Monica Gerber
@monicagerber.bsky.social
data scientist (@ Fred Hutch) / rock climber / reader of books / person on a bike
https://www.monicagerber.com
https://www.monicagerber.com
Reposted by Monica Gerber
Here in Seattle, furloughed NOAA employees were out in the pouring rain cleaning up beaches yesterday, part of a national week of service organized by federal workers who can't do their jobs due to the shutdown.
Story by @heyjohnryan.bsky.social at KUOW, our federally defunded public radio station.
Story by @heyjohnryan.bsky.social at KUOW, our federally defunded public radio station.
Furloughed feds pick up Seattle beach trash to keep serving the public
Furloughed federal employees were out in the rain picking up cigarette butts, bottle caps, and other trash at Seattle’s Golden Gardens Park on Friday.
www.kuow.org
October 25, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Here in Seattle, furloughed NOAA employees were out in the pouring rain cleaning up beaches yesterday, part of a national week of service organized by federal workers who can't do their jobs due to the shutdown.
Story by @heyjohnryan.bsky.social at KUOW, our federally defunded public radio station.
Story by @heyjohnryan.bsky.social at KUOW, our federally defunded public radio station.
Reposted by Monica Gerber
📣 Come work @openscapes.bsky.social ! We're looking for a NASA Openscapes Team Member to improve access & use of NASA suborbital data thru reproducible notebook clinics. Apply by October 26, 2025. Start December 2025.
Details including pay rate: openscapes.org/connect#work...
Please share!
Details including pay rate: openscapes.org/connect#work...
Please share!
connect – Openscapes
openscapes.org
October 2, 2025 at 5:35 PM
📣 Come work @openscapes.bsky.social ! We're looking for a NASA Openscapes Team Member to improve access & use of NASA suborbital data thru reproducible notebook clinics. Apply by October 26, 2025. Start December 2025.
Details including pay rate: openscapes.org/connect#work...
Please share!
Details including pay rate: openscapes.org/connect#work...
Please share!
Asking for someone's input and then getting chatgpt-generated text is so discouraging.
August 20, 2025 at 5:57 PM
Asking for someone's input and then getting chatgpt-generated text is so discouraging.
Reposted by Monica Gerber
If RFK Jr approach to develop a vaccine against all viruses involves sequentially exposing himself to each of these viruses and letting his amazing body develop a vaccine the natural way, then I highly endorse this approach.
I would start with something easy like Nipah or Hendra virus
I would start with something easy like Nipah or Hendra virus
RFK has announced that he is developing a vaccine against all viruses. Yes, every single one. The whole, uh, "phylum"
August 8, 2025 at 10:31 PM
If RFK Jr approach to develop a vaccine against all viruses involves sequentially exposing himself to each of these viruses and letting his amazing body develop a vaccine the natural way, then I highly endorse this approach.
I would start with something easy like Nipah or Hendra virus
I would start with something easy like Nipah or Hendra virus
Reposted by Monica Gerber
"Many chefs I know get upset at me … But this is the truth: If you can’t cook everything you make in a microwave thats a skill issue. You need to learn now because when everything is cooked in a microwave you’ll be out of a job."
www.colincornaby.me/2025/08/in-t... (h/t @olivia.science )
www.colincornaby.me/2025/08/in-t... (h/t @olivia.science )
In the Future All Food Will Be Cooked in a Microwave, and if You Can’t Deal With That Then You Need to Get Out of the Kitchen
As a restaurant owner – I’m astounded at the rate of progress since microwaves were released a few short years ago. Today’s microwave can cook a frozen burrito. Tomorrow’s m…
www.colincornaby.me
August 8, 2025 at 7:23 PM
"Many chefs I know get upset at me … But this is the truth: If you can’t cook everything you make in a microwave thats a skill issue. You need to learn now because when everything is cooked in a microwave you’ll be out of a job."
www.colincornaby.me/2025/08/in-t... (h/t @olivia.science )
www.colincornaby.me/2025/08/in-t... (h/t @olivia.science )
Thank you Dr. Schrier for visiting us at Fred Hutch. It's such a crucial moment for scientific advances in vaccines & cancer. I appreciate that I have a congressperson who recognizes that.
ICYMI: I met with researchers and physicians at Fred Hutch to learn how their work is saving lives across the 8th District, Washington State, and the country.
I'll keep working to preserve federal funding that will bolster medical research and access to healthcare.
schrier.house.gov/media/press-...
I'll keep working to preserve federal funding that will bolster medical research and access to healthcare.
schrier.house.gov/media/press-...
ICYMI: Congresswoman Schrier, Physicians and Researchers at Fred Hutch Discuss Dire Impacts of Budget Cuts on Vital Medical Research, Healthcare Access
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Congresswoman Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08) joined physicians and researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center (Fred Hutch) to discuss how DOGE and proposed federal budget cuts to t...
schrier.house.gov
August 7, 2025 at 9:24 PM
Thank you Dr. Schrier for visiting us at Fred Hutch. It's such a crucial moment for scientific advances in vaccines & cancer. I appreciate that I have a congressperson who recognizes that.
Reposted by Monica Gerber
Here’s the show. Please watch!
It’s all about HHS and the first segment is about NIH.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8H34...
It’s all about HHS and the first segment is about NIH.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8H34...
RFK Jr. & HHS: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
YouTube video by LastWeekTonight
www.youtube.com
April 28, 2025 at 12:05 PM
Here’s the show. Please watch!
It’s all about HHS and the first segment is about NIH.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8H34...
It’s all about HHS and the first segment is about NIH.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8H34...
"rOpenSci and Openscapes are lucky to have as members many U.S. federal employees who enrich our work and community. In a time of great uncertainty for so many government workers, we want to support our members who are considering their next career steps."
ropensci.org/events/datas...
ropensci.org/events/datas...
Non-Government Career Paths for U.S. Federal Data Scientists
A community support and networking event hosted by rOpenSci and Openscapes
ropensci.org
April 24, 2025 at 8:29 PM
"rOpenSci and Openscapes are lucky to have as members many U.S. federal employees who enrich our work and community. In a time of great uncertainty for so many government workers, we want to support our members who are considering their next career steps."
ropensci.org/events/datas...
ropensci.org/events/datas...
Reposted by Monica Gerber
Some words of encouragement from Dr. Tom Frieden, former Director of CDC.
www.linkedin.com/posts/tom-fr...
www.linkedin.com/posts/tom-fr...
To staff at CDC and everyone working in public health: we’re with you. | Tom Frieden | 50 comments
To staff at CDC and everyone working in public health: we’re with you. | 50 comments on LinkedIn
www.linkedin.com
April 1, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Some words of encouragement from Dr. Tom Frieden, former Director of CDC.
www.linkedin.com/posts/tom-fr...
www.linkedin.com/posts/tom-fr...
Reposted by Monica Gerber
It's getting late on Friday, so you know what that means: HHS has just updated its list of cancelled grants and programs.
The document went from 14 pages long to 42 pages.
Just an incalculable list of cancelled COVID-19 funding.
taggs.hhs.gov/Content/Data...
The document went from 14 pages long to 42 pages.
Just an incalculable list of cancelled COVID-19 funding.
taggs.hhs.gov/Content/Data...
taggs.hhs.gov
March 28, 2025 at 8:33 PM
It's getting late on Friday, so you know what that means: HHS has just updated its list of cancelled grants and programs.
The document went from 14 pages long to 42 pages.
Just an incalculable list of cancelled COVID-19 funding.
taggs.hhs.gov/Content/Data...
The document went from 14 pages long to 42 pages.
Just an incalculable list of cancelled COVID-19 funding.
taggs.hhs.gov/Content/Data...
Reposted by Monica Gerber
I Took My Work Outside Every Day for a Month This Winter. (“My work” = typing on a laptop.) “Even though I’m not perfectly warm, it lifts my mood to be outside. I can hear the community of songbirds holding their morning conferences, a barking dog…” [outsideonline.com]
I Took My Work Outside Every Day for a Month This Winter. Here’s What I Learned.
For a month this winter, I committed to taking my laptop outside every workday—no matter the weather—to see how it impacted my life
www.outsideonline.com
March 7, 2025 at 7:22 PM
I Took My Work Outside Every Day for a Month This Winter. (“My work” = typing on a laptop.) “Even though I’m not perfectly warm, it lifts my mood to be outside. I can hear the community of songbirds holding their morning conferences, a barking dog…” [outsideonline.com]
Reposted by Monica Gerber
Nice essay!
"LLMs, while they already have all of humanity's knowledge in memory, haven't generated any new knowledge by connecting previously unrelated facts...We're currently building very obedient students, not revolutionaries."
"LLMs, while they already have all of humanity's knowledge in memory, haven't generated any new knowledge by connecting previously unrelated facts...We're currently building very obedient students, not revolutionaries."
I shared a controversial take the other day at an event and I decided to write it down in a longer format: I’m afraid AI won't give us a "compressed 21st century"
Here: thomwolf.io/blog/scienti...
It's an extension of this interview discussion from the AI summit: youtu.be/AxBd3G0lFLs?...
Here: thomwolf.io/blog/scienti...
It's an extension of this interview discussion from the AI summit: youtu.be/AxBd3G0lFLs?...
March 6, 2025 at 11:51 PM
Nice essay!
"LLMs, while they already have all of humanity's knowledge in memory, haven't generated any new knowledge by connecting previously unrelated facts...We're currently building very obedient students, not revolutionaries."
"LLMs, while they already have all of humanity's knowledge in memory, haven't generated any new knowledge by connecting previously unrelated facts...We're currently building very obedient students, not revolutionaries."
Reposted by Monica Gerber
This is so deeply, deeply, deeply fucked up.
“The trial was shutting down. A silicone ring inserted into her vagina, needed to be removed right away. … The stop-work order was so immediate and sweeping that the research staff would be violating it if they helped the women remove the rings.”
“The trial was shutting down. A silicone ring inserted into her vagina, needed to be removed right away. … The stop-work order was so immediate and sweeping that the research staff would be violating it if they helped the women remove the rings.”
Dozens of Clinical Trials Have Been Frozen in Response to Trump’s USAID Order (Gift Article)
The stop-work order on U.S.A.I.D.-funded research has left thousands of people with experimental drugs and devices in their bodies, with no access to monitoring or care.
www.nytimes.com
February 7, 2025 at 10:32 PM
This is so deeply, deeply, deeply fucked up.
“The trial was shutting down. A silicone ring inserted into her vagina, needed to be removed right away. … The stop-work order was so immediate and sweeping that the research staff would be violating it if they helped the women remove the rings.”
“The trial was shutting down. A silicone ring inserted into her vagina, needed to be removed right away. … The stop-work order was so immediate and sweeping that the research staff would be violating it if they helped the women remove the rings.”
Reposted by Monica Gerber
📣 Openscapes Champions Program at Fred Hutch Cancer Center Apr-Jun 2025!
Please share. Encourage your Hutch friends to sign up! Leading this with @seankross.com @monicagerber.bsky.social @tladeras.bsky.social & Chris Lo
openscapes.org/events/2025-...
#OpenScience #KinderScience
Please share. Encourage your Hutch friends to sign up! Leading this with @seankross.com @monicagerber.bsky.social @tladeras.bsky.social & Chris Lo
openscapes.org/events/2025-...
#OpenScience #KinderScience
February 4, 2025 at 5:02 PM
📣 Openscapes Champions Program at Fred Hutch Cancer Center Apr-Jun 2025!
Please share. Encourage your Hutch friends to sign up! Leading this with @seankross.com @monicagerber.bsky.social @tladeras.bsky.social & Chris Lo
openscapes.org/events/2025-...
#OpenScience #KinderScience
Please share. Encourage your Hutch friends to sign up! Leading this with @seankross.com @monicagerber.bsky.social @tladeras.bsky.social & Chris Lo
openscapes.org/events/2025-...
#OpenScience #KinderScience
Reposted by Monica Gerber
This is how you do open science.
Use the Human Microbiome Compendium data!
We made the data and code available, & created a website and R package to navigate the compendium. Links:
- Website: microbiomap.org
- Data: zenodo.org/records/1373...
- R package: blekhmanlab.github.io/MicroBioMap/
- Code: github.com/blekhmanlab/...
We made the data and code available, & created a website and R package to navigate the compendium. Links:
- Website: microbiomap.org
- Data: zenodo.org/records/1373...
- R package: blekhmanlab.github.io/MicroBioMap/
- Code: github.com/blekhmanlab/...
January 24, 2025 at 5:32 AM
This is how you do open science.
Reposted by Monica Gerber
🧵: I am getting texts on what scientists should do in this perilous and scary moment. My advice: your biggest power is to organize through your professional societies. A few ideas -
January 23, 2025 at 9:46 PM
🧵: I am getting texts on what scientists should do in this perilous and scary moment. My advice: your biggest power is to organize through your professional societies. A few ideas -
Reposted by Monica Gerber
This talk by @Felienne is fantastic!
A Case for Feminism in Programming Language Design: https://www.youtube.com/live/-Br66SUjsdQ?si=C-zNVRDOErYJLbgy&t=12120
Paper: https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3689492.3689809
cc: @RLadiesGlobal
A Case for Feminism in Programming Language Design: https://www.youtube.com/live/-Br66SUjsdQ?si=C-zNVRDOErYJLbgy&t=12120
Paper: https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3689492.3689809
cc: @RLadiesGlobal
[SPLASH'24] Pacific - Onward! (Oct 23th)
Full Program: https://2024.splashcon.org/program/program-splash-2024/
www.youtube.com
January 6, 2025 at 1:09 PM
This talk by @Felienne is fantastic!
A Case for Feminism in Programming Language Design: https://www.youtube.com/live/-Br66SUjsdQ?si=C-zNVRDOErYJLbgy&t=12120
Paper: https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3689492.3689809
cc: @RLadiesGlobal
A Case for Feminism in Programming Language Design: https://www.youtube.com/live/-Br66SUjsdQ?si=C-zNVRDOErYJLbgy&t=12120
Paper: https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3689492.3689809
cc: @RLadiesGlobal
I've been reading about data science lifecycles and workflows (vs. SDLC).
Some things I've been reading:
www.datascience-pm.com/data-science...
www.datascience-pm.com/data-science...
vdsbook.com/02-dslc
Any other good blogs or articles you'd recommend? Unique perspectives?
Some things I've been reading:
www.datascience-pm.com/data-science...
www.datascience-pm.com/data-science...
vdsbook.com/02-dslc
Any other good blogs or articles you'd recommend? Unique perspectives?
What is a Data Science Life Cycle? - Data Science PM
A Data Science Life Cycle describes the steps to deliver projects and products. This post walks through one you can use on your next project.
www.datascience-pm.com
January 6, 2025 at 7:02 PM
I've been reading about data science lifecycles and workflows (vs. SDLC).
Some things I've been reading:
www.datascience-pm.com/data-science...
www.datascience-pm.com/data-science...
vdsbook.com/02-dslc
Any other good blogs or articles you'd recommend? Unique perspectives?
Some things I've been reading:
www.datascience-pm.com/data-science...
www.datascience-pm.com/data-science...
vdsbook.com/02-dslc
Any other good blogs or articles you'd recommend? Unique perspectives?
"We believe that the root of inefficiency in implementing the best software development practices in academic settings is the individualistic approach."
More on the lonely bioinformatician problem and its effect on software quality!
academic.oup.com/bioinformati...
More on the lonely bioinformatician problem and its effect on software quality!
academic.oup.com/bioinformati...
December 20, 2024 at 9:18 PM
"We believe that the root of inefficiency in implementing the best software development practices in academic settings is the individualistic approach."
More on the lonely bioinformatician problem and its effect on software quality!
academic.oup.com/bioinformati...
More on the lonely bioinformatician problem and its effect on software quality!
academic.oup.com/bioinformati...
There was a lot of exiting progress in childhood cancer research this year, including what NCI Director, Dr. Kimryn Rathmell, describes as "a never-before-seen result."
I am thankful that my tax dollars are going towards this important research.
www.cancer.gov/news-events/...
I am thankful that my tax dollars are going towards this important research.
www.cancer.gov/news-events/...
One Year in Cancer Research and Much to Celebrate
NCI Director Dr. Kimryn Rathmell reviews some of the most noteworthy cancer research findings from 2024, including advances in immunotherapy for children with cancer, a potential therapy for cachexia,...
www.cancer.gov
December 20, 2024 at 8:39 PM
There was a lot of exiting progress in childhood cancer research this year, including what NCI Director, Dr. Kimryn Rathmell, describes as "a never-before-seen result."
I am thankful that my tax dollars are going towards this important research.
www.cancer.gov/news-events/...
I am thankful that my tax dollars are going towards this important research.
www.cancer.gov/news-events/...
I wrote up my thoughts on the lonely data scientist problem. I'd love to hear other people's experience with solving this, please comment! Thanks to @openscapes.bsky.social for helping me frame this.
www.monicagerber.com/blog/2024-12...
www.monicagerber.com/blog/2024-12...
Solving the lonely data scientist problem | Monica Gerber
Monica Gerber's personal website.
www.monicagerber.com
December 18, 2024 at 7:25 PM
I wrote up my thoughts on the lonely data scientist problem. I'd love to hear other people's experience with solving this, please comment! Thanks to @openscapes.bsky.social for helping me frame this.
www.monicagerber.com/blog/2024-12...
www.monicagerber.com/blog/2024-12...
I like this depiction of being a woman in leadership as a series of messages that you are continually revising and self-editing. From Dr. Stacy Wentworth:
cancerculture.substack.com/p/whos-in-ch...
cancerculture.substack.com/p/whos-in-ch...
Who's In Charge Around Here?
I am...I think??
cancerculture.substack.com
December 16, 2024 at 9:49 PM
I like this depiction of being a woman in leadership as a series of messages that you are continually revising and self-editing. From Dr. Stacy Wentworth:
cancerculture.substack.com/p/whos-in-ch...
cancerculture.substack.com/p/whos-in-ch...