Mark Norris
@proftsuga.bsky.social
Tree hugging, dirt worshipping ecologist/teacher.
Stevenson University (a PUI in Baltimore County, Maryland, USA)
Stevenson University (a PUI in Baltimore County, Maryland, USA)
'A new faculty survey paints a bleak picture of the impact that generative AI tools are having on students & higher ed.; 90% of instructors believe that generative AI will diminish students’ critical-thinking skills & 78% said that there has been more cheating'
www.chronicle.com/newsletter/t...
www.chronicle.com/newsletter/t...
Faculty Are Overwhelmed and Conflicted by AI, Survey Shows
One-third of instructors say they’ve dealt with a lot of academic-integrity violations.
www.chronicle.com
January 21, 2026 at 12:49 PM
'A new faculty survey paints a bleak picture of the impact that generative AI tools are having on students & higher ed.; 90% of instructors believe that generative AI will diminish students’ critical-thinking skills & 78% said that there has been more cheating'
www.chronicle.com/newsletter/t...
www.chronicle.com/newsletter/t...
Reposted by Mark Norris
This is the most astonishing graph of what the Trump regime has done to US science. They have destroyed the federal science workforce across the board. The negative impacts on Americans will be felt for generations, and the US might never be the same again.
www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
January 20, 2026 at 10:53 PM
This is the most astonishing graph of what the Trump regime has done to US science. They have destroyed the federal science workforce across the board. The negative impacts on Americans will be felt for generations, and the US might never be the same again.
www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
Graduating seniors, check out Scientists in Parks.... Applications due by Feb 15th but don't procrastinate, positions close once they get 60 applications.
conservation-legacy.breezy.hr
conservation-legacy.breezy.hr
SCIENTISTS IN PARKS
The next application period will open in late January.
conservation-legacy.breezy.hr
January 20, 2026 at 1:05 PM
Graduating seniors, check out Scientists in Parks.... Applications due by Feb 15th but don't procrastinate, positions close once they get 60 applications.
conservation-legacy.breezy.hr
conservation-legacy.breezy.hr
Reposted by Mark Norris
Spiralling global temperatures (1850-2025)
The last 3 years really jump out, rather like 2015-6 did when we first produced this graphic back then. Now, 2015-6 looks rather cool...
More on the spiral: doi.org/10.1175/BAMS...
The last 3 years really jump out, rather like 2015-6 did when we first produced this graphic back then. Now, 2015-6 looks rather cool...
More on the spiral: doi.org/10.1175/BAMS...
January 14, 2026 at 11:37 AM
Spiralling global temperatures (1850-2025)
The last 3 years really jump out, rather like 2015-6 did when we first produced this graphic back then. Now, 2015-6 looks rather cool...
More on the spiral: doi.org/10.1175/BAMS...
The last 3 years really jump out, rather like 2015-6 did when we first produced this graphic back then. Now, 2015-6 looks rather cool...
More on the spiral: doi.org/10.1175/BAMS...
Reposted by Mark Norris
As the climate data for 2025 continues to be released, it's time to update various data visualisations.
First - the global climate stripes for 1850-2025. A third darkest red stripe is added.
The last 11 years have been the warmest 11 years on record. A sequence that is unlikely to be broken soon.
First - the global climate stripes for 1850-2025. A third darkest red stripe is added.
The last 11 years have been the warmest 11 years on record. A sequence that is unlikely to be broken soon.
January 14, 2026 at 11:02 AM
As the climate data for 2025 continues to be released, it's time to update various data visualisations.
First - the global climate stripes for 1850-2025. A third darkest red stripe is added.
The last 11 years have been the warmest 11 years on record. A sequence that is unlikely to be broken soon.
First - the global climate stripes for 1850-2025. A third darkest red stripe is added.
The last 11 years have been the warmest 11 years on record. A sequence that is unlikely to be broken soon.
From today's NYTimes Daily Briefing, due to increased demand (attributed mostly to data centers) + increased coal combustion. 👎🏻
January 13, 2026 at 1:27 PM
From today's NYTimes Daily Briefing, due to increased demand (attributed mostly to data centers) + increased coal combustion. 👎🏻
Two years ago our church began looking into going #solar. Construction on our solar parking lot canopy began spring 2025 and then it took months of back and forth with our utility but the system is finally on and generating.
January 12, 2026 at 9:49 PM
Two years ago our church began looking into going #solar. Construction on our solar parking lot canopy began spring 2025 and then it took months of back and forth with our utility but the system is finally on and generating.
Sunday #Sunrise. Yesterday's lingering storm system didn't yield much sun but pretty nonetheless. And lots of birds flittering about.
45 min in 15 sec...
45 min in 15 sec...
January 11, 2026 at 2:10 PM
Sunday #Sunrise. Yesterday's lingering storm system didn't yield much sun but pretty nonetheless. And lots of birds flittering about.
45 min in 15 sec...
45 min in 15 sec...
Distracting myself from the news and preparing for the new semester with a little tree climbing, including practicing different climbing systems. Still need lots of practice with the throwbag
January 8, 2026 at 10:36 PM
Distracting myself from the news and preparing for the new semester with a little tree climbing, including practicing different climbing systems. Still need lots of practice with the throwbag
2025 recap in books: 36 read
28 fiction, 8 non-fiction
Authors (to the best that I can tell):
24 male, 12 female
31 white, 5 BIPOC
31 from USA, 5 not
Effort to diversify still needs work.
Most memorable book:
Chesapeake by James Michener
28 fiction, 8 non-fiction
Authors (to the best that I can tell):
24 male, 12 female
31 white, 5 BIPOC
31 from USA, 5 not
Effort to diversify still needs work.
Most memorable book:
Chesapeake by James Michener
January 1, 2026 at 5:40 PM
2025 recap in books: 36 read
28 fiction, 8 non-fiction
Authors (to the best that I can tell):
24 male, 12 female
31 white, 5 BIPOC
31 from USA, 5 not
Effort to diversify still needs work.
Most memorable book:
Chesapeake by James Michener
28 fiction, 8 non-fiction
Authors (to the best that I can tell):
24 male, 12 female
31 white, 5 BIPOC
31 from USA, 5 not
Effort to diversify still needs work.
Most memorable book:
Chesapeake by James Michener
Reposted by Mark Norris
On Christmas Eve 1968, in Lunar orbit, the Apollo 8 crew took this photo: “Earthrise."
I'll never forget how inspiring the Apollo missions were to my brother and me as kids. They showed us what our country and humanity can accomplish when we work together toward a common goal.
I'll never forget how inspiring the Apollo missions were to my brother and me as kids. They showed us what our country and humanity can accomplish when we work together toward a common goal.
December 24, 2025 at 10:22 PM
On Christmas Eve 1968, in Lunar orbit, the Apollo 8 crew took this photo: “Earthrise."
I'll never forget how inspiring the Apollo missions were to my brother and me as kids. They showed us what our country and humanity can accomplish when we work together toward a common goal.
I'll never forget how inspiring the Apollo missions were to my brother and me as kids. They showed us what our country and humanity can accomplish when we work together toward a common goal.
Sunset on the winter solstice
December 21, 2025 at 11:09 PM
Sunset on the winter solstice
Again the bipolar nature of student evals (same section):
•... Prof Norris was not a good professor & provided a horrible class
• Dr. Norris is a great professor ... does a really great job teaching ecology lab. Lab was very much fun & had in part to do with Dr. Norris's enthusiasm & intelligence
•... Prof Norris was not a good professor & provided a horrible class
• Dr. Norris is a great professor ... does a really great job teaching ecology lab. Lab was very much fun & had in part to do with Dr. Norris's enthusiasm & intelligence
December 19, 2025 at 6:02 PM
Again the bipolar nature of student evals (same section):
•... Prof Norris was not a good professor & provided a horrible class
• Dr. Norris is a great professor ... does a really great job teaching ecology lab. Lab was very much fun & had in part to do with Dr. Norris's enthusiasm & intelligence
•... Prof Norris was not a good professor & provided a horrible class
• Dr. Norris is a great professor ... does a really great job teaching ecology lab. Lab was very much fun & had in part to do with Dr. Norris's enthusiasm & intelligence
Yesterday was our department's student research symposium, one of my favorite events of the semester. It's always great to hear what our students have been working on all semester. We heard about wildlife behavior on campus, CAR-NK therapies for cancer, & native vs. non-native plant phenology. 1/2
December 9, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Yesterday was our department's student research symposium, one of my favorite events of the semester. It's always great to hear what our students have been working on all semester. We heard about wildlife behavior on campus, CAR-NK therapies for cancer, & native vs. non-native plant phenology. 1/2
The annual Operation Griswold is in the books. A lovely white pine is in the living room ready for decorating.
December 3, 2025 at 12:01 AM
The annual Operation Griswold is in the books. A lovely white pine is in the living room ready for decorating.
This week in #Norrestry (my Forest Ecology & Mgmt course): Students selected a study tree months ago & are now telling that tree's story. Today's stories focused on why trees grow the way they do, history they've witnessed, threats to the tree/forest, & the food web that trees contribute to
December 1, 2025 at 7:13 PM
This week in #Norrestry (my Forest Ecology & Mgmt course): Students selected a study tree months ago & are now telling that tree's story. Today's stories focused on why trees grow the way they do, history they've witnessed, threats to the tree/forest, & the food web that trees contribute to
#Movember ended but the Mo lives on. For now. Here's me with my Dad last week. The Mo is in his honor as he continues his cancer struggle.
December 1, 2025 at 4:10 PM
#Movember ended but the Mo lives on. For now. Here's me with my Dad last week. The Mo is in his honor as he continues his cancer struggle.
Intro biology (eco & evo) lab this week: exploring patterns of global NPP and C cycling. Atmospheric [CO2] was 331 ppm when I was born, then 360 when I was in college. It was 380 when my students were born. It's now 427 ppm. One of my students says "We're so cooked."
November 24, 2025 at 10:57 PM
Intro biology (eco & evo) lab this week: exploring patterns of global NPP and C cycling. Atmospheric [CO2] was 331 ppm when I was born, then 360 when I was in college. It was 380 when my students were born. It's now 427 ppm. One of my students says "We're so cooked."
Reposted by Mark Norris
Nearly every panel I spoke on this year ended with the same question: "What gives you hope?"
My friends, that question expired years ago. (If you need receipts, my book Saving Us is literally a 300-page answer.)
The real question is: How are you PRACTICING hope?
Because Greta is right ..
My friends, that question expired years ago. (If you need receipts, my book Saving Us is literally a 300-page answer.)
The real question is: How are you PRACTICING hope?
Because Greta is right ..
November 19, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Nearly every panel I spoke on this year ended with the same question: "What gives you hope?"
My friends, that question expired years ago. (If you need receipts, my book Saving Us is literally a 300-page answer.)
The real question is: How are you PRACTICING hope?
Because Greta is right ..
My friends, that question expired years ago. (If you need receipts, my book Saving Us is literally a 300-page answer.)
The real question is: How are you PRACTICING hope?
Because Greta is right ..
Reposted by Mark Norris
After two weeks of #COP30 negotiations, countries agreed to BEGIN DISCUSSIONS on fossil fuel phase out. And as the article says, "they achieved this incremental progress only in the teeth of implacable opposition from oil-producing countries."
THIS is the problem with requiring unanimous decisions.
THIS is the problem with requiring unanimous decisions.
End of fossil fuel era inches closer as Cop30 deal agreed after bitter standoff
Wealthy countries agree to triple funds for countries to tackle climate impacts, but deforestation and critical minerals blocked from final deal
www.theguardian.com
November 22, 2025 at 6:52 PM
After two weeks of #COP30 negotiations, countries agreed to BEGIN DISCUSSIONS on fossil fuel phase out. And as the article says, "they achieved this incremental progress only in the teeth of implacable opposition from oil-producing countries."
THIS is the problem with requiring unanimous decisions.
THIS is the problem with requiring unanimous decisions.
I always enjoy our School of the Sciences senior capstone poster session. It's a chance to hear what cool things our seniors did for their capstone internships or research experiences. This semester's ENV cohort is a great group, fortunately I get to hang our with most of them for 1 more semester.
November 21, 2025 at 10:23 PM
I always enjoy our School of the Sciences senior capstone poster session. It's a chance to hear what cool things our seniors did for their capstone internships or research experiences. This semester's ENV cohort is a great group, fortunately I get to hang our with most of them for 1 more semester.
This week in undergraduate research: we did our final red-backed salamander survey for the year. We generally found the same pattern with salamanders at just 2 of the 14 (now 15) transects but we did find 1 each at two other transects where we've had very limited captures in the past. 22 in total.
November 14, 2025 at 5:41 PM
This week in undergraduate research: we did our final red-backed salamander survey for the year. We generally found the same pattern with salamanders at just 2 of the 14 (now 15) transects but we did find 1 each at two other transects where we've had very limited captures in the past. 22 in total.
Grading lab reports all morning means 1) a 2nd pot of coffee, and 2) learning which students believe in punctuation (generally but the Oxford comma, in particular)
November 13, 2025 at 6:38 PM
Grading lab reports all morning means 1) a 2nd pot of coffee, and 2) learning which students believe in punctuation (generally but the Oxford comma, in particular)
For our salamander project, we're trying to explain patterns of red-backed salamander presence across 14+ cover board transects across two properties. We've wondered about food web effects but haven't found a good diagram for this, so I asked one of our Env Sci majors to create one. This is awesome!
November 13, 2025 at 2:12 PM
For our salamander project, we're trying to explain patterns of red-backed salamander presence across 14+ cover board transects across two properties. We've wondered about food web effects but haven't found a good diagram for this, so I asked one of our Env Sci majors to create one. This is awesome!