Natasha Klappstein 🐻❄️🇨🇦📈
@njklappstein.bsky.social
PhD student (Statistics) at Dalhousie University interested in animal movement and habitat selection modelling.
Reposted by Natasha Klappstein 🐻❄️🇨🇦📈
“Fighting for the right to a public university”, written about the Dal Faculty strike, also applies to @cupe3912.bsky.social's strike mandate, which can “be seen as strong resistance to right-wing neoliberal tendencies that strangle universities”.
www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...
#Nspoli
www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...
#Nspoli
Fighting for the right to a public university - CCPA
The Dalhousie Faculty Association (DFA) was locked out by the university three weeks ago (August 20th). The DFA’s calls for fair wages and supportive measures for newer and precariously employed facul...
www.policyalternatives.ca
November 4, 2025 at 4:58 PM
“Fighting for the right to a public university”, written about the Dal Faculty strike, also applies to @cupe3912.bsky.social's strike mandate, which can “be seen as strong resistance to right-wing neoliberal tendencies that strangle universities”.
www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...
#Nspoli
www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...
#Nspoli
Reposted by Natasha Klappstein 🐻❄️🇨🇦📈
In Canada, proposed cuts of 15% across the federal government would have a dramatic effect on already globally decimated research & science.
Join Canada's research & science community and tell PM Mark Carney to preserve the funding promised in 2024.
Send a letter: win.newmode.net/canadianasso...
Join Canada's research & science community and tell PM Mark Carney to preserve the funding promised in 2024.
Send a letter: win.newmode.net/canadianasso...
September 18, 2025 at 9:30 PM
In Canada, proposed cuts of 15% across the federal government would have a dramatic effect on already globally decimated research & science.
Join Canada's research & science community and tell PM Mark Carney to preserve the funding promised in 2024.
Send a letter: win.newmode.net/canadianasso...
Join Canada's research & science community and tell PM Mark Carney to preserve the funding promised in 2024.
Send a letter: win.newmode.net/canadianasso...
Reposted by Natasha Klappstein 🐻❄️🇨🇦📈
The hmmTMB paper is finally out in the Journal of Statistical Software!
An R package for hidden Markov models with random effects, flexible spline-based covariate effects, and fast inference using TMB or Stan.
Check out the GIthub repository for more examples.
doi.org/10.18637/jss...
An R package for hidden Markov models with random effects, flexible spline-based covariate effects, and fast inference using TMB or Stan.
Check out the GIthub repository for more examples.
doi.org/10.18637/jss...
hmmTMB: Hidden Markov Models with Flexible Covariate Effects in R by Théo Michelot
<p>Hidden Markov models (HMMs) are widely applied in studies where a discrete-valued process of interest is observed indirectly. They have for example been used to model behavior from human and animal...
doi.org
September 12, 2025 at 11:37 AM
The hmmTMB paper is finally out in the Journal of Statistical Software!
An R package for hidden Markov models with random effects, flexible spline-based covariate effects, and fast inference using TMB or Stan.
Check out the GIthub repository for more examples.
doi.org/10.18637/jss...
An R package for hidden Markov models with random effects, flexible spline-based covariate effects, and fast inference using TMB or Stan.
Check out the GIthub repository for more examples.
doi.org/10.18637/jss...
Yes! Very happy to see the DSU finally taking a public stand!
Our students understand what's at stake! Why don't our administration or our Board?
Students and Faculty united can turn this tide! Now is the time to redouble our efforts to #KeepDalStrong!
www.dsu.ca/dfa-labour-n...
Students and Faculty united can turn this tide! Now is the time to redouble our efforts to #KeepDalStrong!
www.dsu.ca/dfa-labour-n...
September 4, 2025 at 12:05 AM
Yes! Very happy to see the DSU finally taking a public stand!
Reposted by Natasha Klappstein 🐻❄️🇨🇦📈
Uniforum (Nous Group) has been at Dal since 2022 and they've likely been advising senior administration on creating the crisis narrative since then. Read these articles: circles.eduvation.ca/posts/inviti... and nationalpost.com/feature/how-...
August 29, 2025 at 1:27 PM
Uniforum (Nous Group) has been at Dal since 2022 and they've likely been advising senior administration on creating the crisis narrative since then. Read these articles: circles.eduvation.ca/posts/inviti... and nationalpost.com/feature/how-...
Reposted by Natasha Klappstein 🐻❄️🇨🇦📈
The @dalhousieu.bsky.social Board of Governors' "offer" for interest arbitration won't resolve this. It's just creating further delays. Bargaining on the issues important to our members is required. Stop with the stunts, let's get back to the table and talk. It's the only way to #KeepDalStrong
August 28, 2025 at 5:27 PM
The @dalhousieu.bsky.social Board of Governors' "offer" for interest arbitration won't resolve this. It's just creating further delays. Bargaining on the issues important to our members is required. Stop with the stunts, let's get back to the table and talk. It's the only way to #KeepDalStrong
Reposted by Natasha Klappstein 🐻❄️🇨🇦📈
Perhaps you have seen the newest presser by @dalhousie.bsky.social (www.dal.ca/dept/hr/labo...) about interest arbitration.
Note:
THEY CONVINIENTLY LEFT OUT THAT THE @dalfaculty.bsky.social WOULD HAVE TO DROP ALL UNRESOLVED ITEMS
They have had since May to bargain and have not.
#KeepDalStrong
Note:
THEY CONVINIENTLY LEFT OUT THAT THE @dalfaculty.bsky.social WOULD HAVE TO DROP ALL UNRESOLVED ITEMS
They have had since May to bargain and have not.
#KeepDalStrong
Message to faculty and staff, August 27, 2025
www.dal.ca
August 28, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Perhaps you have seen the newest presser by @dalhousie.bsky.social (www.dal.ca/dept/hr/labo...) about interest arbitration.
Note:
THEY CONVINIENTLY LEFT OUT THAT THE @dalfaculty.bsky.social WOULD HAVE TO DROP ALL UNRESOLVED ITEMS
They have had since May to bargain and have not.
#KeepDalStrong
Note:
THEY CONVINIENTLY LEFT OUT THAT THE @dalfaculty.bsky.social WOULD HAVE TO DROP ALL UNRESOLVED ITEMS
They have had since May to bargain and have not.
#KeepDalStrong
Reposted by Natasha Klappstein 🐻❄️🇨🇦📈
How does locking out faculty achieve this objective? Uncompetitive offer followed by lockout disproportionately affects junior faculty (poor retention) and makes Dal less attractive to future hires (poor recruitment).
#Solidarity #KeepDalStrong @dalfaculty.bsky.social
#Solidarity #KeepDalStrong @dalfaculty.bsky.social
Strategic plan
Dalhousie's Strategic Plan (2021-2026): Third Century Promise, signals our long-term ambition and provides a clear, actionable strategy to guide us.
www.dal.ca
August 25, 2025 at 11:45 AM
How does locking out faculty achieve this objective? Uncompetitive offer followed by lockout disproportionately affects junior faculty (poor retention) and makes Dal less attractive to future hires (poor recruitment).
#Solidarity #KeepDalStrong @dalfaculty.bsky.social
#Solidarity #KeepDalStrong @dalfaculty.bsky.social
Reposted by Natasha Klappstein 🐻❄️🇨🇦📈
This is just it. Strikes & lockouts are the big tools unions & employers use, often to bring the other back to the table.
Dal’s prez locked us out—while voting on her “offer”!—after her team walked away. I guess just to show she could?
That’s not leadership; it’s childish bullying. #KeepDalStrong
Dal’s prez locked us out—while voting on her “offer”!—after her team walked away. I guess just to show she could?
That’s not leadership; it’s childish bullying. #KeepDalStrong
Yes!
I'm no expert, but I think a lockout is supposed to be something that an employer does to put pressure on employee groups to come back to the bargaining table. Except, in this case, the employer walked away from bargaining prematurely after a tepid effort.
Weak sauce.
#KeepDalStrong
I'm no expert, but I think a lockout is supposed to be something that an employer does to put pressure on employee groups to come back to the bargaining table. Except, in this case, the employer walked away from bargaining prematurely after a tepid effort.
Weak sauce.
#KeepDalStrong
Wow. I just learned that there's such a thing as a lockout:
"The difference is that, in a strike, the union withdraws their labour, whereas in a lockout it’s the employer who takes the action to stop work."
This appears to be happening right now at Dalhousie University: www.dal.ca/dept/hr/labo...
"The difference is that, in a strike, the union withdraws their labour, whereas in a lockout it’s the employer who takes the action to stop work."
This appears to be happening right now at Dalhousie University: www.dal.ca/dept/hr/labo...
August 21, 2025 at 9:36 PM
This is just it. Strikes & lockouts are the big tools unions & employers use, often to bring the other back to the table.
Dal’s prez locked us out—while voting on her “offer”!—after her team walked away. I guess just to show she could?
That’s not leadership; it’s childish bullying. #KeepDalStrong
Dal’s prez locked us out—while voting on her “offer”!—after her team walked away. I guess just to show she could?
That’s not leadership; it’s childish bullying. #KeepDalStrong
Reposted by Natasha Klappstein 🐻❄️🇨🇦📈
Students have set up an open letter, which students can sign, in support of @dalfaculty.bsky.social! THANK YOU! forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/respon...
Microsoft Forms
forms.cloud.microsoft
August 20, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Students have set up an open letter, which students can sign, in support of @dalfaculty.bsky.social! THANK YOU! forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/respon...
Reposted by Natasha Klappstein 🐻❄️🇨🇦📈
As if a terrible offer wasn't bad enough, @dalhousieu.bsky.social walked away from the table, AGAIN! Won't even talk about our members' priorities. The disrespect is baffling. DFA wants to bargain, and we need the other side to engage and help us #KeepDalStrong. @ansut.bsky.social @caut.bsky.social
August 15, 2025 at 10:57 AM
As if a terrible offer wasn't bad enough, @dalhousieu.bsky.social walked away from the table, AGAIN! Won't even talk about our members' priorities. The disrespect is baffling. DFA wants to bargain, and we need the other side to engage and help us #KeepDalStrong. @ansut.bsky.social @caut.bsky.social
Reposted by Natasha Klappstein 🐻❄️🇨🇦📈
@supportourscience.bsky.social's letter of concern covered in @science.org's News today #cdnpoli #cdnsci
Carney is planing 15% budget cuts across most of government. @supportourscience.bsky.social and @u15ca.bsky.social worry what that would do to a research system that is already lagging behind other countries. My story for @science.org 🧪
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
Canada plans a 15% budget cut. Scientists are alarmed
Cuts could erase promised boost, researchers fear
www.science.org
August 7, 2025 at 9:51 PM
@supportourscience.bsky.social's letter of concern covered in @science.org's News today #cdnpoli #cdnsci
Concerned about the yellow bars here though. Over a third of researchers are open to using AI to compose a draft. Plus more for editing… so basically using AI for the entire writing process?
A minority of researchers - under 30% - have used AI to edit or write their papers, according to a Nature survey published today.
Those that have used AI, more often than not didn't disclose it.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
@nature.com
Those that have used AI, more often than not didn't disclose it.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
@nature.com
May 17, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Concerned about the yellow bars here though. Over a third of researchers are open to using AI to compose a draft. Plus more for editing… so basically using AI for the entire writing process?
Reposted by Natasha Klappstein 🐻❄️🇨🇦📈
Sheer insanity. Can you imagine this in any other industry? Not only giving content away for free, but paying billions for the privilege of doing so, and then paying yet more billions in order to access the content we paid to give away. Make it make sense. 📚
🚨 Preprint! We combine our recent open dataset of #APC prices with the article counts per journal-year from #OpenAlex to estimate how much the academic community has paid in APCs over the last 5 years.
A. $8.349 billion ($8.968 B in 2023 USD)
$2.5B in 2023 alone.
arxiv.org/abs/2407.16551 #metasci
A. $8.349 billion ($8.968 B in 2023 USD)
$2.5B in 2023 alone.
arxiv.org/abs/2407.16551 #metasci
Estimating global article processing charges paid to six publishers for open access between 2019 and 2023
This study presents estimates of the global expenditure on article processing charges (APCs) paid to six publishers for open access between 2019 and 2023. APCs are fees charged for publishing in some ...
arxiv.org
March 19, 2025 at 7:08 PM
Sheer insanity. Can you imagine this in any other industry? Not only giving content away for free, but paying billions for the privilege of doing so, and then paying yet more billions in order to access the content we paid to give away. Make it make sense. 📚
Reposted by Natasha Klappstein 🐻❄️🇨🇦📈
1. For the past thirty years I've had the best job in the world.
I've had the opportunity to follow my curiosity; explore the workings of nature and society; mentor students and junior colleagues in the same process; and teach generations of students about it all.
I've had the opportunity to follow my curiosity; explore the workings of nature and society; mentor students and junior colleagues in the same process; and teach generations of students about it all.
March 19, 2025 at 7:32 PM
1. For the past thirty years I've had the best job in the world.
I've had the opportunity to follow my curiosity; explore the workings of nature and society; mentor students and junior colleagues in the same process; and teach generations of students about it all.
I've had the opportunity to follow my curiosity; explore the workings of nature and society; mentor students and junior colleagues in the same process; and teach generations of students about it all.
Reposted by Natasha Klappstein 🐻❄️🇨🇦📈
Well over 600 signatories now. Please keep the momentum going.
Sign and share to show how much the wider scientific community is concerned by the Royal Society's silence over Musk's FRS.
Members of the UK and international scientific community are all welcome to sign.
Sign and share to show how much the wider scientific community is concerned by the Royal Society's silence over Musk's FRS.
Members of the UK and international scientific community are all welcome to sign.
Now almost 450 signatories to my open letter calling on the @royalsociety.org to stand up for its values & deal with the widespread concerns raised by Elon Musk's Fellowship. Please consider signing & sharing: forms.gle/miDciq35oxyw...
List of signatories here: occamstypewriter.org/scurry/2025/...
List of signatories here: occamstypewriter.org/scurry/2025/...
Open letter to the President of the Royal Society – time to stand up for your values
If you wish to show your support for the letter below regarding apparent inaction by the Royal Society in the face of breaches of its code of conduct by Elon Musk FRS, please sign below. I invite anyo...
forms.gle
February 12, 2025 at 11:48 AM
Well over 600 signatories now. Please keep the momentum going.
Sign and share to show how much the wider scientific community is concerned by the Royal Society's silence over Musk's FRS.
Members of the UK and international scientific community are all welcome to sign.
Sign and share to show how much the wider scientific community is concerned by the Royal Society's silence over Musk's FRS.
Members of the UK and international scientific community are all welcome to sign.
Reposted by Natasha Klappstein 🐻❄️🇨🇦📈
With help from @marcofesta.bsky.social the Canadian Ecologists Starter Pack is now over 50. Please reply to this with brief information if you'd like to be added.
bsky.app/starter-pack...
bsky.app/starter-pack...
bsky.app
November 28, 2024 at 9:09 PM
With help from @marcofesta.bsky.social the Canadian Ecologists Starter Pack is now over 50. Please reply to this with brief information if you'd like to be added.
bsky.app/starter-pack...
bsky.app/starter-pack...
Reposted by Natasha Klappstein 🐻❄️🇨🇦📈
The strain on scientific publishing: we set out to characterise the remarkable growth of the scientific literature in the last few years, in spite of declining growth in total scientists. What is going on?
direct.mit.edu/qss/article/...
A 🧵 1/n
#AcademicSky #PhDchat #ScientificPublishing #SciPub
direct.mit.edu/qss/article/...
A 🧵 1/n
#AcademicSky #PhDchat #ScientificPublishing #SciPub
November 19, 2024 at 12:27 PM
The strain on scientific publishing: we set out to characterise the remarkable growth of the scientific literature in the last few years, in spite of declining growth in total scientists. What is going on?
direct.mit.edu/qss/article/...
A 🧵 1/n
#AcademicSky #PhDchat #ScientificPublishing #SciPub
direct.mit.edu/qss/article/...
A 🧵 1/n
#AcademicSky #PhDchat #ScientificPublishing #SciPub
Reposted by Natasha Klappstein 🐻❄️🇨🇦📈
Recently discovered a fun webpage called Probability Playground where you can interactively explore probability distributions.
It’s helpful especially for distributions with parameters that are not immediately intuitive. Very cool!
www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~adamcunn/pr...
It’s helpful especially for distributions with parameters that are not immediately intuitive. Very cool!
www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~adamcunn/pr...
November 24, 2024 at 3:18 PM
Recently discovered a fun webpage called Probability Playground where you can interactively explore probability distributions.
It’s helpful especially for distributions with parameters that are not immediately intuitive. Very cool!
www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~adamcunn/pr...
It’s helpful especially for distributions with parameters that are not immediately intuitive. Very cool!
www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~adamcunn/pr...