Sarah B. Bassing, PhD
@sbassing.bsky.social
Assistant Prof. of Applied Quantitative Ecology, Montana State University | Species interactions, carnivore behavior, wildlife conservation | Camera trap & scat enthusiast | She - her - hers
https://www.bassinglabecology.org/
https://www.bassinglabecology.org/
Pinned
Mammalian predator co‐occurrence affected by prey and habitat more than competitor presence at multiple time scales
The behavior and abundance of sympatric predators can be affected by a complex dominance hierarchy. The strength of antagonistic interactions in predator communities is difficult to study and remains...
dx.doi.org
First paper from my postdoc is out in #EcologicalMonographs w/ @ecologicalsociety.bsky.social! We looked at patterns of summer co-occurrence among 5 predators at 3 time scales to assess how competition, prey, & habitat affected predator distributions in north Idaho, USA. dx.doi.org/10.1002/ecm....
This is wild. I’ve seen AI hallucinate citations but this is a on a whole different level.
Closing out my year with a journal editor shocker 🧵
Checking new manuscripts today I reviewed a paper attributing 2 papers to me I did not write. A daft thing for an author to do of course. But intrigued I web searched up one of the titles and that's when it got real weird...
Checking new manuscripts today I reviewed a paper attributing 2 papers to me I did not write. A daft thing for an author to do of course. But intrigued I web searched up one of the titles and that's when it got real weird...
December 20, 2025 at 11:33 PM
This is wild. I’ve seen AI hallucinate citations but this is a on a whole different level.
Reposted by Sarah B. Bassing, PhD
MSU Extreme Biofilms Research Experience for Undergraduates tbi.montana.edu/undergraduat...
December 18, 2025 at 2:28 AM
MSU Extreme Biofilms Research Experience for Undergraduates tbi.montana.edu/undergraduat...
Reposted by Sarah B. Bassing, PhD
Our study is published on linking behavior and predation data to improve inference on interspecific risk perception in carnivores. learn all about how 🐱deal with 🐻! 🧪https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ecs2.70503
Linking behavior and predation data improves inference on interspecific risk perception in carnivores
Competition between carnivores and scavengers can alter predation rates and foraging behavior, shaping the effects of predation on complex community dynamics. The perceived risks of conflict and reso...
esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
December 17, 2025 at 9:17 PM
Our study is published on linking behavior and predation data to improve inference on interspecific risk perception in carnivores. learn all about how 🐱deal with 🐻! 🧪https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ecs2.70503
Where have you been all my life?
I ignored the strip.clip argument in #ggplot2 for way too long 😲
Combined with a small negative margin tweak, you can place facet labels inside each panel. A tiny trick that makes small multiples feel so much cleaner.
🔵 no manual coordinates
🔵 inherits theme styling
🔵 scales nicely when resizing
Combined with a small negative margin tweak, you can place facet labels inside each panel. A tiny trick that makes small multiples feel so much cleaner.
🔵 no manual coordinates
🔵 inherits theme styling
🔵 scales nicely when resizing
December 12, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Where have you been all my life?
Reposted by Sarah B. Bassing, PhD
I'm teaching Statistical Rethinking again starting Jan 2026. This time with live lectures, divided into Beginner and Experienced sections. Will be a lot more work for me, but I hope much better for students.
I will record lectures & all will be found at this link: github.com/rmcelreath/s...
I will record lectures & all will be found at this link: github.com/rmcelreath/s...
December 9, 2025 at 1:58 PM
I'm teaching Statistical Rethinking again starting Jan 2026. This time with live lectures, divided into Beginner and Experienced sections. Will be a lot more work for me, but I hope much better for students.
I will record lectures & all will be found at this link: github.com/rmcelreath/s...
I will record lectures & all will be found at this link: github.com/rmcelreath/s...
Reposted by Sarah B. Bassing, PhD
🐺 Advantageous snow conditions – in terms of snow depth and density – are among the most important features of the winter landscape for two apex predators, regardless of hunting strategy.
Read the full paper here ➡️ buff.ly/pXSMNRK
Read the full paper here ➡️ buff.ly/pXSMNRK
November 7, 2025 at 1:01 PM
🐺 Advantageous snow conditions – in terms of snow depth and density – are among the most important features of the winter landscape for two apex predators, regardless of hunting strategy.
Read the full paper here ➡️ buff.ly/pXSMNRK
Read the full paper here ➡️ buff.ly/pXSMNRK
Aurora borealis over Bozeman! Amazing!
November 12, 2025 at 3:01 AM
Aurora borealis over Bozeman! Amazing!
My students chose to stay an extra 10 minutes past the end of class so we could finish going over how to fit linear models in R today. One even said they thought it was fun. 🥹 Makes all the work of lesson planning worth it.
November 10, 2025 at 9:21 PM
My students chose to stay an extra 10 minutes past the end of class so we could finish going over how to fit linear models in R today. One even said they thought it was fun. 🥹 Makes all the work of lesson planning worth it.
Reposted by Sarah B. Bassing, PhD
Monty Python understood p-hacking
October 23, 2025 at 8:43 AM
Monty Python understood p-hacking
Reposted by Sarah B. Bassing, PhD
The #NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program #GRFP solicitation is coming soon!
The due date for Life Sciences proposals is 27 October 2025.
For more info: www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...
The due date for Life Sciences proposals is 27 October 2025.
For more info: www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)
www.nsf.gov
September 10, 2025 at 7:10 PM
The #NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program #GRFP solicitation is coming soon!
The due date for Life Sciences proposals is 27 October 2025.
For more info: www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...
The due date for Life Sciences proposals is 27 October 2025.
For more info: www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...
Reposted by Sarah B. Bassing, PhD
The GRFP lives!! (due end of October)
www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...
www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)
www.nsf.gov
September 8, 2025 at 6:23 PM
The GRFP lives!! (due end of October)
www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...
www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...
Looking forward to reading this!
The latest paper from the DISCAR synthesis group is out at Ecology Letters! We discuss the key approaches to predicting human impacts on wildlife populations, highlighting avenues for incorporating indirect effects, such as energetic modelling. doi.org/10.1111/ele....
August 23, 2025 at 1:26 PM
Looking forward to reading this!
Reposted by Sarah B. Bassing, PhD
Read it here: open.substack.com/pub/kareemca...
August 19, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Read it here: open.substack.com/pub/kareemca...
Reposted by Sarah B. Bassing, PhD
Thinking about applying for the Smith Fellowship? Watch the recording of our FAQ Webinar for answers to common questions and insights to strengthen your application here: vimeo.com/1111487510?s...
Applicant FAQ Webinar 2026
An overview of the fellowship, application process, and selection process, followed by common questions and answers, and an open Q&A session hosted by Smith…
vimeo.com
August 19, 2025 at 11:36 PM
Thinking about applying for the Smith Fellowship? Watch the recording of our FAQ Webinar for answers to common questions and insights to strengthen your application here: vimeo.com/1111487510?s...
Reposted by Sarah B. Bassing, PhD
One last outing this field season with my incoming graduate student. We collected genetic samples from wolf scat and hiked through some beautiful country. Looking forward to the start of the semester and getting this project officially started!
August 16, 2025 at 2:08 PM
One last outing this field season with my incoming graduate student. We collected genetic samples from wolf scat and hiked through some beautiful country. Looking forward to the start of the semester and getting this project officially started!
Reposted by Sarah B. Bassing, PhD
📝 Are you using multispecies occupancy models to investigate interactions in species occupancy (i.e. co-occurrence)? 🦁🦓
Check out our new paper for advice on the number of sites you need to reliably detect interactions under different scenarios ⬇️
Check out our new paper for advice on the number of sites you need to reliably detect interactions under different scenarios ⬇️
Sample size considerations for species co‐occurrence models
Multispecies occupancy models are widely applied to infer interactions in the occurrence of different species, but convergence and estimation issues under realistic sample sizes are common. We conduc...
doi.org
August 8, 2025 at 10:12 AM
📝 Are you using multispecies occupancy models to investigate interactions in species occupancy (i.e. co-occurrence)? 🦁🦓
Check out our new paper for advice on the number of sites you need to reliably detect interactions under different scenarios ⬇️
Check out our new paper for advice on the number of sites you need to reliably detect interactions under different scenarios ⬇️
Reposted by Sarah B. Bassing, PhD
Are you an early-career biologist or ecologist who would benefit from an invited seminar? Would you like to come to UMaine next fall or spring to give a talk? Leave a brief comment with some info about what you do. I'm co-hosting our seminar series again, and am filling out our rosters.
July 30, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Are you an early-career biologist or ecologist who would benefit from an invited seminar? Would you like to come to UMaine next fall or spring to give a talk? Leave a brief comment with some info about what you do. I'm co-hosting our seminar series again, and am filling out our rosters.
I’m honored and excited to be presenting in the “Quantitative Methods for Predator-Prey Interactions” section of this conference. The GRCs are small and have a unique format that makes them something truly special. Check out the link below for more details and to register.
Registration now open for the 2026 Gordon Research Conference on Predator-Prey Interactions. The conference will be held in Lucca, Italy from January 25 - 30, 2026. I am co-Chair of the conference with Kaitlyn Gaynor. Please send me any questions.
www.grc.org/predator-pre...
www.grc.org/predator-pre...
2026 Predator-Prey Interactions Conference GRC
The 2026 Gordon Research Conference on Predator-Prey Interactions will be held in Lucca (Barga), Lucca Italy. Apply today to reserve your spot.
www.grc.org
July 29, 2025 at 4:20 PM
I’m honored and excited to be presenting in the “Quantitative Methods for Predator-Prey Interactions” section of this conference. The GRCs are small and have a unique format that makes them something truly special. Check out the link below for more details and to register.
Reposted by Sarah B. Bassing, PhD
With many postdoc grants like the NSF PRFB, Ford Fellowship, and Hanna H. Gray fellowships disappearing, I am currently looking for grants that could fund incoming postdoctoral scholars. Here is a thread of some of them 🧵
July 24, 2025 at 7:26 PM
With many postdoc grants like the NSF PRFB, Ford Fellowship, and Hanna H. Gray fellowships disappearing, I am currently looking for grants that could fund incoming postdoctoral scholars. Here is a thread of some of them 🧵
Reposted by Sarah B. Bassing, PhD
I am making a Starter Pack for people who are looking for PHD STUDENT POSITIONS in the biological sciences! If you wish to be added, please respond directly to this post saying you want to be added. I need at least 5 people to create the pack. Please share widely!
July 16, 2025 at 2:43 PM
I am making a Starter Pack for people who are looking for PHD STUDENT POSITIONS in the biological sciences! If you wish to be added, please respond directly to this post saying you want to be added. I need at least 5 people to create the pack. Please share widely!
Reposted by Sarah B. Bassing, PhD
I really appreciate being given the opportunity to contribute to this Nature article on best practices for versioning shared data! 🫱📂🫲
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Need to update your data? Follow these five tips
Researchers engaged in long-term projects often need to update their data sets over time. Here’s how to do it while maintaining reproducibility.
www.nature.com
July 14, 2025 at 3:53 PM
I really appreciate being given the opportunity to contribute to this Nature article on best practices for versioning shared data! 🫱📂🫲
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Nice collection of articles about AI and the many challenges it presents.
I did this before in German but I guess today is a good day to compile English resources on why AI isn‘t actually intelligent and also a real danger: 🧵
July 9, 2025 at 8:50 PM
Nice collection of articles about AI and the many challenges it presents.
Reposted by Sarah B. Bassing, PhD
I've been interested in uncertainty visualization for a long time, yet somehow it took forever to come across this 2018 paper on ‘value-suppressed uncertainty palettes’.
A neat and intuitive alternative to the clunky ‘unsuppressed’ bivariate palette approach:
doi.org/10.1145/3173... 🧪 #dataviz
A neat and intuitive alternative to the clunky ‘unsuppressed’ bivariate palette approach:
doi.org/10.1145/3173... 🧪 #dataviz
July 4, 2025 at 7:59 AM
I've been interested in uncertainty visualization for a long time, yet somehow it took forever to come across this 2018 paper on ‘value-suppressed uncertainty palettes’.
A neat and intuitive alternative to the clunky ‘unsuppressed’ bivariate palette approach:
doi.org/10.1145/3173... 🧪 #dataviz
A neat and intuitive alternative to the clunky ‘unsuppressed’ bivariate palette approach:
doi.org/10.1145/3173... 🧪 #dataviz
Reposted by Sarah B. Bassing, PhD
#bioacoustics community: do you know any online platforms for volunteers to join an acoustics project, validate and label acoustic data (e.g. birdnet detections, false negatives), filter for specific species etc? I asked this a few yrs ago but nothing of the sort existed...
July 3, 2025 at 4:58 AM
#bioacoustics community: do you know any online platforms for volunteers to join an acoustics project, validate and label acoustic data (e.g. birdnet detections, false negatives), filter for specific species etc? I asked this a few yrs ago but nothing of the sort existed...