Sera L. Young
@profserayoung.bsky.social
Anthropologist & nutritionist; Professor at @NorthwesternU. I care deeply about improving maternal and child health, water security, and food security. And having fun. Definitely that too. www.WISEscales.org www.serayoung.org
Kudos to Joseph Toland, Anchal Bansal, Andrew Whelton, Clayton Wukich, Sybil Derrible & Lauryn Spearing for using #WISE_Scales to study East Palestine, OH disaster. 31% water insecure vs <4% US avg—key insights for post-disaster response in high-income settings. 🔬💧
November 5, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Kudos to Joseph Toland, Anchal Bansal, Andrew Whelton, Clayton Wukich, Sybil Derrible & Lauryn Spearing for using #WISE_Scales to study East Palestine, OH disaster. 31% water insecure vs <4% US avg—key insights for post-disaster response in high-income settings. 🔬💧
A landmark moment for @plos.org, our first in-person Board Meeting! So much to love about The Water Institute at UNC, including the presence of both Academic and Section Editors. Guillaume Wright and I were pleased to welcome present Editors, future Editors, and friends-of-PLOS-Water.
October 31, 2025 at 3:44 PM
A landmark moment for @plos.org, our first in-person Board Meeting! So much to love about The Water Institute at UNC, including the presence of both Academic and Section Editors. Guillaume Wright and I were pleased to welcome present Editors, future Editors, and friends-of-PLOS-Water.
Reposted by Sera L. Young
Nation’s Indigenous People Confirm They Don’t Need Special Holiday, Just Large Swaths Of Land Returned Immediately https://theonion.com/nation-s-indigenous-people-confirm-they-don-t-need-spec-1839033177/
October 13, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Nation’s Indigenous People Confirm They Don’t Need Special Holiday, Just Large Swaths Of Land Returned Immediately https://theonion.com/nation-s-indigenous-people-confirm-they-don-t-need-spec-1839033177/
🌋 New research on Tonga's 2022 eruption: Concurrent water & food insecurity = highest mental distress (vs. one or neither). Impact similar for men & women, 4-5 months post-ash contamination. #PublicHealth #MentalHealth #Tonga
October 14, 2025 at 5:06 AM
🌋 New research on Tonga's 2022 eruption: Concurrent water & food insecurity = highest mental distress (vs. one or neither). Impact similar for men & women, 4-5 months post-ash contamination. #PublicHealth #MentalHealth #Tonga
Reposted by Sera L. Young
🌋 New research: Are water & food insecurity linked with mental distress among men & women after a natural disaster? A paper by IMMANA Fellow @indirabose.bsky.social explores this using the 2022 volcanic eruption data in Tonga 🇹🇴.
📄Read here bit.ly/3ITOwha
📄Read here bit.ly/3ITOwha
October 10, 2025 at 3:48 PM
🌋 New research: Are water & food insecurity linked with mental distress among men & women after a natural disaster? A paper by IMMANA Fellow @indirabose.bsky.social explores this using the 2022 volcanic eruption data in Tonga 🇹🇴.
📄Read here bit.ly/3ITOwha
📄Read here bit.ly/3ITOwha
Reposted by Sera L. Young
Where are the people who were so outraged that Biden asked google to pull misinfo at Covid, now that Trump has made Apple pull the ice tracker app
October 4, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Where are the people who were so outraged that Biden asked google to pull misinfo at Covid, now that Trump has made Apple pull the ice tracker app
🌊 🪩 It brings me great pleasure to announce that yesterday I started as co-Editor-in-Chief at @plos.org Water! 🌊 🪩
A bit about my vision for the journal here: latitude.plos.org/2025/10/sera...
Please reach out with ideas, suggestions, & even (esp?) constructive criticism. 🧡 💛 💚 🩵 💙 💜 ❤️🩹 More soon!
A bit about my vision for the journal here: latitude.plos.org/2025/10/sera...
Please reach out with ideas, suggestions, & even (esp?) constructive criticism. 🧡 💛 💚 🩵 💙 💜 ❤️🩹 More soon!
Sera Young joins PLOS Water as co-Editor-in-Chief - Latitude
We are delighted to welcome Professor Sera Young to PLOS Water as co-Editor-in-Chief! Sera is a professor of anthropology at Northwestern University…
latitude.plos.org
October 2, 2025 at 8:52 PM
🌊 🪩 It brings me great pleasure to announce that yesterday I started as co-Editor-in-Chief at @plos.org Water! 🌊 🪩
A bit about my vision for the journal here: latitude.plos.org/2025/10/sera...
Please reach out with ideas, suggestions, & even (esp?) constructive criticism. 🧡 💛 💚 🩵 💙 💜 ❤️🩹 More soon!
A bit about my vision for the journal here: latitude.plos.org/2025/10/sera...
Please reach out with ideas, suggestions, & even (esp?) constructive criticism. 🧡 💛 💚 🩵 💙 💜 ❤️🩹 More soon!
I'm attending No Kings's event, “NO KINGS Evanston IL” - sign up now to join me! www.mobilize.us/nokings/even...
NO KINGS Evanston IL · No Kings
**In America, we don’t put up with would-be kings.**
Our peaceful movement is only getting bigger and stronger. “NO KINGS” is more than just a slogan—it’s the foundation our nation was built upon. Bo...
www.mobilize.us
October 1, 2025 at 2:33 PM
I'm attending No Kings's event, “NO KINGS Evanston IL” - sign up now to join me! www.mobilize.us/nokings/even...
Reposted by Sera L. Young
🎙️Patrick Mbullo Owuor, PhD, a pioneering anthropologist and public health leader, discusses his community-driven solutions to global health challenges in Kenya and beyond in the new episode of our #ExploreGlobalHealthPodcast.
www.globalhealth.northwestern.edu/events/podca...
www.globalhealth.northwestern.edu/events/podca...
Community-Driven Solutions in Global Health with Patrick Mbullo Owuor, PhD
Patrick Mbullo Owuor, PhD, a pioneering anthropologist and public health leader, discusses his community-driven solutions to global health challenges in Kenya and beyond. He shares how local action an...
www.globalhealth.northwestern.edu
September 9, 2025 at 8:19 PM
🎙️Patrick Mbullo Owuor, PhD, a pioneering anthropologist and public health leader, discusses his community-driven solutions to global health challenges in Kenya and beyond in the new episode of our #ExploreGlobalHealthPodcast.
www.globalhealth.northwestern.edu/events/podca...
www.globalhealth.northwestern.edu/events/podca...
Thrilled to share that IMPACT Initiatives is implementing the 💧 Water Insecurity Experiences (WISE) Scales in 12 countries facing humanitarian crises! HWISE-4 data will help calculate People in Need, enabling more efficient aid response in places like CAR 🇨🇫, DRC 🇨🇩, Lebanon 🇱🇧, Haiti 🇭🇹 and Ukraine 🇺🇦
September 4, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Thrilled to share that IMPACT Initiatives is implementing the 💧 Water Insecurity Experiences (WISE) Scales in 12 countries facing humanitarian crises! HWISE-4 data will help calculate People in Need, enabling more efficient aid response in places like CAR 🇨🇫, DRC 🇨🇩, Lebanon 🇱🇧, Haiti 🇭🇹 and Ukraine 🇺🇦
Heartbreaking but not surprising headline from @nytimes.com today. Back in 2020, Afghanistan was amongst the most water insecure countries in the @gallup.com World Poll. My thanks to @indirabose.bsky.social for flagging this story.
August 30, 2025 at 9:43 PM
Heartbreaking but not surprising headline from @nytimes.com today. Back in 2020, Afghanistan was amongst the most water insecure countries in the @gallup.com World Poll. My thanks to @indirabose.bsky.social for flagging this story.
📢 Join us this Sunday (Aug 23) at @SIWI_water World Water Week! Our session on "Advancing Water Security in Africa Using Experiential (WISE) Data" features success stories from Kenya, Malawi, Madagascar, Mali & Sierra Leone!
🌍 Available both online & in-person
🌍 Available both online & in-person
August 18, 2025 at 9:08 PM
📢 Join us this Sunday (Aug 23) at @SIWI_water World Water Week! Our session on "Advancing Water Security in Africa Using Experiential (WISE) Data" features success stories from Kenya, Malawi, Madagascar, Mali & Sierra Leone!
🌍 Available both online & in-person
🌍 Available both online & in-person
Congratulations to Indira Bose for leading analyses on the link between food and water insecurity in Mexico and mental health. This research was made possible by Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública's data collection over 4 years.
August 18, 2025 at 8:10 PM
Congratulations to Indira Bose for leading analyses on the link between food and water insecurity in Mexico and mental health. This research was made possible by Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública's data collection over 4 years.
What I love about this new WISE Scales paper in PLOS Water is how PRACTICAL it is! Organizations like Helvetas and Oxfam successfully used these scales in Nepal and Sierra Leone to measure the human impact of water interventions. We need more tools that capture effects on people's daily lives!
August 14, 2025 at 4:21 PM
What I love about this new WISE Scales paper in PLOS Water is how PRACTICAL it is! Organizations like Helvetas and Oxfam successfully used these scales in Nepal and Sierra Leone to measure the human impact of water interventions. We need more tools that capture effects on people's daily lives!
We are thrilled to share the latest newsletter from the WISE-LAC Network, marking two incredible years of collaborative research and action to improve water security across Latin America and the Caribbean! 🥂 🎂
lnkd.in/eynZvU4V
Español: lnkd.in/eMJeskfF
lnkd.in/eynZvU4V
Español: lnkd.in/eMJeskfF
July 25, 2025 at 3:00 PM
We are thrilled to share the latest newsletter from the WISE-LAC Network, marking two incredible years of collaborative research and action to improve water security across Latin America and the Caribbean! 🥂 🎂
lnkd.in/eynZvU4V
Español: lnkd.in/eMJeskfF
lnkd.in/eynZvU4V
Español: lnkd.in/eMJeskfF
Even low sodium levels in drinking water can be harmful. However, our review of 197 countries' guidelines, led by Juliette Crowther & Jacqui Webster, found most are based on taste, not health. This change needs to be pushed! (Yes, that's a Salt-N-Pepa reference!) #waterinsecurity
July 25, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Even low sodium levels in drinking water can be harmful. However, our review of 197 countries' guidelines, led by Juliette Crowther & Jacqui Webster, found most are based on taste, not health. This change needs to be pushed! (Yes, that's a Salt-N-Pepa reference!) #waterinsecurity
Reposted by Sera L. Young
Hey, fiction writers: We're having a short story contest, and the wonderful Kim Stanley Robinson is the judge. The stories need to have some conceivable connection to (avoiding) the Apocalypse. thebulletin.org/write-before...
Write Before Midnight - Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
Write Before Midnight A Bulletin short fiction contest Announcing the Bulletin‘s new short fiction contest… Over the decades, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has published the smartest minds in ...
thebulletin.org
July 2, 2025 at 4:57 PM
Hey, fiction writers: We're having a short story contest, and the wonderful Kim Stanley Robinson is the judge. The stories need to have some conceivable connection to (avoiding) the Apocalypse. thebulletin.org/write-before...
We received the "Champions of Health" Award from @inspmx.bsky.social. It honors hundreds of researchers and partners who've made #WISEScales successful across 80+ countries. Thank you to all contributors and funders for highlighting water insecurity challenges.
July 21, 2025 at 1:14 AM
We received the "Champions of Health" Award from @inspmx.bsky.social. It honors hundreds of researchers and partners who've made #WISEScales successful across 80+ countries. Thank you to all contributors and funders for highlighting water insecurity challenges.
Reposted by Sera L. Young
📊 New study validates simplified yes/no responses for WISE Scales - making water insecurity measurement even faster! Same accuracy, half the options. Big win for global water security research! 💧
Read it here, in @plos.org :
journals.plos.org/water/articl...
Read it here, in @plos.org :
journals.plos.org/water/articl...
Investigating the suitability of dichotomous responses for the Water Insecurity Experiences (WISE) Scales using nationally representative data from 39 countries
The Water Insecurity Experiences (WISE) Scales have been validated to comparably measure water insecurity globally. The scales consist of 12 items that can be administered in approximately 3 minutes. ...
journals.plos.org
June 18, 2025 at 3:50 PM
📊 New study validates simplified yes/no responses for WISE Scales - making water insecurity measurement even faster! Same accuracy, half the options. Big win for global water security research! 💧
Read it here, in @plos.org :
journals.plos.org/water/articl...
Read it here, in @plos.org :
journals.plos.org/water/articl...
📊 New study validates simplified yes/no responses for WISE Scales - making water insecurity measurement even faster! Same accuracy, half the options. Big win for global water security research! 💧
Read it here, in @plos.org :
journals.plos.org/water/articl...
Read it here, in @plos.org :
journals.plos.org/water/articl...
Investigating the suitability of dichotomous responses for the Water Insecurity Experiences (WISE) Scales using nationally representative data from 39 countries
The Water Insecurity Experiences (WISE) Scales have been validated to comparably measure water insecurity globally. The scales consist of 12 items that can be administered in approximately 3 minutes. ...
journals.plos.org
June 18, 2025 at 3:50 PM
📊 New study validates simplified yes/no responses for WISE Scales - making water insecurity measurement even faster! Same accuracy, half the options. Big win for global water security research! 💧
Read it here, in @plos.org :
journals.plos.org/water/articl...
Read it here, in @plos.org :
journals.plos.org/water/articl...
It's painful to move platforms. Sky follower bridge helped me to find some of my twitter friends! ✨ Check it out: share.sky-follower-bridge.dev?q=338 #skyfollowerbridge
Sky Follower Bridge
Bridge your Twitter/X followers to Bluesky. Detected Users: 338
share.sky-follower-bridge.dev
June 17, 2025 at 1:08 PM
It's painful to move platforms. Sky follower bridge helped me to find some of my twitter friends! ✨ Check it out: share.sky-follower-bridge.dev?q=338 #skyfollowerbridge
Thrilled to share that our WISE-Dx project was featured on cbschicago.bsky.social today! We're developing a rapid at-home test for lead in water that gives results in just 30 mins. Helping Chicago tackle its 400k+ lead service lines, one test at a time. link in comments
June 5, 2025 at 2:37 AM
Thrilled to share that our WISE-Dx project was featured on cbschicago.bsky.social today! We're developing a rapid at-home test for lead in water that gives results in just 30 mins. Helping Chicago tackle its 400k+ lead service lines, one test at a time. link in comments
Our appreciation to @evanstonroundtable.bsky.social for their coverage of some of the implications of the shortsighted federal research funding cuts. IYCMI: each $1 invested in federal research generates ~$5 in productivity, health, & living standards.
evanstonroundtable.com/2025/05/20/t...
evanstonroundtable.com/2025/05/20/t...
Northwestern's scientific innovation faces significant setback under Trump - Evanston RoundTable
The Trump administration's funding cuts to Northwestern University's research programs have caused significant damage, with 80% of the school's research funding cut, and the loss of 790 million dollar...
evanstonroundtable.com
May 30, 2025 at 6:39 PM
Our appreciation to @evanstonroundtable.bsky.social for their coverage of some of the implications of the shortsighted federal research funding cuts. IYCMI: each $1 invested in federal research generates ~$5 in productivity, health, & living standards.
evanstonroundtable.com/2025/05/20/t...
evanstonroundtable.com/2025/05/20/t...
Reposted by Sera L. Young
💧New research: Can yes/no responses speed up water insecurity measurement without losing too much detail?
IMMANA Fellow @indirabose.bsky.social explores this trade-off using data from 39 countries.
📄Learn more about methods to measure issues with water bit.ly/3HhpaZl
#WISEScales #SDG6 #Water
IMMANA Fellow @indirabose.bsky.social explores this trade-off using data from 39 countries.
📄Learn more about methods to measure issues with water bit.ly/3HhpaZl
#WISEScales #SDG6 #Water
May 30, 2025 at 3:17 PM
💧New research: Can yes/no responses speed up water insecurity measurement without losing too much detail?
IMMANA Fellow @indirabose.bsky.social explores this trade-off using data from 39 countries.
📄Learn more about methods to measure issues with water bit.ly/3HhpaZl
#WISEScales #SDG6 #Water
IMMANA Fellow @indirabose.bsky.social explores this trade-off using data from 39 countries.
📄Learn more about methods to measure issues with water bit.ly/3HhpaZl
#WISEScales #SDG6 #Water
Reposted by Sera L. Young
Last week, Prof. Will Dichtel dropped some serious knowledge about tackling #PFAS contamination in our water systems. His team at NU Chem is doing groundbreaking work on selective PFAS removal materials.
Awesome to see folks from Loyola's Getzinger group getting in on the conversation too!
Awesome to see folks from Loyola's Getzinger group getting in on the conversation too!
April 16, 2025 at 7:39 PM
Last week, Prof. Will Dichtel dropped some serious knowledge about tackling #PFAS contamination in our water systems. His team at NU Chem is doing groundbreaking work on selective PFAS removal materials.
Awesome to see folks from Loyola's Getzinger group getting in on the conversation too!
Awesome to see folks from Loyola's Getzinger group getting in on the conversation too!