Kate Dowdell, PhD, PE
@katedowdell.bsky.social
Assistant Professor, drinking water quality and pathogens, environmental engineer, water microbio, she/her, views are my own
Reposted by Kate Dowdell, PhD, PE
“If you have flu-like symptoms… this is the time to seek medical attention.”
At a news conference, @cmyusefsalaam.bsky.social spoke about the Legionnaires’ disease cluster in Central Harlem.
At a news conference, @cmyusefsalaam.bsky.social spoke about the Legionnaires’ disease cluster in Central Harlem.
August 8, 2025 at 9:01 PM
“If you have flu-like symptoms… this is the time to seek medical attention.”
At a news conference, @cmyusefsalaam.bsky.social spoke about the Legionnaires’ disease cluster in Central Harlem.
At a news conference, @cmyusefsalaam.bsky.social spoke about the Legionnaires’ disease cluster in Central Harlem.
Reposted by Kate Dowdell, PhD, PE
Although 500 new NSF GRFPs were added in June, the total number of fellowships in 2025 remains ~500 fewer than in 2024. Some fields—like CS and Physics—still saw net increases in total awards.
But others, including Life Sciences & Psychology, have taken hits of 50% or more compared to last year.
But others, including Life Sciences & Psychology, have taken hits of 50% or more compared to last year.
June 26, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Although 500 new NSF GRFPs were added in June, the total number of fellowships in 2025 remains ~500 fewer than in 2024. Some fields—like CS and Physics—still saw net increases in total awards.
But others, including Life Sciences & Psychology, have taken hits of 50% or more compared to last year.
But others, including Life Sciences & Psychology, have taken hits of 50% or more compared to last year.
Check out our new open access review paper in ES&T on ways to unify drinking water opportunistic pathogen and disinfection byproduct research. Excited for this to be my first paper as a corresponding. Shout out to our amazing co-authors! @lutraskin.bsky.social pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
Moving Beyond the Silos of Opportunistic Pathogen and Disinfection Byproduct Research to Improve Drinking Water System Management
Drinking water opportunistic pathogens (OPs) and disinfection byproducts (DBPs) both pose risks to public health, and their variable occurrence from source to tap complicates efforts to control them s...
pubs.acs.org
May 2, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Check out our new open access review paper in ES&T on ways to unify drinking water opportunistic pathogen and disinfection byproduct research. Excited for this to be my first paper as a corresponding. Shout out to our amazing co-authors! @lutraskin.bsky.social pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
Reposted by Kate Dowdell, PhD, PE
I'm delighted to share a useful FREE web-based app portal of powerful bioinformatics tools for microbial genomes and shotgun microbiome sequences!
It's called Micromics and is built by Middle Author Bioinformatics, led by co-founder @ironark.bsky.social
omix.midauthorbio.com
It's called Micromics and is built by Middle Author Bioinformatics, led by co-founder @ironark.bsky.social
omix.midauthorbio.com
Microbial Omics
A suite of bioinformatics tools for microbial genome and metagenome analysis.
omix.midauthorbio.com
April 8, 2025 at 12:11 PM
I'm delighted to share a useful FREE web-based app portal of powerful bioinformatics tools for microbial genomes and shotgun microbiome sequences!
It's called Micromics and is built by Middle Author Bioinformatics, led by co-founder @ironark.bsky.social
omix.midauthorbio.com
It's called Micromics and is built by Middle Author Bioinformatics, led by co-founder @ironark.bsky.social
omix.midauthorbio.com
Reposted by Kate Dowdell, PhD, PE
On hidden protist diversity (unfortunately the data is not available yet) #protistsonsky www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Global Metagenomics Reveals Hidden Protist Diversity
Protists, defined as unicellular eukaryotes distinct from animals, plants, and fungi, are a polyphyletic group that predominates the eukaryotic tree of life, exhibiting significant phylogenetic divers...
www.biorxiv.org
March 28, 2025 at 7:43 AM
On hidden protist diversity (unfortunately the data is not available yet) #protistsonsky www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Kate Dowdell, PhD, PE
Sending much love and solidarity to all the public health workers who have been inexplicably fired from government agencies today. The world is far less safe as a result.
CDC source:
“We just had word that all our fellows and post doc staff are laid off effective immediately. The famous Epidemic Intelligence Service, aka the Disease Detectives, is no more. That’s 1260 staff.
They are calling this ‘Phase 1’.”
“We just had word that all our fellows and post doc staff are laid off effective immediately. The famous Epidemic Intelligence Service, aka the Disease Detectives, is no more. That’s 1260 staff.
They are calling this ‘Phase 1’.”
February 14, 2025 at 10:50 PM
Sending much love and solidarity to all the public health workers who have been inexplicably fired from government agencies today. The world is far less safe as a result.
Reposted by Kate Dowdell, PhD, PE
“If the freeze is not stopped, I might lose my house."
Some NSF-funded postdocs are having trouble paying rent and credit card bills because their salaries were paused this week, even though the federal funding freeze memo was rescinded.
www.statnews.com/2025/01/30/t...
Some NSF-funded postdocs are having trouble paying rent and credit card bills because their salaries were paused this week, even though the federal funding freeze memo was rescinded.
www.statnews.com/2025/01/30/t...
National Science Foundation suspends salary payments, leaving researchers unable to pay their bills
An NSF online payment system remained down after the federal funding freeze was lifted, leaving early-career scientists scrambling to pay bills
www.statnews.com
January 30, 2025 at 11:07 PM
“If the freeze is not stopped, I might lose my house."
Some NSF-funded postdocs are having trouble paying rent and credit card bills because their salaries were paused this week, even though the federal funding freeze memo was rescinded.
www.statnews.com/2025/01/30/t...
Some NSF-funded postdocs are having trouble paying rent and credit card bills because their salaries were paused this week, even though the federal funding freeze memo was rescinded.
www.statnews.com/2025/01/30/t...
I can confirm that PRFB fellows aren’t being paid and are locked out of requesting funds. Hoping this gets resolved quickly for all of those struggling as a result.
Apparently all the PhD researchers holding prestigious NSF-funded research fellowships are having their salaries withheld until some unspecified time when the leadership figures out how to eliminate any grant funding that doesn’t align with the president’s political ideology.
It’s official: all funding requests made on Tuesday by postdocs for their salaries have been unilaterally rejected by NSF.
January 30, 2025 at 11:07 PM
I can confirm that PRFB fellows aren’t being paid and are locked out of requesting funds. Hoping this gets resolved quickly for all of those struggling as a result.
Reposted by Kate Dowdell, PhD, PE
To expand on this, right now ~200 postdoc fellows directly funded by NSF are locked out of their salary &research funds right before the first of the month. No doubt other NSF funded grads &postdocs are affected as well. All requests for funds put in before the freeze are slowly being cancelled
As of now, NSF does not appear to be changing course at all given the temporary restraining order or the rescission of the memo. I can't help but feel that the NSF director is failing us and his handling of this is indefensible. new.nsf.gov/executive-or...
NSF Implementation of Recent Executive Orders
Information for the NSF community regarding executive orders.
new.nsf.gov
January 29, 2025 at 8:59 PM
To expand on this, right now ~200 postdoc fellows directly funded by NSF are locked out of their salary &research funds right before the first of the month. No doubt other NSF funded grads &postdocs are affected as well. All requests for funds put in before the freeze are slowly being cancelled
Reposted by Kate Dowdell, PhD, PE
In 2020, we mapped out the danger zones that will close in on Americans over the next 30 years — combining climate data with wildfire projections by US Forest Service researchers.
See what changes are in store for your county.
By @shaw.al , @abrahm.bsky.social & Jeremy W. Goldsmith
See what changes are in store for your county.
By @shaw.al , @abrahm.bsky.social & Jeremy W. Goldsmith
New Climate Maps Show a Transformed United States
According to new data analyzed by ProPublica and The New York Times Magazine, warming temperatures, rising seas and changing rainfall will profoundly reshape the way people have lived in North…
propub.li
January 12, 2025 at 4:00 AM
In 2020, we mapped out the danger zones that will close in on Americans over the next 30 years — combining climate data with wildfire projections by US Forest Service researchers.
See what changes are in store for your county.
By @shaw.al , @abrahm.bsky.social & Jeremy W. Goldsmith
See what changes are in store for your county.
By @shaw.al , @abrahm.bsky.social & Jeremy W. Goldsmith
Reposted by Kate Dowdell, PhD, PE
Breaking News: The EPA banned two solvents found in everyday products and used in dry cleaning that can cause cancer and other serious diseases.
E.P.A. Bans Perc and T.C.E., Two Chemicals Used In Dry Cleaning
The two solvents, known as Perc and TCE, cause kidney cancer and other ailments, and have been the subject of years of controversy.
www.nytimes.com
December 9, 2024 at 12:10 PM
Breaking News: The EPA banned two solvents found in everyday products and used in dry cleaning that can cause cancer and other serious diseases.
Reposted by Kate Dowdell, PhD, PE
I hope I'm wrong, but in a meeting earlier today I remarked to Seema Lakdawala, who's quoted in the article, and Anice Lowen that H5N1 feels like a slow-moving train wreck.
This batch testing of milk for H5N1 is deeply needed - deeply overdue - and also unlikely to be sufficient.
It’s kind of like watching a train wreck in slow motion. 🛟🧪🩺
www.nytimes.com/2024/12/06/h...
It’s kind of like watching a train wreck in slow motion. 🛟🧪🩺
www.nytimes.com/2024/12/06/h...
Agriculture Department to Require Testing of U.S. Milk Supply for Bird Flu Virus
The new rules call for testing unpasteurized milk from dairies across the country and for farm owners to provide details that would help officials identify and track cases more easily.
www.nytimes.com
December 6, 2024 at 8:46 PM
I hope I'm wrong, but in a meeting earlier today I remarked to Seema Lakdawala, who's quoted in the article, and Anice Lowen that H5N1 feels like a slow-moving train wreck.
Reposted by Kate Dowdell, PhD, PE
The deadline for abstract submissions to #mewe11
is two weeks from now (Dec 15). Click on "Call for papers".
Early registration is also live. Click on "Registration". Register early and save $$.
Visa letter needed? Complete registration & submit your abstract first.
mewe11.ce.gatech.edu
is two weeks from now (Dec 15). Click on "Call for papers".
Early registration is also live. Click on "Registration". Register early and save $$.
Visa letter needed? Complete registration & submit your abstract first.
mewe11.ce.gatech.edu
IWA MEWE-11 CONFERENCE – Managing Microbiomes: From Ecology to Engineering
mewe11.ce.gatech.edu
December 3, 2024 at 2:13 AM
The deadline for abstract submissions to #mewe11
is two weeks from now (Dec 15). Click on "Call for papers".
Early registration is also live. Click on "Registration". Register early and save $$.
Visa letter needed? Complete registration & submit your abstract first.
mewe11.ce.gatech.edu
is two weeks from now (Dec 15). Click on "Call for papers".
Early registration is also live. Click on "Registration". Register early and save $$.
Visa letter needed? Complete registration & submit your abstract first.
mewe11.ce.gatech.edu
Reposted by Kate Dowdell, PhD, PE
Let me know if you would like to be added to the Environmental Engineers (Water) starter pack!
go.bsky.app/RxwzD7c
go.bsky.app/RxwzD7c
November 21, 2024 at 9:52 PM
Let me know if you would like to be added to the Environmental Engineers (Water) starter pack!
go.bsky.app/RxwzD7c
go.bsky.app/RxwzD7c
Reposted by Kate Dowdell, PhD, PE
Engineers add tremendous value in all areas of global health and medical care. They are unsung heroes of global health
www.forbes.com/sites/madhuk...
www.forbes.com/sites/madhuk...
Engineers Are Unsung Heroes Of Global Health
Engineers add tremendous value in all areas of global health and medical care. They are unsung heroes of global health
www.forbes.com
November 19, 2024 at 3:48 PM
Engineers add tremendous value in all areas of global health and medical care. They are unsung heroes of global health
www.forbes.com/sites/madhuk...
www.forbes.com/sites/madhuk...
Check out our new pre-print on NTM in drinking water systems! @lutraskin.bsky.social
Source-to-Tap Investigation of the Occurrence of Nontuberculous Mycobacteria in a Full-Scale Chloraminated Drinking Water System https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.04.18.590135v1
Source-to-Tap Investigation of the Occurrence of Nontuberculous Mycobacteria in a Full-Scale Chloraminated Drinking Water System https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.04.18.590135v1
Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) in drinking water are a significant public health concern. However
www.biorxiv.org
April 20, 2024 at 8:05 PM
Check out our new pre-print on NTM in drinking water systems! @lutraskin.bsky.social
Interested in drinking water flow cytometry? Check out our new studying evaluating near real-time FCM for disinfection system monitoring! @lutraskin.bsky.social 🧪 #MicroSky
Assessing the effectiveness of near real-time flow cytometry in monitoring ozone disinfection in a full-scale drinking water treatment plant https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.12.29.23300640v1
Assessing the effectiveness of near real-time flow cytometry in monitoring ozone disinfection in a full-scale drinking water treatment plant https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.12.29.23300640v1
While real-time monitoring of physicochemical parameters has widely been incorporated into drinking
www.medrxiv.org
December 30, 2023 at 4:46 PM
Interested in drinking water flow cytometry? Check out our new studying evaluating near real-time FCM for disinfection system monitoring! @lutraskin.bsky.social 🧪 #MicroSky
Reposted by Kate Dowdell, PhD, PE
I wrote an op-ed for the NYT about what reporting on long COVID has meant to me—how I approached it, the impact it had, and how it taught me to be a better journalist.
This piece is sort of a manifesto for a journalism grounded in compassion, rigor, and care.
www.nytimes.com/2023/12/11/o...
This piece is sort of a manifesto for a journalism grounded in compassion, rigor, and care.
www.nytimes.com/2023/12/11/o...
Opinion | Reporting on Long Covid Taught Me to Be a Better Journalist
Covering long Covid solidified my view that science is not the objective, neutral force that it is often caricatured to be.
www.nytimes.com
December 11, 2023 at 3:06 PM
I wrote an op-ed for the NYT about what reporting on long COVID has meant to me—how I approached it, the impact it had, and how it taught me to be a better journalist.
This piece is sort of a manifesto for a journalism grounded in compassion, rigor, and care.
www.nytimes.com/2023/12/11/o...
This piece is sort of a manifesto for a journalism grounded in compassion, rigor, and care.
www.nytimes.com/2023/12/11/o...
Reposted by Kate Dowdell, PhD, PE
I am actively recruiting students for my lab at UMass Dartmouth!
Are you interested in a project on actin, amoebae, cell migration, and/or pathogenesis? Send me an email & apply to the Integrative Biology PhD program by Jan 15!
Please RT
More info: katrinavelle.wixsite.com/science
Are you interested in a project on actin, amoebae, cell migration, and/or pathogenesis? Send me an email & apply to the Integrative Biology PhD program by Jan 15!
Please RT
More info: katrinavelle.wixsite.com/science
Home | Katrina B Velle, PhD
I'm Katrina Velle, a cell biologist interested in actin-driven phenotypes and microbial pathogenesis. As a postdoc, I am investigating the contributions of the actin cytoskeleton to phenotypes in Naeg...
katrinavelle.wixsite.com
November 15, 2023 at 11:59 AM
I am actively recruiting students for my lab at UMass Dartmouth!
Are you interested in a project on actin, amoebae, cell migration, and/or pathogenesis? Send me an email & apply to the Integrative Biology PhD program by Jan 15!
Please RT
More info: katrinavelle.wixsite.com/science
Are you interested in a project on actin, amoebae, cell migration, and/or pathogenesis? Send me an email & apply to the Integrative Biology PhD program by Jan 15!
Please RT
More info: katrinavelle.wixsite.com/science
Reposted by Kate Dowdell, PhD, PE
Looking to recruit 3 grad researchers. (1) Drinking water micro-ecology, (2) Nitrogen micro (specifically comammox), and (3) Algal micro + imaging. as Spring 2024 & late as Fall 2024. if you know someone creative + motivated + interested in these topics - would appreciate u sharing this with them.
November 14, 2023 at 10:44 PM
Looking to recruit 3 grad researchers. (1) Drinking water micro-ecology, (2) Nitrogen micro (specifically comammox), and (3) Algal micro + imaging. as Spring 2024 & late as Fall 2024. if you know someone creative + motivated + interested in these topics - would appreciate u sharing this with them.
Reposted by Kate Dowdell, PhD, PE
Dear researchers interested in the fascinating world of protists (microbial eukaryotes). I have created a feed for us to interact here. Please tag posts with #ProtistsOnSky and follow the feed. No sign-up needed!
October 28, 2023 at 9:41 AM
Dear researchers interested in the fascinating world of protists (microbial eukaryotes). I have created a feed for us to interact here. Please tag posts with #ProtistsOnSky and follow the feed. No sign-up needed!
Reposted by Kate Dowdell, PhD, PE
Hey Y'all!
The Black Microbiologists Association is now on Blue Sky and can be found @blackinmicro.bsky.social still working on making the account look like we actually use it 😅. Please follow for up to date Black In Micro Week News !
The Black Microbiologists Association is now on Blue Sky and can be found @blackinmicro.bsky.social still working on making the account look like we actually use it 😅. Please follow for up to date Black In Micro Week News !
August 28, 2023 at 1:23 AM
Hey Y'all!
The Black Microbiologists Association is now on Blue Sky and can be found @blackinmicro.bsky.social still working on making the account look like we actually use it 😅. Please follow for up to date Black In Micro Week News !
The Black Microbiologists Association is now on Blue Sky and can be found @blackinmicro.bsky.social still working on making the account look like we actually use it 😅. Please follow for up to date Black In Micro Week News !
My dreams have come true 🧬 🧫
October 9, 2023 at 11:16 PM
My dreams have come true 🧬 🧫
Reposted by Kate Dowdell, PhD, PE
We are recruiting two postdocs at the University of Michigan with expertise in anaerobic biotechnology research, sociotechnical education, and community-led circular economy social structures and infrastructure facilities. Job posting at
RESEARCH FELLOW | U-M Careers
careers.umich.edu
October 6, 2023 at 2:55 AM
We are recruiting two postdocs at the University of Michigan with expertise in anaerobic biotechnology research, sociotechnical education, and community-led circular economy social structures and infrastructure facilities. Job posting at
Reposted by Kate Dowdell, PhD, PE
Good morning! Right now is a great time to order your four free COVID tests from the US government: www.covid.gov/tests
September 25, 2023 at 10:52 AM
Good morning! Right now is a great time to order your four free COVID tests from the US government: www.covid.gov/tests