Michele Avissar-Whiting
@madubs.bsky.social
Director, Open Science Strategy @ HHMI
Pinned
Fine, I'll come over here, but I'm bringing my pinned tweet with me.
Reposted by Michele Avissar-Whiting
RIP Jim Watson. You inspired many of us to pursue a life in research. I wish you had made it easier for us to celebrate your legacy.
November 7, 2025 at 11:11 PM
RIP Jim Watson. You inspired many of us to pursue a life in research. I wish you had made it easier for us to celebrate your legacy.
I’m finding I’m now at lot less likely to correct my kids’ grammar/phrasing for school assignments. Fuck it - at least it’s obvious they wrote themselves.
November 1, 2025 at 8:25 PM
I’m finding I’m now at lot less likely to correct my kids’ grammar/phrasing for school assignments. Fuck it - at least it’s obvious they wrote themselves.
Some of y'all have never heard the thing about letting the perfect be the enemy of the good - and it shows.
October 17, 2025 at 11:17 PM
Some of y'all have never heard the thing about letting the perfect be the enemy of the good - and it shows.
Reposted by Michele Avissar-Whiting
We just posted an impact story on policies at HHMI, Gates & Astera promoting #OpenAccess #OpenScience #OpenData. Powerful signals to other funders to accelerate discovery in science. Well done @madubs.bsky.social @openaccessmaven.bsky.social @pracheeac.bsky.social! sparcopen.org/impact-story...
Funders Roll Out Next Gen Open Policies - SPARC
sparcopen.org
October 10, 2025 at 3:43 PM
We just posted an impact story on policies at HHMI, Gates & Astera promoting #OpenAccess #OpenScience #OpenData. Powerful signals to other funders to accelerate discovery in science. Well done @madubs.bsky.social @openaccessmaven.bsky.social @pracheeac.bsky.social! sparcopen.org/impact-story...
Reposted by Michele Avissar-Whiting
New blog post. In which I analyze the new HHMI announcement and what it means for the science publishing ecosystem openrxiv.org/preprint-man...
Preprint mandates gather momentum - openRxiv
By Richard Sever, PhD. Chief Science & Strategy Officer, openRxiv Preprints speed up science by enabling researchers to disseminate reports of new findings immediately. They also represent a simple wa...
openrxiv.org
October 6, 2025 at 6:53 PM
New blog post. In which I analyze the new HHMI announcement and what it means for the science publishing ecosystem openrxiv.org/preprint-man...
Reposted by Michele Avissar-Whiting
(Part 1) Hear from @hhmi_news Investigator David Stern about his research program and what he's uncovering in the lab.
Stern will join the Institute in February 2026, bringing his lab and HHMI appointment to Kansas City. @hhmi.org
Read more: bit.ly/4np96Fb
Stern will join the Institute in February 2026, bringing his lab and HHMI appointment to Kansas City. @hhmi.org
Read more: bit.ly/4np96Fb
September 30, 2025 at 5:10 PM
(Part 1) Hear from @hhmi_news Investigator David Stern about his research program and what he's uncovering in the lab.
Stern will join the Institute in February 2026, bringing his lab and HHMI appointment to Kansas City. @hhmi.org
Read more: bit.ly/4np96Fb
Stern will join the Institute in February 2026, bringing his lab and HHMI appointment to Kansas City. @hhmi.org
Read more: bit.ly/4np96Fb
Feeling profound gratitude for my incredible colleagues and getting to play a part in change that really matters.
With the Immediate Access to Research policy, we are shifting our focus from journal-curated articles toward researcher-shared preprints.
hhmicdn.blob.core.windows.net/policies/Imm...
With the Immediate Access to Research policy, we are shifting our focus from journal-curated articles toward researcher-shared preprints.
hhmicdn.blob.core.windows.net/policies/Imm...
September 26, 2025 at 10:19 PM
Feeling profound gratitude for my incredible colleagues and getting to play a part in change that really matters.
With the Immediate Access to Research policy, we are shifting our focus from journal-curated articles toward researcher-shared preprints.
hhmicdn.blob.core.windows.net/policies/Imm...
With the Immediate Access to Research policy, we are shifting our focus from journal-curated articles toward researcher-shared preprints.
hhmicdn.blob.core.windows.net/policies/Imm...
Reposted by Michele Avissar-Whiting
"Tylenol can't cause autism, autism came first!"
This is a terrible argument, stop making it. There are GOOD arguments against the claim, but this is obviously missing the point and makes you sound extremely ignorant to anyone who has looked into the issue.
This is a terrible argument, stop making it. There are GOOD arguments against the claim, but this is obviously missing the point and makes you sound extremely ignorant to anyone who has looked into the issue.
September 24, 2025 at 3:40 AM
"Tylenol can't cause autism, autism came first!"
This is a terrible argument, stop making it. There are GOOD arguments against the claim, but this is obviously missing the point and makes you sound extremely ignorant to anyone who has looked into the issue.
This is a terrible argument, stop making it. There are GOOD arguments against the claim, but this is obviously missing the point and makes you sound extremely ignorant to anyone who has looked into the issue.
Reposted by Michele Avissar-Whiting
AI can now generate fake microscopy images that are nearly impossible to detect. A serious threat to scientific integrity—and we’re not prepared for it.
Commentary in @natnano.nature.com
#nanotechnology
Commentary in @natnano.nature.com
#nanotechnology
September 15, 2025 at 10:39 AM
AI can now generate fake microscopy images that are nearly impossible to detect. A serious threat to scientific integrity—and we’re not prepared for it.
Commentary in @natnano.nature.com
#nanotechnology
Commentary in @natnano.nature.com
#nanotechnology
This year, my kid’s school has rolled out a house system a la Harry Potter. The houses are named for constellations: Phoenix, Hydra, Orion, Pegasus, and - wait for it - Draco! 😣 Yes, I know it’s the Dragon but was there no better option?! IYKYK
August 20, 2025 at 5:47 PM
This year, my kid’s school has rolled out a house system a la Harry Potter. The houses are named for constellations: Phoenix, Hydra, Orion, Pegasus, and - wait for it - Draco! 😣 Yes, I know it’s the Dragon but was there no better option?! IYKYK
A lovely write-up of our panel at CSE on the Future of Scientific Editing and Publishing
www.csescienceeditor.org/article/the-...
www.csescienceeditor.org/article/the-...
The Future of Scientific Editing and Publishing: Science Editor Symposium - Science Editor
MODERATOR: Jonathan Schultz American Heart Association Editor-in-Chief, Science Editor SPEAKERS: Michele Avissar-Whiting Howard Hughes Medical Institute Chhavi Chauhan American Society for Investigat...
www.csescienceeditor.org
August 20, 2025 at 12:19 AM
A lovely write-up of our panel at CSE on the Future of Scientific Editing and Publishing
www.csescienceeditor.org/article/the-...
www.csescienceeditor.org/article/the-...
Reposted by Michele Avissar-Whiting
FlyBase, a Drosophila database, will lose a third of its team in early October because the Harvard grant that covered the employees’ salaries was canceled. Scientists warn that losing FlyBase could devastate fly research.
By @claudia-lopez.bsky.social
www.thetransmitter.org/community/ha...
By @claudia-lopez.bsky.social
www.thetransmitter.org/community/ha...
Harvard University lays off fly database team
The layoffs jeopardize this resource, which has served more than 4,000 labs for about three decades.
www.thetransmitter.org
August 13, 2025 at 7:32 PM
FlyBase, a Drosophila database, will lose a third of its team in early October because the Harvard grant that covered the employees’ salaries was canceled. Scientists warn that losing FlyBase could devastate fly research.
By @claudia-lopez.bsky.social
www.thetransmitter.org/community/ha...
By @claudia-lopez.bsky.social
www.thetransmitter.org/community/ha...
Reposted by Michele Avissar-Whiting
Dolly Parton has sent my daughter a new book every month for years as she does for thousands of children. She help fund the development of the Covid vaccine. She’s not a billionaire. I think as non wealthy people it’s hard to even imagine how much billionaires *could* be doing with their money.
August 13, 2025 at 1:51 PM
Dolly Parton has sent my daughter a new book every month for years as she does for thousands of children. She help fund the development of the Covid vaccine. She’s not a billionaire. I think as non wealthy people it’s hard to even imagine how much billionaires *could* be doing with their money.
"A system that showcases only the sanitized outcomes of editorial selection gives us just half the picture. We can – and must – aim higher."
blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsoci...
blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsoci...
Nature’s decision to publish positive peer review reports only gives half the picture - Impact of Social Sciences
As the journal Nature moves to publish peer review reports for accepted papers, Bodo Stern argues this partial openness falls short of true transparency.
blogs.lse.ac.uk
August 7, 2025 at 12:01 AM
"A system that showcases only the sanitized outcomes of editorial selection gives us just half the picture. We can – and must – aim higher."
blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsoci...
blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsoci...
Reposted by Michele Avissar-Whiting
Academia may be a prestige economy but it wasn’t some choice of scientific leadership- we do it to ourselves, every day. Leadership rarely makes tenure criteria too down - it’s a committee of peers that sets it up for institutions. Leadership doesn’t sit on study sections - it’s peers doing it!
July 11, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Academia may be a prestige economy but it wasn’t some choice of scientific leadership- we do it to ourselves, every day. Leadership rarely makes tenure criteria too down - it’s a committee of peers that sets it up for institutions. Leadership doesn’t sit on study sections - it’s peers doing it!
Reposted by Michele Avissar-Whiting
I’m petrified about today’s science news. Genetically modifying crabs to have cheetah genes? This could go sideways fast.
July 8, 2025 at 9:45 AM
I’m petrified about today’s science news. Genetically modifying crabs to have cheetah genes? This could go sideways fast.
Possibly the most worrying part of this story is that the authors using this hack are assuming that reviewers are using LLMs to write their reviews (and they're probably right) 😣
asia.nikkei.com/Business/Tec...
asia.nikkei.com/Business/Tec...
'Positive review only': Researchers hide AI prompts in papers
Instructions in preprints from 14 universities highlight controversy on AI in peer review
asia.nikkei.com
July 5, 2025 at 10:57 PM
Possibly the most worrying part of this story is that the authors using this hack are assuming that reviewers are using LLMs to write their reviews (and they're probably right) 😣
asia.nikkei.com/Business/Tec...
asia.nikkei.com/Business/Tec...
Reposted by Michele Avissar-Whiting
Springer-Nature launched a series of "Discover" journals that closely mimic MDPI titles -- sharing *identical* journal names, and likely similar business model.
What is going on, and why researcher will - as always - fall for it?
A 🧵
the-strain-on-scientific-publishing.github.io/website/post...
What is going on, and why researcher will - as always - fall for it?
A 🧵
the-strain-on-scientific-publishing.github.io/website/post...
Springer Nature Discovers MDPI – The Strain on Scientific Publishing
Home page for the paper ‘The Strain on Scientific Publishing’ by Mark A Hanson, Dan Brockington, Paolo Crosetto and Pablo Gomez Barreiro
the-strain-on-scientific-publishing.github.io
June 15, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Springer-Nature launched a series of "Discover" journals that closely mimic MDPI titles -- sharing *identical* journal names, and likely similar business model.
What is going on, and why researcher will - as always - fall for it?
A 🧵
the-strain-on-scientific-publishing.github.io/website/post...
What is going on, and why researcher will - as always - fall for it?
A 🧵
the-strain-on-scientific-publishing.github.io/website/post...
Reposted by Michele Avissar-Whiting
must be incredibly frustrating and disheartening to have federal funding that was promised to you for important work suddenly and arbitrarily ripped away
“In light of the President's statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately”
June 5, 2025 at 8:15 PM
must be incredibly frustrating and disheartening to have federal funding that was promised to you for important work suddenly and arbitrarily ripped away
Reposted by Michele Avissar-Whiting
It's all so farcical. Nobody could seriously believe that there's some plan here which goes step 1: cancel all foreign student visas at Harvard, step 2: ?????, step 3: increase replication rates in biology. The lie is so transparent as to be insulting.
Government seizure and evisceration of our private universities will do zero to improve replicability in science—who value vastly exceeds “commercial adoption”—or to create Conservative faculty, or to guard civil rights for ANY Americans.
But it will centralize power for himself.
But it will centralize power for himself.
May 25, 2025 at 12:07 PM
It's all so farcical. Nobody could seriously believe that there's some plan here which goes step 1: cancel all foreign student visas at Harvard, step 2: ?????, step 3: increase replication rates in biology. The lie is so transparent as to be insulting.
Reposted by Michele Avissar-Whiting
The level of surveillance and policing demanded by transphobia will always be more disruptive to your life than the rights and demands of trans people ourselves
This is going to be an absolute car crash, the Supreme Court verdict looks more absurd by the day
www.thetimes.com/article/86fb...
www.thetimes.com/article/86fb...
May 20, 2025 at 3:16 PM
The level of surveillance and policing demanded by transphobia will always be more disruptive to your life than the rights and demands of trans people ourselves
Reposted by Michele Avissar-Whiting
Michelle and I are thinking of the entire Biden family. Nobody has done more to find breakthrough treatments for cancer in all its forms than Joe, and I am certain he will fight this challenge with his trademark resolve and grace. We pray for a fast and full recovery.
May 18, 2025 at 11:56 PM
Michelle and I are thinking of the entire Biden family. Nobody has done more to find breakthrough treatments for cancer in all its forms than Joe, and I am certain he will fight this challenge with his trademark resolve and grace. We pray for a fast and full recovery.
Just learned of this effort to crowd-source a mega list of examples of benefits to health, prosperity, and national security resulting from federally-funded research. 41 examples listed to date. Please share and send ideas!
publicusaresearchbenefits.com
h/t @carlosbrody.bsky.social
publicusaresearchbenefits.com
h/t @carlosbrody.bsky.social
Searchable database of tangible benefits that federally-funded research gave us.
A crowd-sourced site. Health and Well-being. National Security. Prosperity.
publicusaresearchbenefits.com
May 15, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Just learned of this effort to crowd-source a mega list of examples of benefits to health, prosperity, and national security resulting from federally-funded research. 41 examples listed to date. Please share and send ideas!
publicusaresearchbenefits.com
h/t @carlosbrody.bsky.social
publicusaresearchbenefits.com
h/t @carlosbrody.bsky.social
Reposted by Michele Avissar-Whiting
DeLAURO: Are you planning to break the law by impounding appropriated funds?
RFK Jr: If you appropriate the funds, I'm going to spend them
D: We have! You're cutting the NIH by $18b. Congress appropriated those funds. How can you justify cutting billions from the biomedical research budget?
RFK Jr: If you appropriate the funds, I'm going to spend them
D: We have! You're cutting the NIH by $18b. Congress appropriated those funds. How can you justify cutting billions from the biomedical research budget?
May 14, 2025 at 2:20 PM
DeLAURO: Are you planning to break the law by impounding appropriated funds?
RFK Jr: If you appropriate the funds, I'm going to spend them
D: We have! You're cutting the NIH by $18b. Congress appropriated those funds. How can you justify cutting billions from the biomedical research budget?
RFK Jr: If you appropriate the funds, I'm going to spend them
D: We have! You're cutting the NIH by $18b. Congress appropriated those funds. How can you justify cutting billions from the biomedical research budget?