Masa Kuwajima | 桒島正明
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masak.bsky.social
Masa Kuwajima | 桒島正明
@masak.bsky.social
360 followers 790 following 160 posts
Mostly harmless.
parenting | neuroscience (UT-Austin) | portrait photography | mentoring
Personal account; views my own. he/his/him
📸 www.PhotonCorral.com
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masak.bsky.social
鏡開きが近いので、お汁粉を作りました。今年のあんこはまあまあの出来です。
Shiruko (しるこ), a Japanese dish made with mochi in sweet red bean soup, in a red and black bowl.
January 19, 2026 at 7:37 PM
masak.bsky.social
Feeling quiet today.
youtube.com/watch?v=a4E5...
Peter Gregson – Taladh Chriosta (WINTER TALES)
YouTube video by Deutsche Grammophon - DG
youtube.com
December 22, 2025 at 9:56 PM
masak.bsky.social
Coffee. Just coffee.
#coffee #photography 📸 ☕
This is a photograph of black coffee in a double-walled glass cup, on a dark table with roasted coffee beans spilled out of another cup that is tilted, and a manual coffee grinder. The background is lit in orange-brown.
December 12, 2025 at 7:49 PM
masak.bsky.social
My recent encounter with a Barred Owl (Strix varia). On my way to work last week, I noticed it sunbathing on a tree branch and being harassed by a Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata). Must have gotten too close to the nest or something. #photography #birds 📸🪶
Barred Owl (Strix varia), perched on a tree branch, looks straight towards the camera. Barred Owl (Strix varia), perched on a tree branch, closes its eyelids as it is attacked from behind by a blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata). There is another blue jay on a branch higher than the owl's.
November 24, 2025 at 2:48 AM
Reposted by Masa Kuwajima | 桒島正明
keikoutorii.bsky.social
Tenure-Track Plant Biology Assistant Professor position at UT Austin MBS. Review of the applications starts Nov. 1! Please spread the words🤠🌱🌼🌽🫛🍃🌾
jobs.plantae.org/jobs/2176440...
Assistant Professor in Austin, TX for The University of Texas at Austin
Exciting opportunity in Austin, TX for The University of Texas at Austin as a Assistant Professor
jobs.plantae.org
October 27, 2025 at 8:10 PM
masak.bsky.social
This was a test shot from a recent headshot session. Hair is messy because I just came from swimming.
#photography #selfportrait 📸
This is a headshot of a middle-aged Japanese man wearing glasses and a blue-gray shirt.
October 27, 2025 at 1:57 AM
Reposted by Masa Kuwajima | 桒島正明
studentsforsci.bsky.social
Hey y’all! NEXT THURSDAY, in lieu of our usual SFS general meeting, we will be having an info session for ANY STUDENT interested in science advocacy! High school, undergraduate, and graduate students welcome. ANY SCHOOL, ANY STATE, ANY MAJOR!
October 26, 2025 at 5:35 PM
masak.bsky.social
Meeting of minds: Gina Turrigiano stopped by the lab of Kristen Harris (UT-Austin, @texasscience.bsky.social ) while visiting Austin to give a seminar on homeostatic plasticity. Learn more about @turrigiano.bsky.social at www.turrigianolab.org.

#photography #scientists #neuroscientists 📸🧪
A portrait of Kristen Harris (professor at The University of Texas at Austin) and Gina Turrigiano (professor at Brandeis University). Harris, on the left of the photo, is a Caucasian woman with graying blond hair wearing a pair of glasses and a blue sweater. Turrigiano on the right is a Caucasian woman with dark hair wearing a pair of glasses and a black jacket over a yellow-green sweater.
October 24, 2025 at 1:02 AM
masak.bsky.social
Sunrise this morning in Austin, Texas. I managed to catch this view just before my camera's battery died.
#photography 📸
This is a photo of a dramatic sky during sunrise as seen over a residential neighborhood in Austin, Texas. As the sun rises from the lower right of the image, beams of sunlight stream through and illuminate fast-moving clouds.
October 23, 2025 at 12:54 AM
masak.bsky.social
I just noticed that there is a new open-access book on science communication. Looks useful. #scicomm #science 🧪
doi.org/10.4324/9781...
Science Communication for Scientists | Linking Strategy with Creativit
Grounded in strategic thinking and social science research, this textbook empowers students to confidently navigate skillful and effective science
doi.org
October 15, 2025 at 2:37 PM
masak.bsky.social
I managed to swim butterfly for 25 yards today for the first time in my life.
October 13, 2025 at 1:11 AM
masak.bsky.social
A view of the moon this morning in Austin, Texas.
#photography 📸
This is a photo of the almost-full moon as seen in the Western cloudless sky over trees and the red roof of a school building, shot early in the morning in Austin, Texas.
October 9, 2025 at 1:50 AM
Reposted by Masa Kuwajima | 桒島正明
sfn.org
The Neuroscience Scholars Program (NSP) has expanded eligibility!

NSP is now open to all trainees meeting the eligibility criteria.

Applications are now open! Join a supportive network dedicated to your success.

Learn more & apply by October 21.

🔗 vist.ly/49kbu

#neurosky
October 7, 2025 at 4:01 PM
masak.bsky.social
Testing and refining headshot lighting today.
a: butterfly
b: similar to Peter Hurley's triangle
c: 3-point
#photography 📸
This is a triptych of a middle-aged Japanese man's headshots, done in three different lighting styles.
September 11, 2025 at 9:29 PM
masak.bsky.social
Golden Hour in Little Cottonwood Canyon (Utah). From a recent trip. 📸 #photography
A view of mountains along the South side of Little Cottonwood Canyon in Utah during an evening golden hour.
August 5, 2025 at 1:44 AM
Reposted by Masa Kuwajima | 桒島正明
flickrfdn.bsky.social
Today is World Brain Day established by the World Federation of Neurology in 2014. This year's theme is Brain Health for All Ages. Enjoy your brain today and these brainy images from Flickr Commons!
poster shows a drawing of a man in uniform, either military or a sea captain, with a light blue and orange fish on his head. He has his hand to his chin as if pondering an idea. Medical illustration showing a human head cutaway with numbers and pines pointing to various parts of it surrounded by words in italian. Drawing of a human brain exposed by retracting the membranes and showing the two cerebral hemispheres separated by the median plane. There is Japanese writing around it
July 22, 2025 at 5:23 PM
masak.bsky.social
It’s Sunday afternoon and thundershower is coming and going here in Austin, Texas. Not much wind so the water is shooting straight down. Flash flood warning again. My 13 yr old son is upstairs doing house chores while listening to Minecraft soundtrack and “Beyond the sea” by Bobby Darin.
July 13, 2025 at 5:33 PM
masak.bsky.social
A red-shouldered hawk, seen on my way to work this morning. I saw this one just perched on a lamp post, probably enjoying the morning sun, but surrounded by several angry Blue Jays. 📸🪶 #photography #birds
Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) seen at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary (Austin, Texas, USA; 17 June 2025)
June 18, 2025 at 12:50 AM
masak.bsky.social
Hope you are enjoying your weekend.
Earlier this afternoon, I was testing a lighting setup (inspired by Peter Hurley's triangle light) for an upcoming headshot session. 📸 #photography #selfportrait
This is a headshot of a middle-aged Japanese man wearing a dark blue T-shirt.
May 26, 2025 at 1:18 AM
Reposted by Masa Kuwajima | 桒島正明
cahirokane.bsky.social
A beautiful ER ladder in a Drosophila mushroom body output neuron. Will be interesting to discover why some neurons have the ladder and others don't.
hhmijanelia.bsky.social Janelia Research Campus @hhmijanelia.bsky.social · Apr 27
🥼 Janelia researchers are helping to shed light on the molecular mechanisms underlying synaptic plasticity, which could increase our understanding of how the brain works normally & in diseases where these processes go awry, like Alzheimer’s. ➡️ hhmi.news/4jMHbNY
April 27, 2025 at 6:31 PM
masak.bsky.social
What does a neuroscience pioneer look like?
Dr. Kristen Harris has been at the forefront of studying the nanoscale 3D structures of brain cells, such as synapses. Studies done by her lab contributed greatly to our understanding of synapse structure and connections involved in learning and memory. 📸🧪
This is a portrait of Dr. Kristen Harris, a neuroscience professor at the University of Texas at Austin. She is a Caucasian with blond hair wearing a blue shirt. She is at the console of an electron microscope in her lab. Her male staff member is sitting next to her on the left side.
April 27, 2025 at 1:53 AM
masak.bsky.social
I recently had the honor of working with Mark Bernat, a world-renowned double bassist. In addition to leading an active career as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player, Mark is passionate about bringing classical music to new and wider audiences.
#photography #portrait #classicalmusic
This is a portrait of Mark Bernat playing his double bass. Mark is a caucasian man wearing a blue jacket over a purple shirt. Background is white This is a portrait of Mark Bernat holding his double bass and looking straight at the camera. Mark is a caucasian man wearing a dark gray turtle neck sweater. Background is black. This is a portrait of Mark Bernat with his double bass. Mark is a caucasian man wearing a dark gray turtle neck sweater and a pair of blue jeans, sitting on a stool and looking at the camera. His bass is placed behind him, leaning against a wooden box. Background is designed to look like a classical painting of blue-gray sky.
March 8, 2025 at 7:18 PM
Reposted by Masa Kuwajima | 桒島正明
motherjones.com
These two PhD students spoke about the importance of their work: "If they go to a hospital, they're gonna get treated, but they don't see that we're the ones that are coming up with those cures in the first place—even going back to basic biology research, basic science research."
March 8, 2025 at 12:09 AM
masak.bsky.social
Today has been a blustery and dusty day in Austin, Texas. All that dust turned the sky pinkish brown, reminiscent of how a post-apocalyptic movie could be color-graded.
On another note, the study section to review my NIH grant application submitted in November has been rescheduled to late March.
March 5, 2025 at 12:24 AM
masak.bsky.social
It's almost 9 AM on this cloudy Saturday in Austin, Texas, and I just wanted to remind you that you are loved and you are enough.
February 15, 2025 at 2:57 PM