Lance Gravlee
banner
lancegravlee.bsky.social
Lance Gravlee
@lancegravlee.bsky.social
Anthropologist and pilot. Former professor, now flying for a US-based global airline. Still have some writing to do (racism and health, research methods, aeromobilities).

📝 https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=yeAwZhIAAAAJ&hl=en
Pinned
Last month I cleaned out my office and resigned from my dream job as an anthropologist at the University of Florida. I am deeply grateful for my time there. The work that students, colleagues, and I did together felt meaningful and full of purpose. (1/8)
Reposted by Lance Gravlee
A sad day for Columbia and for our democracy. "Additionally the school believed there was considerable overlap between needed campus changes and Trump’s demands" has got to be one of the most depressing sentences ever written.

www.wsj.com/us-news/educ...
Exclusive | Columbia Yields to Trump in Battle Over Federal Funding
Columbia’s agreement is a significant moment in the intensifying battle between Trump and elite universities.
www.wsj.com
March 21, 2025 at 9:01 PM
Network analysis clarifies why the power outage at London Heathrow (LHR) is so disruptive to global air travel. I imagine it will take a while for everyone affected to get where they were trying to go.
March 21, 2025 at 7:28 PM
“We have concerns about the nominee’s past efforts to lower pilot training and safety standards,” said Captain Jason Ambrosi, President of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA).
Trump’s FAA Pick Has History of Lowering Air Safety Standards
Fodor's provides expert travel content worth exploring so you can dream up your next trip. The world is a weird and wonderful place—we want to show you around.
www.fodors.com
March 21, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Reposted by Lance Gravlee
qualitative data is incredibly important and incredibly informative - check out @awutich.bsky.social @robingnelson.bsky.social @zacharydubois.bsky.social et al. for the many ways qualitative data is essential in biological anthropological studies!
March 19, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Reposted by Lance Gravlee
SCOOP: The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, arguably the nation's most powerful scientific organization, is bending to political pressure and removing terms like "health equity" from pending reports. Members are not happy. Story by me: www.statnews.com/2025/02/20/n...
National Academies is altering pending reports to appease Trump administration, some members say
Words such as “health equity” are being replacing with vaguer terms, and 100 members sent a letter of protest to NASEM leaders.
www.statnews.com
February 21, 2025 at 12:53 AM
Here we go again.
February 19, 2025 at 8:04 PM
Reposted by Lance Gravlee
“The thing that I can’t get over is that the actual richest man in the world directed my fucking firing. I make $50k a year and work to keep drinking water safe. The richest man in the world decided that was an expense too great for the American taxpayer.”
Yesterday many thousands of federal employees were terminated. This is a Reddit thread for federal employees that got laid off.
From the fednews community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the fednews community
www.reddit.com
February 15, 2025 at 11:24 PM
Reposted by Lance Gravlee
I have been talking to the media, Time, Fortune, NBC, etc., to explain how the onslaught on science and NIH will impact the health of all Americans. Everyone knows someone who has cancer, heart disease, or depression. Spread the word about how cutting science impacts all.
time.com/7216299/nih-...
Experts Call NIH Budget Cuts an 'Apocalypse' for Science
The reductions target indirect costs that cover administrative and equipment costs.
time.com
February 15, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Reposted by Lance Gravlee
I have started to hear about specific National Cancer Institute firings of experts and professionals that will have immediate impacts, like regarding the safety of drugs in clinical trials and so on.

They are trying to kill people with cancer.
Quick story here on what I've heard about cuts at NCI and NIH, and a few other things:
February 15, 2025 at 11:09 PM
Reposted by Lance Gravlee
ATTENTION (PLEASE SHARE)

If anyone has or knows of any positions that might be appropriate for the NIH staff members who were terminated, please post the information in this thread.

There are lots of talented and accomplished people who may be looking for new opportunities.
a poster that says if life gives you lemon make lemonade on it
ALT: a poster that says if life gives you lemon make lemonade on it
media.tenor.com
February 15, 2025 at 3:37 PM
“So, how can the radical overhaul Trump and Musk are undertaking be reconciled with our constitutional order? Quite simply, it cannot be.”
Opinion | Why DOGE is unconstitutional
Trump is acting extra-constitutionally. Only Congress or the Supreme Court can stop him.
www.washingtonpost.com
February 15, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Reposted by Lance Gravlee
Of all federal spending, only 6% goes to federal employees. So we are gutting institutional knowledge and firing people who have dedicated their lives to serve their country and saving nothing.
February 14, 2025 at 8:28 PM
Reposted by Lance Gravlee
One of our supporters shared this with us—people are getting creative tonight!
February 14, 2025 at 4:25 AM
Reposted by Lance Gravlee
Not even the best satire writer in the world could have come up with “Red, White, and Blueland”
February 11, 2025 at 4:35 PM
Reposted by Lance Gravlee
Imagine a world where people fought to protect the gains won by Black and Brown people that benefit everyone. Imagine a world where people remembered that authoritarian regimes always start with the least protected and work their way up. Fascism recurs over and over because of bigotry
Some higher ed organizations who are loudly circling the wagons against federal funding cuts were oddly silent or circumspect about the earlier attacks on CRT and DEI.

I wish there was a better understanding that these attacks are coming because we failed to repel those.
February 11, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Reposted by Lance Gravlee
So after promising to focus on safety, they’ve gotten right down to work… on gender terminology?
February 11, 2025 at 12:14 AM
This is just 🤦🏻‍♂️
Trump's FAA Puts 'Men' Back in NOTAMs
The term Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) has returned, FAA announced Monday, reversing a Biden Administration-era change at the agency.
www.flyingmag.com
February 11, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Reposted by Lance Gravlee
In addition to destroying science & medical research which has direct impact on people's lives, this undermines universities AND crashes the economy. The idea that this will "save" money is FALSE. "In fiscal year 2023, every $1 of NIH funding generated approximately $2.46 of economic activity"
February 8, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Reposted by Lance Gravlee
In Tampa, a good chunk of the downtown real estate boom has gone hand-in-hand with the growth of USF’s medical school and growth of Tampa General Hospital. Certainly these cuts will reverberate to real estate market there and similarly elsewhere.
February 8, 2025 at 2:21 AM
Reposted by Lance Gravlee
is it woke to want to end cancer?
February 8, 2025 at 3:15 AM
Reposted by Lance Gravlee
It looks like the massive indirect rate cut from NIH is not legal--and will face judicial challenges. But for scale, look at your state, and knock off about 25% to see the damage.
February 8, 2025 at 3:39 AM
Reposted by Lance Gravlee
For those curious about the purpose of “indirects,” I suggest this FAQ from AAU (thread to follow).

In the lingo of Musk et al - BLOF = this hurts economies, employment, science, & health. 🧵

www.aau.edu/key-issues/f...
Frequently Asked Questions about Facilities and Administrative (F&A) Costs of Federally Sponsored University Research | Association of American Universities (AAU)
Responses to common questions about F&A costs of research
www.aau.edu
February 8, 2025 at 3:28 AM
Reposted by Lance Gravlee
1. Today the NIH director issued a new directive slashing overhead rates to 15%.

I want to provide some context on what that means and why it matters.

grants.nih.gov/grants/guide...
NOT-OD-25-068: Supplemental Guidance to the 2024 NIH Grants Policy Statement: Indirect Cost Rates
NIH Funding Opportunities and Notices in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts: Supplemental Guidance to the 2024 NIH Grants Policy Statement: Indirect Cost Rates NOT-OD-25-068. OD
grants.nih.gov
February 8, 2025 at 12:18 AM
Reposted by Lance Gravlee
8. It is difficult to overstate what a catastrophe this will be for the US research and education systems, particular in biomedical fields.

It is deliberate and wanton devastation entirely out of scale with any concern about DEI activities on campuses.

The goal is destroy US universities.
February 8, 2025 at 12:46 AM