Shobita Parthasarathy
@shobitap.org
Science & tech politics/policy incl patents. Author: next book on politics of inclusive innovation/tech for equity. #STS scholar. Prof & Director, Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program, U of Michigan. Expert Voices columnist, Science. shobitap.org
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Repairing trust in science requires a more inclusive understanding of innovation
These are extraordinarily challenging times for university researchers across the United States. After decades of government largess based on the idea that a large and well-financed research ecosystem...
www.science.org
Public trust in science and technology is a serious, growing problem, especially now. Instead of trying to solve it with better communication, we should adopt a more inclusive approach to innovation that takes low-tech, incremental, and system-wide solutions seriously. My new piece @science.org 👇🏽🧵
This reminds me of covid and is a way to justify travel bans, immigration restrictions, and xenophobia.
SMH. RFK's CDC measles dashboard has a lead image of flights coming into the US from abroad -- as if other countries are to blame for our skyrocketing measles numbers.
>89% of cases last year were home-grown and >92% of cases this year. This is a US problem that needs domestic solutions.
>89% of cases last year were home-grown and >92% of cases this year. This is a US problem that needs domestic solutions.
February 9, 2026 at 7:37 PM
This reminds me of covid and is a way to justify travel bans, immigration restrictions, and xenophobia.
It's getting harder to resist (especially when airport gate agents are grumpy) but I'm still saying NO...
February 7, 2026 at 3:59 PM
It's getting harder to resist (especially when airport gate agents are grumpy) but I'm still saying NO...
Reposted by Shobita Parthasarathy
Breaking MS NOW:
The Department of Homeland Security *unsuccessfully* sought to expedite deportation proceedings against the family of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos, according to a local school official.
At an asylum hearing Friday, the family was granted a continuance.
www.ms.now/news/dhs-rep...
The Department of Homeland Security *unsuccessfully* sought to expedite deportation proceedings against the family of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos, according to a local school official.
At an asylum hearing Friday, the family was granted a continuance.
www.ms.now/news/dhs-rep...
Judge denies DHS bid to rush removal of Liam Ramos and his family
Kristen Stenvik, superintendent of the district where Liam goes to school, said the ruling provides both “additional time” and “continued uncertainty.”
www.ms.now
February 7, 2026 at 12:25 AM
Breaking MS NOW:
The Department of Homeland Security *unsuccessfully* sought to expedite deportation proceedings against the family of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos, according to a local school official.
At an asylum hearing Friday, the family was granted a continuance.
www.ms.now/news/dhs-rep...
The Department of Homeland Security *unsuccessfully* sought to expedite deportation proceedings against the family of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos, according to a local school official.
At an asylum hearing Friday, the family was granted a continuance.
www.ms.now/news/dhs-rep...
More of this, fewer racist videos please.
From @acyn.bsky.social (posted on X)
"Reporter: Do any of you have a favorite animal?
Child: My favorite one is a gold snake that can move. It has gold eyes, and it has a super-duper tail…
Reporter: Mr. Mamdani, the second question for you.
Mamdani: Yes. It’s also the golden snake."
"Reporter: Do any of you have a favorite animal?
Child: My favorite one is a gold snake that can move. It has gold eyes, and it has a super-duper tail…
Reporter: Mr. Mamdani, the second question for you.
Mamdani: Yes. It’s also the golden snake."
February 6, 2026 at 6:46 PM
More of this, fewer racist videos please.
Gelernter and his ilk help explain why women are less inclined to study computer science.
I have been writing letters of recommendation for just shy of thirty years— 17 students this year alone— in ratios that more or less track the majority-women population of liberal arts students.
Obviously I have never commented on a student's looks... and no recipient has ever called me to ask.
Obviously I have never commented on a student's looks... and no recipient has ever called me to ask.
February 5, 2026 at 9:56 PM
Gelernter and his ilk help explain why women are less inclined to study computer science.
In the last 24 hours, my dad has decided to cancel his subscription to the Washington Post AND Amazon Prime. Curious whether other fairly normal parents are making this shift.
February 5, 2026 at 6:12 PM
In the last 24 hours, my dad has decided to cancel his subscription to the Washington Post AND Amazon Prime. Curious whether other fairly normal parents are making this shift.
Great. Federal employees will no longer be able to provide expert assessments or advice without fearing for their jobs.
February 5, 2026 at 5:10 PM
Great. Federal employees will no longer be able to provide expert assessments or advice without fearing for their jobs.
I am sure they think they can use AI instead.
Seems as though they have laid off their entire photography staff. Photojournalists don’t just take photos, we report, we pitch, we take photos while our lives and safety are under threat. We explore our neighborhoods, restaurants and sports with a creative eye. Photojournalists do it all.
Washington Post laid off many of their staff photographers, too. Which seems missing from a lot of coverage I’ve read.
February 4, 2026 at 7:49 PM
I am sure they think they can use AI instead.
Here's how you can put your iPhone in lockdown mode: support.apple.com/guide/iphone...
February 4, 2026 at 2:21 PM
Here's how you can put your iPhone in lockdown mode: support.apple.com/guide/iphone...
Reposted by Shobita Parthasarathy
Science-heads who are journalism-curious! This is one of the best internships imaginable. Many of its holders have gone on to great careers at The Economist.
Please help spread the word.
www.economist.com/science-and-...
Please help spread the word.
www.economist.com/science-and-...
The Economist’s science and technology internship
We invite applications for the 2026 Richard Casement internship
www.economist.com
February 4, 2026 at 10:29 AM
Science-heads who are journalism-curious! This is one of the best internships imaginable. Many of its holders have gone on to great careers at The Economist.
Please help spread the word.
www.economist.com/science-and-...
Please help spread the word.
www.economist.com/science-and-...
I never want to hear from Bill Gates again, and I hope they dissolve the Foundation.
In an interview with NPR, Melinda French Gates confirmed that she ended her marriage with Bill Gates because of allegations contained in the Epstein files.
February 3, 2026 at 6:41 PM
I never want to hear from Bill Gates again, and I hope they dissolve the Foundation.
Reposted by Shobita Parthasarathy
This is one of the more interesting localized struggles right now - at the intersection of data centers, rising electricity costs, and nuclear weapons www.michigandaily.com/news/news-br...
Los Alamos confirms UMich data center to be used for nuclear weapons research
A representative of Los Alamos National Laboratory confirmed nuclear weapons research will be a priority for its portion of the data center it intends to construct in collaboration with the University...
www.michigandaily.com
February 2, 2026 at 6:49 PM
This is one of the more interesting localized struggles right now - at the intersection of data centers, rising electricity costs, and nuclear weapons www.michigandaily.com/news/news-br...
TFW "underserved" might be a good thing....
“Now the march of wearable tech is coming to the aid of what some say is a long underserved market: menopausal women.”
“Companies are developing everything from apps offering dietary advice to devices that track symptoms, hormones and body temperature.”
“Companies are developing everything from apps offering dietary advice to devices that track symptoms, hormones and body temperature.”
‘Menopause gold rush’? Boom in hi-tech products as stigma starts to recede
The march of wearable tech is coming to the aid of women in what some say is a long underserved market
www.theguardian.com
February 2, 2026 at 7:25 PM
TFW "underserved" might be a good thing....
Reposted by Shobita Parthasarathy
Give the people what they want.
Firefox will soon let you block all of its generative AI features | TechCrunch
Starting with Firefox 148 arriving later this month, users will find a new AI controls section within the desktop browser settings.
techcrunch.com
February 2, 2026 at 6:51 PM
Give the people what they want.
Affirmative action, no? "A majority of history PhDs now are female, and the majority of our concentrators are female. We have lost the men...if we offered even one or two courses in military history, we’d increase dramatically the number of men. At Hamilton, we’ve got a major on war and statecraft."
After 40 Years at Harvard, James Hankins Is Disillusioned. He’s Starting Over in Florida.
The Renaissance scholar on tensions with the conservative reform movement, his sanguine view of academic freedom in Ron DeSantis’s Florida, and the role of wine in Western civilization.
www.chronicle.com
February 2, 2026 at 3:23 PM
Affirmative action, no? "A majority of history PhDs now are female, and the majority of our concentrators are female. We have lost the men...if we offered even one or two courses in military history, we’d increase dramatically the number of men. At Hamilton, we’ve got a major on war and statecraft."
Reposted by Shobita Parthasarathy
Was built by a foreign power - the British - shortly before it was forced to quit India in some ignominy. Would seem an odd inspiration for something celebrating 250 years of freedom *from* British colonialism.
February 2, 2026 at 2:36 PM
Was built by a foreign power - the British - shortly before it was forced to quit India in some ignominy. Would seem an odd inspiration for something celebrating 250 years of freedom *from* British colonialism.
Reposted by Shobita Parthasarathy
Given that the main conclusion of my PhD was that evolutionary psychologists sought to 'shape science itself' via public communication (and succeeded) I'm pretty convinced that's *exactly* what Epstein was up to. Brrr 🤢 #sts #histSTM #histPsych #scicomm #philbio
Why did Jeffrey Epstein cultivate famous scientists?
www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-...
The Epstein files revive questions of whether the disgraced financier sought to merely cultivate famous scientists, or to shape science itself
www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-...
The Epstein files revive questions of whether the disgraced financier sought to merely cultivate famous scientists, or to shape science itself
Why did Jeffrey Epstein cultivate famous scientists?
The Epstein files revive questions of whether the disgraced financier sought to merely cultivate famous scientists, or to shape science itself
www.scientificamerican.com
January 20, 2026 at 5:57 PM
Given that the main conclusion of my PhD was that evolutionary psychologists sought to 'shape science itself' via public communication (and succeeded) I'm pretty convinced that's *exactly* what Epstein was up to. Brrr 🤢 #sts #histSTM #histPsych #scicomm #philbio
Reposted by Shobita Parthasarathy
Morning! Here’s my Op-Ed on self-driving cars to start the week
Self-driving taxis are coming to London – should we be worried? | Jack Stilgoe
Waymo’s cars were first rolled out in San Francisco, but the English capital’s old roads, pelican crossings and jaywalkers may pose issues for AI, says science and technology professor Jack Stilgoe
www.theguardian.com
February 2, 2026 at 8:49 AM
Morning! Here’s my Op-Ed on self-driving cars to start the week
Reposted by Shobita Parthasarathy
Liam is back home.
He is only one of the approximately 3,800 children in ICE custody.
(Source: www.themarshallproject.org/2026/01/29/i...)
He is only one of the approximately 3,800 children in ICE custody.
(Source: www.themarshallproject.org/2026/01/29/i...)
February 1, 2026 at 5:01 PM
Liam is back home.
He is only one of the approximately 3,800 children in ICE custody.
(Source: www.themarshallproject.org/2026/01/29/i...)
He is only one of the approximately 3,800 children in ICE custody.
(Source: www.themarshallproject.org/2026/01/29/i...)
Reposted by Shobita Parthasarathy
We know that 4more children from Liam's school are still in ICE custody in TX. But we still do not know how many children from MN in total have been detained by ICE.
JUST IN: The five-year-old Columbia Heights Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, who have been in an ICE detention facility in Texas, are on their way home.
Liam Conejo Ramos and his father have landed back in Minnesota following a judge's order
Liam Conejo Ramos, the 5-year-old whose detention by ICE sparked national fervor, returned home to Minnesota with his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, Sunday morning after a judge ordered their release.
www.mprnews.org
February 1, 2026 at 4:19 PM
We know that 4more children from Liam's school are still in ICE custody in TX. But we still do not know how many children from MN in total have been detained by ICE.
Reposted by Shobita Parthasarathy
Yesterday, five-year-old Liam and his dad Adrian were released from Dilley detention center. I picked them up last night and escorted them back to Minnesota this morning.
Liam is now home. With his hat and his backpack.
Liam is now home. With his hat and his backpack.
February 1, 2026 at 3:49 PM
Yesterday, five-year-old Liam and his dad Adrian were released from Dilley detention center. I picked them up last night and escorted them back to Minnesota this morning.
Liam is now home. With his hat and his backpack.
Liam is now home. With his hat and his backpack.
Reposted by Shobita Parthasarathy
I can’t stress this enough. The state of 4th Amendment law is that the cops can’t force you to type in a passcode but they can force you to swipe your finger or present your face. Never stop using passcodes/passwords to unlock your devices. And consider additional code to unlock Signal.
The FBI was able to access Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson's Signal messages because she used Signal on her work laptop. The laptop accepted Touch ID for authentication, meaning the agents were allowed to require her to unlock it. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
February 1, 2026 at 12:08 AM
I can’t stress this enough. The state of 4th Amendment law is that the cops can’t force you to type in a passcode but they can force you to swipe your finger or present your face. Never stop using passcodes/passwords to unlock your devices. And consider additional code to unlock Signal.
Reposted by Shobita Parthasarathy
The CSU/OpenAI contract is set to expire June 30, 2026.
Sign this petition: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/cancel-chatgpt-edu-invest-in-humans/ for the CSU NOT to renew the contract and to use the savings to protect jobs at CSU campuses facing layoffs.
Sign this petition: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/cancel-chatgpt-edu-invest-in-humans/ for the CSU NOT to renew the contract and to use the savings to protect jobs at CSU campuses facing layoffs.
January 31, 2026 at 2:00 AM
The CSU/OpenAI contract is set to expire June 30, 2026.
Sign this petition: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/cancel-chatgpt-edu-invest-in-humans/ for the CSU NOT to renew the contract and to use the savings to protect jobs at CSU campuses facing layoffs.
Sign this petition: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/cancel-chatgpt-edu-invest-in-humans/ for the CSU NOT to renew the contract and to use the savings to protect jobs at CSU campuses facing layoffs.
“Rather than viewing technological innovation as unidirectional, developed by researchers to benefit the public, we should reimagine it as a collective enterprise grounded in community”—my take on how we might repair public trust in science, in @science.org 👇🏽
Repairing trust in science requires a more inclusive understanding of innovation
These are extraordinarily challenging times for university researchers across the United States. After decades of government largess based on the idea that a large and well-financed research ecosystem...
www.science.org
February 1, 2026 at 12:14 AM
“Rather than viewing technological innovation as unidirectional, developed by researchers to benefit the public, we should reimagine it as a collective enterprise grounded in community”—my take on how we might repair public trust in science, in @science.org 👇🏽
Dear @deltaairreviewhub.bsky.social please remind your gate agents that I am well within my rights to decline biometric ID when boarding a flight. I don’t need attitude from them, and the tech shouldn’t be forced on any of us.
January 31, 2026 at 11:46 PM
Dear @deltaairreviewhub.bsky.social please remind your gate agents that I am well within my rights to decline biometric ID when boarding a flight. I don’t need attitude from them, and the tech shouldn’t be forced on any of us.