Jay Forsythe
@jaygforsythe.bsky.social
Analytical chemist and teacher in South Carolina. Interested in astrobiology, mass spectrometry, undergraduate education, sports, dogs, sad 00s indie music. Husband, dad. Opinions my own. He/him
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1041-1113
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1041-1113
Christians who call out white Christian nationalism and advocate for things like loving one’s neighbor and separation of church and state are a real threat to this administration and they know it
Stephen Colbert said that the FCC and CBS - which is in no way a compromised or complicit organization - wouldn’t allow him to broadcast an interview with Democratic State Rep James Talarico. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/17/a...
Colbert Doesn’t Give an FCC About Calling Out CBS
www.nytimes.com
February 17, 2026 at 12:29 PM
Christians who call out white Christian nationalism and advocate for things like loving one’s neighbor and separation of church and state are a real threat to this administration and they know it
Reposted by Jay Forsythe
"That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives." —Carl Sagan
Voyager 1 captured the "Pale Blue Dot" image #OTD in 1990. 🧪 🔭 🔵
Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Voyager 1 captured the "Pale Blue Dot" image #OTD in 1990. 🧪 🔭 🔵
Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech
![The "pale blue dot" photo. It shows three or four colored beams of light – optical artifacts – passing from the left side of the image to the right. The background is dark, empty space. In the topmost light beam is a single pale blue pixel. That's Earth. Sagan's quote is printed on the image. It reads ""We succeeded in taking that picture [from deep space], and, if you look at it, you see a dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever lived, lived out their lives. The aggregate of all our joys and sufferings, thousands of confident religions, ideologies and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilizations, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every hopeful child, every mother and father, every inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every superstar, every supreme leader, every saint and sinner in the history..."](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:6435lftcmpvxasbkrtsw22i7/bafkreicpbthbsbsmlfm3fjysre3sbt3gyu2gjxmacrnofhibatrts2xwga@jpeg)
February 14, 2026 at 1:12 PM
"That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives." —Carl Sagan
Voyager 1 captured the "Pale Blue Dot" image #OTD in 1990. 🧪 🔭 🔵
Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Voyager 1 captured the "Pale Blue Dot" image #OTD in 1990. 🧪 🔭 🔵
Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Reposted by Jay Forsythe
PwC somehow more lucid on AI and education than most university leaders these days
February 13, 2026 at 6:52 AM
PwC somehow more lucid on AI and education than most university leaders these days
My awesome colleague @kmullaugh.bsky.social and several College of Charleston alumni are featured in this article about lab waste / sustainability — check it out!
#chemsky #chemchat
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
#chemsky #chemchat
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
Chemistry Laboratories Make Tons of Plastic Waste. Can We Recycle It?
Chemists and innovative recyclers are trying to put gloves, pipet tips, and other laboratory plastic waste to use.
pubs.acs.org
February 12, 2026 at 2:31 PM
My awesome colleague @kmullaugh.bsky.social and several College of Charleston alumni are featured in this article about lab waste / sustainability — check it out!
#chemsky #chemchat
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
#chemsky #chemchat
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
“…if (and oh what a big if) we could conceive in some warm little pond with all sort of ammonia and phosphate salts — light, heat, electricity present, that a protein compound was chemically formed, ready to undergo still more complex changes…”
- Darwin (1871)
Less of a “big if” today! #DarwinDay
- Darwin (1871)
Less of a “big if” today! #DarwinDay
February 12, 2026 at 1:26 PM
“…if (and oh what a big if) we could conceive in some warm little pond with all sort of ammonia and phosphate salts — light, heat, electricity present, that a protein compound was chemically formed, ready to undergo still more complex changes…”
- Darwin (1871)
Less of a “big if” today! #DarwinDay
- Darwin (1871)
Less of a “big if” today! #DarwinDay
How many lives lost/destroyed, decades of slow, hard-earned progress, and trillions of dollars will it take to just get back to where we were before this administration existed?
Need to be writing a grant report but I cannot NOT think about this.
Need to be writing a grant report but I cannot NOT think about this.
February 11, 2026 at 3:49 PM
How many lives lost/destroyed, decades of slow, hard-earned progress, and trillions of dollars will it take to just get back to where we were before this administration existed?
Need to be writing a grant report but I cannot NOT think about this.
Need to be writing a grant report but I cannot NOT think about this.
Yes. 100% correct.
“You Get What You Give” is the best 90s one-hit wonder.
“You Get What You Give” is the best 90s one-hit wonder.
just going on the record and saying You Get What You Give by the New Radicals rules and everybody else is wrong
I've never heard of anyone who thought that New Radicals song was anything but awful.
February 10, 2026 at 3:09 PM
Yes. 100% correct.
“You Get What You Give” is the best 90s one-hit wonder.
“You Get What You Give” is the best 90s one-hit wonder.
I miss the Super Bowls where the Eagles defeat hall of fame QBs who are very easy to dislike
February 9, 2026 at 2:17 AM
I miss the Super Bowls where the Eagles defeat hall of fame QBs who are very easy to dislike
Who else is watching the Philly Special 30 for 30 on ESPN right now #PhillyPhilly
a group of football players are getting ready to play on a field .
Alt: Philly Special play
media.tenor.com
February 7, 2026 at 2:48 AM
Who else is watching the Philly Special 30 for 30 on ESPN right now #PhillyPhilly
As someone who works at a non-R1 public institution (also in a red state), it is insulting that research would not be valued and evaluated. I do research with undergraduates and (1) stand by the quality of our work and (2) know that research is teaching too.
No Tenure for Oklahoma.
Instead, faculty will be on "renewable contracts “tied to teaching effectiveness, student completion, job placement, and economic alignment.”
#academicsky
Instead, faculty will be on "renewable contracts “tied to teaching effectiveness, student completion, job placement, and economic alignment.”
#academicsky
Tenure Will Be Eliminated at Most of Oklahoma’s Public Colleges, Governor Says
Gov. J. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, directed the state’s two-dozen regional universities and community colleges to phase out the practice. Existing faculty members will be grandfathered in.
www.chronicle.com
February 6, 2026 at 2:54 AM
As someone who works at a non-R1 public institution (also in a red state), it is insulting that research would not be valued and evaluated. I do research with undergraduates and (1) stand by the quality of our work and (2) know that research is teaching too.
Reposted by Jay Forsythe
BREAKING: Over 680 members of the National Academy of Sciences, Medicine, and Engineering have endorsed articles of impeachment against RFK Jr.
(1/2 🧵)
(1/2 🧵)
February 5, 2026 at 9:08 PM
BREAKING: Over 680 members of the National Academy of Sciences, Medicine, and Engineering have endorsed articles of impeachment against RFK Jr.
(1/2 🧵)
(1/2 🧵)
Reposted by Jay Forsythe
Nice to see that grade inflation and "back in my day school was difficult" was a trope back in (checks notes) 1663.
To Paul’s School, it being Apposition-day there. I heard some of their speeches, and they were just as schoolboys’ used to be, of the seven liberal sciences; but I think not so good as ours were in our time.
February 4, 2026 at 12:08 PM
Nice to see that grade inflation and "back in my day school was difficult" was a trope back in (checks notes) 1663.
Reposted by Jay Forsythe
Whoever figures out how to sterilize milk will be so famous they’ll probably name the process after them.
This is bonkers. MAHA 'farmers' with ecoli tainted raw milk admit they really don't know how to make the stuff after all.
"Producing raw milk takes careful planning from a facility and infrastructure standpoint. Unfortunately, we learned this after the fact."
people.com/ballerina-fa...
"Producing raw milk takes careful planning from a facility and infrastructure standpoint. Unfortunately, we learned this after the fact."
people.com/ballerina-fa...
Hannah Neeleman's Ballerina Farm Halts Sale of Raw Milk Due to Bacteria Concerns: Report
Hannah and Daniel Neeleman have paused Ballerina Farm's sale of raw milk following health violations discovered during routine testing. Screenings from summer 2025 showed high levels of coliform, the ...
people.com
February 4, 2026 at 12:07 AM
Whoever figures out how to sterilize milk will be so famous they’ll probably name the process after them.
Florian Wirtz is so good ⚽️⚽️⚽️
January 31, 2026 at 9:30 PM
Florian Wirtz is so good ⚽️⚽️⚽️
Reposted by Jay Forsythe
We are searching for a two-year Visiting Assistant Professor to help teach our 100-level and organic chemistry courses. Our search page with info is live. The link for applications will be live soon. It is for sabbatical replacements over the next two years. www.skidmore.edu/chemistry/se...
Skidmore Chemistry - Tenure Stream Search
www.skidmore.edu
January 30, 2026 at 1:28 PM
We are searching for a two-year Visiting Assistant Professor to help teach our 100-level and organic chemistry courses. Our search page with info is live. The link for applications will be live soon. It is for sabbatical replacements over the next two years. www.skidmore.edu/chemistry/se...
Reposted by Jay Forsythe
Rhetoric didn’t shoot the guns.
Homan: "I begged for the last two months on TV for the rhetoric to stop. I said in March -- if the rhetoric doesn't stop, there is gonna be bloodshed. And there has been. I wish I wasn't right. I don't want to see anybody die."
January 29, 2026 at 1:40 PM
Rhetoric didn’t shoot the guns.
Reposted by Jay Forsythe
In some positive news, we developed a rapid and low-cost method to test for fluorochemicals (#PFAS, forever chemicals) and other contaminants in water. We achieve parts per trillion LODs in a few minutes! Hoping this leads to wider access to testing of water supplies
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
Exploring Approaches for Accelerated Mass Spectrometric Detection of Fluorochemicals from Aqueous Solutions Using Indirect, Adsorbent-Facilitated Desorption Ionization
There is a growing need for rapid, low-cost analytical tools to screen water supplies for persistent contaminants. Due to their ubiquitous presence in the environment and their detrimental effects on ...
pubs.acs.org
January 28, 2026 at 12:55 AM
In some positive news, we developed a rapid and low-cost method to test for fluorochemicals (#PFAS, forever chemicals) and other contaminants in water. We achieve parts per trillion LODs in a few minutes! Hoping this leads to wider access to testing of water supplies
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
I just received an email from my institution entitled “Updated Policy on Policies”
January 26, 2026 at 7:53 PM
I just received an email from my institution entitled “Updated Policy on Policies”
Great article/interview on George Washington, freedom, and slavery from a real newspaper.
Gift link:
share.inquirer.com/xqX6de?utm_s...
Gift link:
share.inquirer.com/xqX6de?utm_s...
Why was the slavery exhibit removed from the President’s House? A historian gives context.
Historian and author John Garrison Marks discusses George Washington's relationship with slavery in light of exhibits about it being removed from the President's House.
share.inquirer.com
January 25, 2026 at 3:16 PM
Great article/interview on George Washington, freedom, and slavery from a real newspaper.
Gift link:
share.inquirer.com/xqX6de?utm_s...
Gift link:
share.inquirer.com/xqX6de?utm_s...
Just emailed Jim Clyburn (my actual congressman) asking him to eliminate ICE funding because they are trampling on the Constitution.
ICE is doing inhumane and unconstitutional things 24/7. It must be abolished and this administration held accountable.
This is a moderate, modest take. Any and all of this is impeachable, criminal stuff.
This is a moderate, modest take. Any and all of this is impeachable, criminal stuff.
January 22, 2026 at 2:45 PM
Just emailed Jim Clyburn (my actual congressman) asking him to eliminate ICE funding because they are trampling on the Constitution.
Reposted by Jay Forsythe
This is an excellent analogy, because my recollection from grade school is that the pen on the right looks fun and exciting, and then you play with it for a few minutes and realize it's not actually useful for anything and in fact makes some tasks more cumbersome, and never think about it again.
yeah, just out of interest, how many people choose the pen on the right for real work or art? See a lot of them in professional workplaces, do you?
January 22, 2026 at 12:21 PM
This is an excellent analogy, because my recollection from grade school is that the pen on the right looks fun and exciting, and then you play with it for a few minutes and realize it's not actually useful for anything and in fact makes some tasks more cumbersome, and never think about it again.
ICE is doing inhumane and unconstitutional things 24/7. It must be abolished and this administration held accountable.
This is a moderate, modest take. Any and all of this is impeachable, criminal stuff.
This is a moderate, modest take. Any and all of this is impeachable, criminal stuff.
January 22, 2026 at 6:38 AM
ICE is doing inhumane and unconstitutional things 24/7. It must be abolished and this administration held accountable.
This is a moderate, modest take. Any and all of this is impeachable, criminal stuff.
This is a moderate, modest take. Any and all of this is impeachable, criminal stuff.
Reposted by Jay Forsythe
Our Chemical Science Pick of the Week for this week is "Abiotic Formation of Nitrile Precursors to Amino Acids and Nucleobases in Interstellar Ice Analogues" by André Eckhardt and Ralf Kaiser et al.
Read it for free here: doi.org/10.1039/D5SC...
#ChemSky 🧪 #ChemSciPicks
Read it for free here: doi.org/10.1039/D5SC...
#ChemSky 🧪 #ChemSciPicks
January 21, 2026 at 10:34 AM
Our Chemical Science Pick of the Week for this week is "Abiotic Formation of Nitrile Precursors to Amino Acids and Nucleobases in Interstellar Ice Analogues" by André Eckhardt and Ralf Kaiser et al.
Read it for free here: doi.org/10.1039/D5SC...
#ChemSky 🧪 #ChemSciPicks
Read it for free here: doi.org/10.1039/D5SC...
#ChemSky 🧪 #ChemSciPicks
“Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon. It is a weapon unique in history, which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals.” MLK
January 19, 2026 at 12:24 PM
“Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon. It is a weapon unique in history, which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals.” MLK
Reposted by Jay Forsythe
The National Science Foundation sign on our Eisenhower Av building is now gone.
The NSF mural in the foyer is removed and torn off in sheets.
We were supposed to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the agency in May 2025. That never happened.
The NSF mural in the foyer is removed and torn off in sheets.
We were supposed to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the agency in May 2025. That never happened.
January 18, 2026 at 2:00 AM
The National Science Foundation sign on our Eisenhower Av building is now gone.
The NSF mural in the foyer is removed and torn off in sheets.
We were supposed to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the agency in May 2025. That never happened.
The NSF mural in the foyer is removed and torn off in sheets.
We were supposed to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the agency in May 2025. That never happened.