M. S. AtKisson
@igrrrl.bsky.social
Grant writing and research leadership. Highly specialized wetware hacker. Mom of a trans son and a Marine. Mostly live on a 40ft Hallberg-Rassy. She/her/Dr.
Reposted by M. S. AtKisson
In a study following 23 million people age 18-59 (pretty young) for 4 years…despite the fact that the ones who got the COVID vaccine were overall older and sicker at baseline, they not only had 74% lower risk of dying from COVID than the unvaccinated but 25% lower risk of dying from any other cause!
January 4, 2026 at 8:59 PM
In a study following 23 million people age 18-59 (pretty young) for 4 years…despite the fact that the ones who got the COVID vaccine were overall older and sicker at baseline, they not only had 74% lower risk of dying from COVID than the unvaccinated but 25% lower risk of dying from any other cause!
QotD: "Flattery is a counterfeit money which, but for vanity, would have no circulation."
François de la Rochefoucauld (1613-1680)
François de la Rochefoucauld (1613-1680)
January 4, 2026 at 2:57 PM
QotD: "Flattery is a counterfeit money which, but for vanity, would have no circulation."
François de la Rochefoucauld (1613-1680)
François de la Rochefoucauld (1613-1680)
Reposted by M. S. AtKisson
My sincere year-end thought isn’t an original one, but its importance has been underscored to me repeatedly over the last 12 months: be free with telling the people you love that you love them, casually, and at every chance. Great love, small love, every type of love.
December 30, 2025 at 7:42 PM
My sincere year-end thought isn’t an original one, but its importance has been underscored to me repeatedly over the last 12 months: be free with telling the people you love that you love them, casually, and at every chance. Great love, small love, every type of love.
Reposted by M. S. AtKisson
The National Science Foundation starts 2026 with a new management structure that affects every scientist with--or applying for--NSF funding. Here's what you need to know. www.science.org/content/arti...
The National Science Foundation just had a big reorganization. Here are five things to know
Divisions and rotators disappear as more career staff become supervisors
www.science.org
December 29, 2025 at 2:54 PM
The National Science Foundation starts 2026 with a new management structure that affects every scientist with--or applying for--NSF funding. Here's what you need to know. www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by M. S. AtKisson
what I now hate most about my job is that we're no longer allowed to develop anything complex (fun) because the theft machine exists.
such projects inherently require more effort. planning, building, experimenting, etc. thus, I have to propose a higher scope of hours. they don't want to pay for it.
such projects inherently require more effort. planning, building, experimenting, etc. thus, I have to propose a higher scope of hours. they don't want to pay for it.
December 29, 2025 at 4:04 PM
what I now hate most about my job is that we're no longer allowed to develop anything complex (fun) because the theft machine exists.
such projects inherently require more effort. planning, building, experimenting, etc. thus, I have to propose a higher scope of hours. they don't want to pay for it.
such projects inherently require more effort. planning, building, experimenting, etc. thus, I have to propose a higher scope of hours. they don't want to pay for it.
Reposted by M. S. AtKisson
I did it. I did it! I finally dumped Spotify!!
I started here www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/a-complete... (TY @bcmerchant.bsky.social!!)
Then used soundiiz.com for free to transfer EVERYthing to www.qobuz.com/us-en/, where they pay artists a lot more, don't support ICE, & HAVE BETTER SOUND QUALITY.
I started here www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/a-complete... (TY @bcmerchant.bsky.social!!)
Then used soundiiz.com for free to transfer EVERYthing to www.qobuz.com/us-en/, where they pay artists a lot more, don't support ICE, & HAVE BETTER SOUND QUALITY.
Fascism Wrapped just dropped in NYC — and more cities are coming soon. Don’t use Spotify until they stop running recruitment ads for ICE: indivisible.org/cancel-spotify?source=bluesky
December 10, 2025 at 5:14 PM
I did it. I did it! I finally dumped Spotify!!
I started here www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/a-complete... (TY @bcmerchant.bsky.social!!)
Then used soundiiz.com for free to transfer EVERYthing to www.qobuz.com/us-en/, where they pay artists a lot more, don't support ICE, & HAVE BETTER SOUND QUALITY.
I started here www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/a-complete... (TY @bcmerchant.bsky.social!!)
Then used soundiiz.com for free to transfer EVERYthing to www.qobuz.com/us-en/, where they pay artists a lot more, don't support ICE, & HAVE BETTER SOUND QUALITY.
Reposted by M. S. AtKisson
This is an outstanding essay describing some of the important roles and influences of NIH program officers (from an insider perspective).
Read!
elizabethginexi.substack.com/p/the-quiet-...
Read!
elizabethginexi.substack.com/p/the-quiet-...
The Quiet Power of Program Officers
How invisible decisions shape what science gets done—and whether it matters
elizabethginexi.substack.com
December 28, 2025 at 11:56 AM
This is an outstanding essay describing some of the important roles and influences of NIH program officers (from an insider perspective).
Read!
elizabethginexi.substack.com/p/the-quiet-...
Read!
elizabethginexi.substack.com/p/the-quiet-...
The Miley Cyrus cover of Talking Heads song Psycho Killer sounds like a Lady Gaga production
December 27, 2025 at 1:19 PM
The Miley Cyrus cover of Talking Heads song Psycho Killer sounds like a Lady Gaga production
Reposted by M. S. AtKisson
Huge news from Blakeney Point...
December 27, 2025 at 11:21 AM
Huge news from Blakeney Point...
Reposted by M. S. AtKisson
So, you agree...you think people should be free to take hormones that make them feel better in their skin and improve their experience of life?
December 26, 2025 at 10:20 PM
So, you agree...you think people should be free to take hormones that make them feel better in their skin and improve their experience of life?
Reposted by M. S. AtKisson
"By the way, if you're looking for a nice explainer/analysis of how "free speech" is weaponized in higher ed, @andycarr.bsky.social has an excellent chapter in our forthcoming book on campus crises that does exactly that in an accessible, yet thorough, fashion. (it's available for pre-order now! 😁)
The Campus Crisis Toolkit
sunypress.edu
December 26, 2025 at 10:38 PM
"By the way, if you're looking for a nice explainer/analysis of how "free speech" is weaponized in higher ed, @andycarr.bsky.social has an excellent chapter in our forthcoming book on campus crises that does exactly that in an accessible, yet thorough, fashion. (it's available for pre-order now! 😁)
Reposted by M. S. AtKisson
We're all descendants of a bunch of Mesozoic mammals who scrambled around trying to avoid being lunch for dinosaurs.
I don't know what that makes you feel, but remember how far your DNA has come, and that there lies within you a plucky survivor.
I don't know what that makes you feel, but remember how far your DNA has come, and that there lies within you a plucky survivor.
December 25, 2025 at 12:48 PM
We're all descendants of a bunch of Mesozoic mammals who scrambled around trying to avoid being lunch for dinosaurs.
I don't know what that makes you feel, but remember how far your DNA has come, and that there lies within you a plucky survivor.
I don't know what that makes you feel, but remember how far your DNA has come, and that there lies within you a plucky survivor.
Reposted by M. S. AtKisson
I think this is the best way to put it. It is the human contribution that breathes life into the AI slop and gives it direction and intention. AI garbage doesn’t possess this on its own.
When you edit a human draft, it has intention and perspective. Your job is to figure out what those are and then get the writing to better align.
AI writing does not have intention. It often isn't saying anything at all. You don't edit it, you resuscitate it. It's more work than writing yourself.
AI writing does not have intention. It often isn't saying anything at all. You don't edit it, you resuscitate it. It's more work than writing yourself.
December 24, 2025 at 8:22 PM
I think this is the best way to put it. It is the human contribution that breathes life into the AI slop and gives it direction and intention. AI garbage doesn’t possess this on its own.
Reposted by M. S. AtKisson
Remember the 1980s when all music had synthesizers, which were co-developed and pioneered by Wendy Carlos, a trans woman?
December 24, 2025 at 6:58 PM
Remember the 1980s when all music had synthesizers, which were co-developed and pioneered by Wendy Carlos, a trans woman?
Reposted by M. S. AtKisson
Thought of the day drugmonkey.wordpress.com/2025/12/22/t...
Thought of the day
Papers do not equal grant funding. You do not “earn” NIH funding by being good at the game of publishing papers in fancy journals. If you think it will get super easy to get a NIH grant once you pu…
drugmonkey.wordpress.com
December 22, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Thought of the day drugmonkey.wordpress.com/2025/12/22/t...
Reposted by M. S. AtKisson
From my sister, a bilingual professional medical interpreter.
December 22, 2025 at 10:54 PM
From my sister, a bilingual professional medical interpreter.
Reposted by M. S. AtKisson
wow, GIS specialists, genAI is coming for your jobs
Google Gemini Pro: please generate a map of the western united states showing cities of over 250K population
December 22, 2025 at 5:23 PM
wow, GIS specialists, genAI is coming for your jobs
This this this this this
imo, most AI skeptics nowadays actually have tried to use LLMs with some good faith and with the resources and training available to them, and are basing their skepticism on lived experience
December 22, 2025 at 10:35 PM
This this this this this
Reposted by M. S. AtKisson
My first funding curve post for Fiscal Year 2026
FY2026 is off to a slow start. Some of this is due to the government shut down, but some of it is likely due to the new process for "remediating" applications that are deemed not to align with "agency priorities".
FY2026 is off to a slow start. Some of this is due to the government shut down, but some of it is likely due to the new process for "remediating" applications that are deemed not to align with "agency priorities".
December 19, 2025 at 3:17 PM
My first funding curve post for Fiscal Year 2026
FY2026 is off to a slow start. Some of this is due to the government shut down, but some of it is likely due to the new process for "remediating" applications that are deemed not to align with "agency priorities".
FY2026 is off to a slow start. Some of this is due to the government shut down, but some of it is likely due to the new process for "remediating" applications that are deemed not to align with "agency priorities".
Reposted by M. S. AtKisson
Imagine a prosecutor who said the same thing: “we can’t proceed with this first-degree murder trial unless the defendant waives his 5th amendment rights and testifies”
Weiss concluded: “We need to be able to make every effort to get the principals on the record and on camera. To me, our viewers come first, not a listing schedule or anything else. And that is my North Star, and I hope it's the North Star of every person in this newsroom.”
December 22, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Imagine a prosecutor who said the same thing: “we can’t proceed with this first-degree murder trial unless the defendant waives his 5th amendment rights and testifies”
Reposted by M. S. AtKisson
An NIH study was a beacon for the topical steroid withdrawal community. Then, amid federal upheaval, the research stalled.
www.statnews.com/2025/12/22/t...
www.statnews.com/2025/12/22/t...
NIH study was a beacon for the topical steroid withdrawal community. Then, amid federal upheaval, the research stalled
An NIH study was a beacon for the topical steroid withdrawal community. Then, amid federal upheaval, the research stalled.
www.statnews.com
December 22, 2025 at 3:12 PM
An NIH study was a beacon for the topical steroid withdrawal community. Then, amid federal upheaval, the research stalled.
www.statnews.com/2025/12/22/t...
www.statnews.com/2025/12/22/t...
Reposted by M. S. AtKisson
The name "Popular Science" doesn't mean we shift our coverage depending on public opinion. It means we cover relevant subjects that are rigorously researched, reliable, and grounded in reality.
And trans lives are grounded in reality.
We see y'all. No matter what.
www.popsci.com/science/tran...
And trans lives are grounded in reality.
We see y'all. No matter what.
www.popsci.com/science/tran...
First-of-a-kind study shows encouraging data for trans kids who socially transition
Ninety-four percent of participants in a new study stood firm in their trans identity after five years, and "detransitioning" is rare.
www.popsci.com
December 18, 2025 at 5:16 PM
The name "Popular Science" doesn't mean we shift our coverage depending on public opinion. It means we cover relevant subjects that are rigorously researched, reliable, and grounded in reality.
And trans lives are grounded in reality.
We see y'all. No matter what.
www.popsci.com/science/tran...
And trans lives are grounded in reality.
We see y'all. No matter what.
www.popsci.com/science/tran...
Reposted by M. S. AtKisson
Evergreen grants advice: ***talk to your program officer***
If this accommodation is useful for your situation, PLEASE reach out to your POs. She specifically suggested that having some documentation from your PO may be useful to demonstrate eligibility for this accommodation.
December 19, 2025 at 7:33 PM
Evergreen grants advice: ***talk to your program officer***
QotD: “LLMs are non consensual ghost authorship in a blender.”
Policing use beyond the classroom really doesn't work ("detectors" are extremely unreliable with racist/ableist biases) and undermines mutual trust. Bans on ghost authorship have always been similarly unenforceable, but the norm was clear. LLMs are nonconsensual ghost authorship in a blender.
December 19, 2025 at 2:09 PM
QotD: “LLMs are non consensual ghost authorship in a blender.”