Travis Seaborn
@travisseaborn.bsky.social
Assistant prof SNRS at NDSU. Landscape genetics and distribution (and other) ecology modeling endeavors. Conservation, climate change, and land use with disease sprinkles. Views own. He/Him
Reposted by Travis Seaborn
If Jeff Bezos could afford to spend $75 million on the Melania movie & $500 million for a yacht to sail off to his $55 million wedding to give his wife a $5 million ring, please don't tell me he needed to fire one-third of the Washington Post staff.
Democracy dies in oligarchy.
Democracy dies in oligarchy.
February 5, 2026 at 12:16 AM
If Jeff Bezos could afford to spend $75 million on the Melania movie & $500 million for a yacht to sail off to his $55 million wedding to give his wife a $5 million ring, please don't tell me he needed to fire one-third of the Washington Post staff.
Democracy dies in oligarchy.
Democracy dies in oligarchy.
Reposted by Travis Seaborn
Reposting again because according to Reddit threads, another round of RWR emails went out today.
NSF GRFP applicants (and mentors): Was your application Returned Without Review and deemed ineligible despite fitting in the allowed topics?
1) Write NSF
2) Write your Congressperson
3) CC us at grfp@grant-witness.us so we can compile + follow up
Details and template at grant-witness.us/grfp-letter
1) Write NSF
2) Write your Congressperson
3) CC us at grfp@grant-witness.us so we can compile + follow up
Details and template at grant-witness.us/grfp-letter
February 4, 2026 at 10:39 PM
Reposting again because according to Reddit threads, another round of RWR emails went out today.
Reposted by Travis Seaborn
I'm hearing from multiple people that students who submitted ecology GRFP proposals are having those proposals rejected without review, despite ecology being listed as an eligible field. If this is a programmatic change, this is devastating. Ecology is the study of Earth's life support systems.
A number of our students got the following comment back on a rejection for the NSF GFRP. They are in an eligible STEM field. Is this something people in other places are getting too? Is it a quirk or targeted?
January 29, 2026 at 2:31 PM
I'm hearing from multiple people that students who submitted ecology GRFP proposals are having those proposals rejected without review, despite ecology being listed as an eligible field. If this is a programmatic change, this is devastating. Ecology is the study of Earth's life support systems.
Kind of a late breaking MS opportunity in my lab - please share! Hoping to have someone this summer for some of the before data collection prior to a restoration project. Please don't hesitate to reach out with questions.
January 26, 2026 at 8:06 PM
Kind of a late breaking MS opportunity in my lab - please share! Hoping to have someone this summer for some of the before data collection prior to a restoration project. Please don't hesitate to reach out with questions.
Reposted by Travis Seaborn
US Congress set to reject Trump’s sweeping science budget cuts www.nature.com/articles/d41... Significant damage has been done already. But this is a hard-fought win.
US Congress set to reject Trump’s sweeping science budget cuts
Lawmakers announce legislation that would actually increase funding for basic research by more than 2%.
www.nature.com
January 25, 2026 at 3:52 PM
US Congress set to reject Trump’s sweeping science budget cuts www.nature.com/articles/d41... Significant damage has been done already. But this is a hard-fought win.
Reposted by Travis Seaborn
The logic laid bare: further degrade the labour of university workers; further degrade students' experiences of learning, thinking, writing; further embed ed tech companies into every remaining crack of the university.
Old Dominion University is trying to compress 16-week courses into 8-week online courses for the 2026 fall semester — and fully integrate AI without faculty input.
Isaac Kamola, AAUP’s Director of the Center for the Defense of Academic Freedom, explains why this is a “nightmare.”
Isaac Kamola, AAUP’s Director of the Center for the Defense of Academic Freedom, explains why this is a “nightmare.”
January 22, 2026 at 8:07 AM
The logic laid bare: further degrade the labour of university workers; further degrade students' experiences of learning, thinking, writing; further embed ed tech companies into every remaining crack of the university.
Reposted by Travis Seaborn
orthogene: a Bioconductor package to easily map genes within and across hundreds of species www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... #Rstats bioconductor.org/packages/ort...
January 22, 2026 at 3:01 PM
orthogene: a Bioconductor package to easily map genes within and across hundreds of species www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... #Rstats bioconductor.org/packages/ort...
Reposted by Travis Seaborn
For context, this is the graph for the long and short term loss of staff for NOAA southeast fisheries. We had already been losing staff gradually over time due to budgets not keeping up with inflation.
January 22, 2026 at 3:57 PM
For context, this is the graph for the long and short term loss of staff for NOAA southeast fisheries. We had already been losing staff gradually over time due to budgets not keeping up with inflation.
Reposted by Travis Seaborn
WHAT IF WE HAVE A PLACE WHERE EVERYONE ISN’T JUST POSTING FOR CLOUT ALL THE TIME
bsky.app/profile/astr...
bsky.app/profile/astr...
I really like that this place is not overrun by engagement-farming the way the other sites are and I like that things only go viral when there's genuine sustained interest in them. I think those are good properties in a social media site, even if they dissatisfy people looking for something else.
January 19, 2026 at 11:56 PM
WHAT IF WE HAVE A PLACE WHERE EVERYONE ISN’T JUST POSTING FOR CLOUT ALL THE TIME
bsky.app/profile/astr...
bsky.app/profile/astr...
Reposted by Travis Seaborn
The total NSF budget was 9 billion. I doubt they spend 89% of it on quail.
January 15, 2026 at 9:21 PM
The total NSF budget was 9 billion. I doubt they spend 89% of it on quail.
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"One email at a time, one informational interview after another, I became comfortable, confident, and strategic in building my network of mentors."
One mentor isn’t enough, wrote Erika Moore in this 2021 Working Life essay. https://scim.ag/3Zfm0e8 #NationalMentoringMonth
One mentor isn’t enough, wrote Erika Moore in this 2021 Working Life essay. https://scim.ag/3Zfm0e8 #NationalMentoringMonth
January 15, 2026 at 10:03 PM
"One email at a time, one informational interview after another, I became comfortable, confident, and strategic in building my network of mentors."
One mentor isn’t enough, wrote Erika Moore in this 2021 Working Life essay. https://scim.ag/3Zfm0e8 #NationalMentoringMonth
One mentor isn’t enough, wrote Erika Moore in this 2021 Working Life essay. https://scim.ag/3Zfm0e8 #NationalMentoringMonth
Reposted by Travis Seaborn
NEW – Analysis: The climate papers most featured in the media in 2025 | @rtmcswee.carbonbrief.org @ayeshatandon.carbonbrief.org
Read here: buff.ly/sF3cD1c
Read here: buff.ly/sF3cD1c
January 13, 2026 at 4:31 PM
NEW – Analysis: The climate papers most featured in the media in 2025 | @rtmcswee.carbonbrief.org @ayeshatandon.carbonbrief.org
Read here: buff.ly/sF3cD1c
Read here: buff.ly/sF3cD1c
Reposted by Travis Seaborn
It's late & it's been a horrific day, but the Trump admin has pulled the US out of all the international environmental institutions I have been deeply involved in: IPCC, IPBES, IUCN and many others (UN Water, UN Oceans, UNREDD, ITTO, etc). And of course UNFCCC too www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...
www.whitehouse.gov
January 8, 2026 at 3:16 AM
It's late & it's been a horrific day, but the Trump admin has pulled the US out of all the international environmental institutions I have been deeply involved in: IPCC, IPBES, IUCN and many others (UN Water, UN Oceans, UNREDD, ITTO, etc). And of course UNFCCC too www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...
Reposted by Travis Seaborn
Timeline cleanse.
Yesterday we started #kakapo artificial insemination for the season. We do this to help maintain genetic diversity, with a potential additional benefit of improving fertility. We inseminated Esperance, who mated naturally a few nights ago. #conservation #parrots #birds
January 8, 2026 at 8:26 AM
Timeline cleanse.
Reposted by Travis Seaborn
With misinformation nearly everywhere, one professor tested a simple fix of 150 minutes of fact-checking homework – and it worked, boosting the students’ ability to spot misinformation by nearly 20%.
theconversation.com/college-stud...
theconversation.com/college-stud...
January 4, 2026 at 10:36 AM
With misinformation nearly everywhere, one professor tested a simple fix of 150 minutes of fact-checking homework – and it worked, boosting the students’ ability to spot misinformation by nearly 20%.
theconversation.com/college-stud...
theconversation.com/college-stud...
Reposted by Travis Seaborn
It’s 2026 and one of the first things that has happened is that a major news outlet has announced that it will no longer seek information from experts.
I don’t think this is gonna help with what I think is the most existential threat to our society currently: disinformation.
I don’t think this is gonna help with what I think is the most existential threat to our society currently: disinformation.
January 2, 2026 at 4:00 PM
It’s 2026 and one of the first things that has happened is that a major news outlet has announced that it will no longer seek information from experts.
I don’t think this is gonna help with what I think is the most existential threat to our society currently: disinformation.
I don’t think this is gonna help with what I think is the most existential threat to our society currently: disinformation.
Reposted by Travis Seaborn
As someone who has been on many faculty search committees…
(Dies of laughing)
(Dies of laughing)
This article advocates for the “Faculty Merit Act” that would — get this — require all faculty applicants to submit their *SAT* scores. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Holy shirts that’s hilarious.
January 2, 2026 at 5:07 PM
As someone who has been on many faculty search committees…
(Dies of laughing)
(Dies of laughing)
Reposted by Travis Seaborn
Canvas used to be helpful but that time has passed.
Last semester I gravitated some of my course materials off Canvas. This coming semester I will pull off even more.
Last semester I gravitated some of my course materials off Canvas. This coming semester I will pull off even more.
THIS THIS THIS. ALL OF THIS
THIS is why faculty resist technological strategies for teaching. There is no engaging with Edtech without this context
THIS is why faculty resist technological strategies for teaching. There is no engaging with Edtech without this context
December 30, 2025 at 1:57 AM
Canvas used to be helpful but that time has passed.
Last semester I gravitated some of my course materials off Canvas. This coming semester I will pull off even more.
Last semester I gravitated some of my course materials off Canvas. This coming semester I will pull off even more.
Reposted by Travis Seaborn
THIS THIS THIS. ALL OF THIS
THIS is why faculty resist technological strategies for teaching. There is no engaging with Edtech without this context
THIS is why faculty resist technological strategies for teaching. There is no engaging with Edtech without this context
December 30, 2025 at 1:50 AM
THIS THIS THIS. ALL OF THIS
THIS is why faculty resist technological strategies for teaching. There is no engaging with Edtech without this context
THIS is why faculty resist technological strategies for teaching. There is no engaging with Edtech without this context
Reposted by Travis Seaborn
Reposted by Travis Seaborn
working at a university
December 29, 2025 at 9:29 PM
working at a university
Reposted by Travis Seaborn
Student Success | First-Year Persistence Continues Slow Climb Back From Pandemic Drop
Nearly 84 percent of the first-year students who enrolled in fall 2023 persisted at their institution to the spring term, though 14 percent left higher education entirely. https://bit.ly/4pfWLDj
Nearly 84 percent of the first-year students who enrolled in fall 2023 persisted at their institution to the spring term, though 14 percent left higher education entirely. https://bit.ly/4pfWLDj
December 26, 2025 at 9:11 PM
Student Success | First-Year Persistence Continues Slow Climb Back From Pandemic Drop
Nearly 84 percent of the first-year students who enrolled in fall 2023 persisted at their institution to the spring term, though 14 percent left higher education entirely. https://bit.ly/4pfWLDj
Nearly 84 percent of the first-year students who enrolled in fall 2023 persisted at their institution to the spring term, though 14 percent left higher education entirely. https://bit.ly/4pfWLDj
In what quite discouraging, this semester's course evals have by far the greatest amount of factually incorrect things in the comments with regards to course structure, policies, and content. Do they honestly believe these things? Is it a lie? I just don't know.
December 26, 2025 at 7:42 PM
In what quite discouraging, this semester's course evals have by far the greatest amount of factually incorrect things in the comments with regards to course structure, policies, and content. Do they honestly believe these things? Is it a lie? I just don't know.
Reposted by Travis Seaborn
NSF now planning to let POs largely decide what gets funded, and to send PIs reviews that are only 3-5 sentences long. They don't have to use outside reviewers (except maybe 1) and don't have to convene panels. (1/5)
NSF pares down grant-review process, reducing influence of outside scientists
Memo cites overburdened staff, but some say move also aims to elevate White House priorities
www.science.org
December 15, 2025 at 11:45 PM
NSF now planning to let POs largely decide what gets funded, and to send PIs reviews that are only 3-5 sentences long. They don't have to use outside reviewers (except maybe 1) and don't have to convene panels. (1/5)
Reposted by Travis Seaborn
Key misunderstanding I want to get ahead of: NCAR isn't really a government agency like NIH or NSF. It's one of the largest NSF grants in history, and is given to a non-profit org called UCAR, whose job is to make NCAR exist (www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/...). That means the buck stops with NSF right now
Award Details - NSF Award Search
Find award details and explore award abstracts and publications.
www.nsf.gov
December 17, 2025 at 3:08 AM
Key misunderstanding I want to get ahead of: NCAR isn't really a government agency like NIH or NSF. It's one of the largest NSF grants in history, and is given to a non-profit org called UCAR, whose job is to make NCAR exist (www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/...). That means the buck stops with NSF right now