronyism over merit.
www.science.org/content/arti...
JD Vance officiated the wedding of new head of NIH environmental institute
Unusual hiring process raises fears of political favoritism
www.science.org
October 22, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Reposted by Emme Bruns
Steve Witkoff promised to divest of his crypto assets linked to the Trump family’s crypto schemes.

But 10 months in, and he still hasn’t.

So many of these assets involve Middle East countries with an interest in U.S. policy.

The conflicts of interest are massive. We need answers.
October 22, 2025 at 2:17 PM
Latest MAHA scheme: Gut funding and scientific and medical expertise at the NIH and CDC, and replace with… that’s right advice from Mel Gibson and Joe Rogan.
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
How a Joe Rogan-Mel Gibson podcast inspired Florida’s cancer research focus
Following a Joe Rogan, Mel Gibson podcast, Florida wants to study whether ivermectin could work against cancer. There is not yet evidence it would.
www.washingtonpost.com
October 21, 2025 at 8:48 PM
Reposted by Emme Bruns
Today my @nytimes.com colleagues and I are launching a new series called Lost Science. We interview US scientists who can no longer discover something new about our world, thanks to this year‘s cuts. Here is my first interview with a scientist who studied bees and fires. Gift link: nyti.ms/3IWXbiE
nyti.ms
October 8, 2025 at 11:29 PM
If you haven't already made a plan to attend a NO KINGS event this Saturday, start planning. It is up to all of us to exercise our right to peaceful protest so that its still there in the future. Stand up for democracy and objective truth. Find an event close to you: www.nokings.org#map
No Kings
As the president escalates his authoritarian power grab, the NO KINGS non-violent movement continues to rise stronger. We are united once again to remind the world: America has No Kings and the power ...
www.nokings.org
October 15, 2025 at 7:55 PM
Reposted by Emme Bruns
You can now sign up for the lottery to speak at the next mtg of RFK's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice 9/18-9/19. Especially since they removed med orgs as liaisons, this is the only way they will receive critical feedback.

www2.cdc.gov/vaccines/aci...
ACIP Meeting Public Comment | Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices | CDCMinushome
ACIP Meetings: Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices
www2.cdc.gov
September 5, 2025 at 2:18 PM
There is a public comment period open until Aug 31 on the proposed closing of the USDA research facility in Beltsville Maryland (BARC). This is a massive research campus that also hosts the National Germplasm Resources Lab (among many, many other labs).

www.usda.gov/about-usda/n...
www.usda.gov
August 29, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Reposted by Emme Bruns
Another day testing the limits of resilience.

The Alexandria NSF building was designed for the NSF merit review process (gold standard), complete with a floor devoted to panels.

Now we aren’t allowed to have in person panels.

The loss of US science leadership will haunt this country for decades.
‘This is bull——”: National Science Foundation employees protest HUD's takeover
Dozens of National Science Foundation employees crowded the agency’s headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, Wednesday to protest the news that the Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, w...
www.nbcwashington.com
June 25, 2025 at 11:13 PM
Reposted by Emme Bruns
The administration’s budget proposal is a disaster in so many ways, but it is most certainly a direct assault on US science.

Nothing like it has ever been seen before, and it means that we will have voluntarily stepped aside from a leading role in the scientific progress of the entire human race.
The Continuing Crisis, Part XV: The Horrendous Trump Budget
www.science.org
June 4, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Reposted by Emme Bruns
Major update to #SCIMaP visualization of impacts of cuts to federally supported health research. Map now includes information on future economic losses (impact of proposed reduction of NIH IDC to 15%) and current economic losses (impact of terminated NIH grants).

scienceimpacts.org
May 28, 2025 at 2:17 AM
Reposted by Emme Bruns
You have 2 days left to comment (by May 23 at 11:59 pm)!

Go to the link if you don’t want your NSF or NIH program officers who took an oath to the constitution (not a political party) to instead be subject to the whims of a president and fired if they don’t “conform”.
Regulations.gov
www.regulations.gov
May 21, 2025 at 10:47 AM
Reposted by Emme Bruns
We begin reviewing applications next week!
April 29, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Reposted by Emme Bruns
More great work by J. Weitz and colleagues.
Working with an interdisciplinary team, we have developed a website to communicate how the White House's proposed cuts to health research would cause losses of $16B and 68,500 jobs.

Find out how your community may be impacted.

Explore more at SCIMaP: scienceimpacts.org

a 🧵
March 28, 2025 at 8:16 AM
An important story that needs more attention. Cuts to the National Plant Germplasm Repository (e.g. the nation's living crop seed bank) are increadibly short-sighted. This is NOT a money-saver. Plant diseases never sleep, and nor should we.
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/22/o...
Opinion | Why Did Elon Musk Go After Bunkers Full of Seeds?
Gene banks are like a survivalist cache: our nation’s safeguard against all future challenges to growing the food we need.
www.nytimes.com
March 25, 2025 at 1:02 PM
Reposted by Emme Bruns
We’re excited to announce that Aaron David, Program Director of Plant Ecology at Archbold Biological Station, will deliver the Emerging Leader Lecture at #Botany2025 in Palm Springs, CA!

To learn more about Aaron, and all of the featured speakers, visit: www.botanyconference.org/speakers.html
March 3, 2025 at 7:05 PM
First measles death from the west Texas outbreak
www.usatoday.com/story/life/h...
A child has died in the Texas measles outbreak – the first US measles death since 2015
The death, confirmed as a school-age child, is the first measles death in the U.S. since 2015.
www.usatoday.com
February 26, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Reposted by Emme Bruns
If the admin wanted more US-born scientists, telling them at the last minute that they can't come to graduate school is probably not the best way to do it. www.statnews.com/2025/02/19/t...
Graduate student admissions paused and cut back as universities react to Trump orders on research
In response to Trump science policies, universities are accepting fewer graduate students than normal and freezing positions, STAT has learned.
www.statnews.com
February 20, 2025 at 12:26 PM
Reposted by Emme Bruns
A sign that the Trump admin is taking your egg price concerns very seriously www.nbcnews.com/politics/dog...
USDA says it accidentally fired officials working on bird flu and is trying to rehire them
In a statement, an Agriculture Department spokesperson told NBC News that officials are "working to swiftly rectify the situation."
www.nbcnews.com
February 18, 2025 at 11:09 PM