Melissa Ingala, Ph.D. 🦇🦠
@bat-biomes.bsky.social
Asst. Professor of Microbiology at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Wrangler of bats. Tropic enthusiast. Microbes rule everything around me. Opinions mine.
Given growing hostility towards higher ed-- I thought I'd share that an @fduwhatsnew.bsky.social alum came to visit me yesterday, handed me these flowers, and thanked me for believing in her enough to help her find her path to a career in medicine. #ProfessorsareNOTtheenemy
February 28, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Given growing hostility towards higher ed-- I thought I'd share that an @fduwhatsnew.bsky.social alum came to visit me yesterday, handed me these flowers, and thanked me for believing in her enough to help her find her path to a career in medicine. #ProfessorsareNOTtheenemy
Reposted by Melissa Ingala, Ph.D. 🦇🦠
'I am compelled to send a message calling for unity among the microbial sciences and a renewal of our commitment to support our diverse community of scientists, especially those historically excluded from science.' Excellent @patschloss.bsky.social
My editorial simultaneously published in all of @asm.org's journals addresses the ongoing effort by the administration to halt efforts to diversify science. It should be obvious from ASM Journals' efforts over the years, but we aren't fans journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
A call for healing and unity | mBio
Executive orders signed since 20 January 2025 aim to end programs intended to diversify the scientific workforce via equitable and inclusive practices and processes; cut federal funding for research and innovation; and stifle scientific communications. They represent a stunning reversal of policies that have been the bedrock of the U.S. scientific research enterprise and its leadership in the world, and therefore not surprisingly they have been met with a number of legal challenges. Some of the executive orders have been blocked by temporary restraining orders, and others are pending judicial review.
journals.asm.org
February 28, 2025 at 1:25 PM
'I am compelled to send a message calling for unity among the microbial sciences and a renewal of our commitment to support our diverse community of scientists, especially those historically excluded from science.' Excellent @patschloss.bsky.social
Reposted by Melissa Ingala, Ph.D. 🦇🦠
The Trump administration has begun firing employees at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, one of the world’s premier centers for climate science.
Mass Layoffs Begin at NOAA
The cuts came just before a separate wave of departures was expected under the Trump administration’s so-called deferred resignation program.
www.nytimes.com
February 28, 2025 at 1:20 AM
The Trump administration has begun firing employees at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, one of the world’s premier centers for climate science.
Reposted by Melissa Ingala, Ph.D. 🦇🦠
Holy crap. At his town hall last night, Rep. Rich McCormick compared *his own constituents* who asked him tough and fair questions to January 6 insurrectionists
February 21, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Holy crap. At his town hall last night, Rep. Rich McCormick compared *his own constituents* who asked him tough and fair questions to January 6 insurrectionists
Reposted by Melissa Ingala, Ph.D. 🦇🦠
Doing my job: teaching, research, service, increasingly feels like an act of protest, civil disobedience, defiance. Thinking of it this way makes it a tad easier to keep my mind on work amidst the doomscrolling about the kelpto-oligo-kakistocracy
February 15, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Doing my job: teaching, research, service, increasingly feels like an act of protest, civil disobedience, defiance. Thinking of it this way makes it a tad easier to keep my mind on work amidst the doomscrolling about the kelpto-oligo-kakistocracy
Reposted by Melissa Ingala, Ph.D. 🦇🦠
in addition to being a contemptible liar and hollow opportunist, jd vance is also just pathetic. only a guy who has fried his brain on social media would even think to say something like this
"...if American democracy can survive 10 years of Greta Thunberg scolding you guys can survive a few months of Elon Musk," VP Vance tells the Munich Security Group.
February 14, 2025 at 3:10 PM
in addition to being a contemptible liar and hollow opportunist, jd vance is also just pathetic. only a guy who has fried his brain on social media would even think to say something like this
Reposted by Melissa Ingala, Ph.D. 🦇🦠
One of the most important roles of the NSF is to support science and tech ecosystem in the US. This ecosystem drives basic science breakthroughs that industry can build on. It also supports the education of a skilled workforce so that actual tech firms don’t have to hire utter imbeciles like these.
Anyone Can Push Updates to the DOGE.gov Website
"THESE 'EXPERTS' LEFT THEIR DATABASE OPEN."
www.404media.co
February 14, 2025 at 5:03 PM
One of the most important roles of the NSF is to support science and tech ecosystem in the US. This ecosystem drives basic science breakthroughs that industry can build on. It also supports the education of a skilled workforce so that actual tech firms don’t have to hire utter imbeciles like these.
Reposted by Melissa Ingala, Ph.D. 🦇🦠
One of these days we're gonna have to reckon with the fact that "money that I spend which does not directly benefit me is a waste" is a popular sentiment.
I think we should state plainly that this is selfish on its face.
And stupid when you have awareness which extends beyond your nose.
I think we should state plainly that this is selfish on its face.
And stupid when you have awareness which extends beyond your nose.
February 7, 2025 at 6:30 PM
One of these days we're gonna have to reckon with the fact that "money that I spend which does not directly benefit me is a waste" is a popular sentiment.
I think we should state plainly that this is selfish on its face.
And stupid when you have awareness which extends beyond your nose.
I think we should state plainly that this is selfish on its face.
And stupid when you have awareness which extends beyond your nose.
Reposted by Melissa Ingala, Ph.D. 🦇🦠
Trump tried to lower NIH indirect rates in his 2017 budget and that failed to pass. This is a reminder that everything he tried to do through legal means in the first term will be attempted again through illegal means. He will only succeed if we let him.
February 8, 2025 at 1:14 PM
Trump tried to lower NIH indirect rates in his 2017 budget and that failed to pass. This is a reminder that everything he tried to do through legal means in the first term will be attempted again through illegal means. He will only succeed if we let him.
Reposted by Melissa Ingala, Ph.D. 🦇🦠
US scientists feeling ‘stress and fear’ as sweeping Trump orders hit funding
US scientists feeling ‘stress and fear’ as sweeping Trump orders hit funding
Work and payments at universities, businesses and non-profits disrupted nationwide after executive orders
buff.ly
February 7, 2025 at 3:52 PM
US scientists feeling ‘stress and fear’ as sweeping Trump orders hit funding
Reposted by Melissa Ingala, Ph.D. 🦇🦠
The most surreal and maddening feature of the campaign was that everyone agreed that high prices were the main issue but the guy explicitly, consistently running on a platform of raising everyone’s prices won voters most concerned about high prices.
We hammered this time and time again and yet.
We hammered this time and time again and yet.
February 2, 2025 at 1:36 PM
The most surreal and maddening feature of the campaign was that everyone agreed that high prices were the main issue but the guy explicitly, consistently running on a platform of raising everyone’s prices won voters most concerned about high prices.
We hammered this time and time again and yet.
We hammered this time and time again and yet.
Reposted by Melissa Ingala, Ph.D. 🦇🦠
Indivisible is urging people to visit their senators' local offices between now and Thursday to demand that they use every tool—including denying a quorum and blocking unanimous consent—to fight the confirmation of Project 2025 architect Russell Vought for head of OMB docs.google.com/document/d/1...
February 3, 2025 at 1:45 AM
Indivisible is urging people to visit their senators' local offices between now and Thursday to demand that they use every tool—including denying a quorum and blocking unanimous consent—to fight the confirmation of Project 2025 architect Russell Vought for head of OMB docs.google.com/document/d/1...
Pleased to share our new pre print on a systems biology framework for the study of bats and their symbionts! This was a huge effort involving more than 20 authors from 10 countries.
ecoevorxiv.org/repository/v...
ecoevorxiv.org/repository/v...
Bats in Habitats, Bats as Habitats: An integrative ecological framework for understanding synergistic interactions across levels of community organization
ecoevorxiv.org
February 3, 2025 at 12:59 PM
Pleased to share our new pre print on a systems biology framework for the study of bats and their symbionts! This was a huge effort involving more than 20 authors from 10 countries.
ecoevorxiv.org/repository/v...
ecoevorxiv.org/repository/v...
This is sickening and makes me worry deeply for the success of a grant I submitted in July, which contains so much good science and broader impacts that will help ALL people touched by the grant.
NSF review panels are being canceled due to broader impacts (BI) content. BI includes ways the research benefits our country and world. This goes far beyond DEI, which of course is also critical for the field and our society’s scientific education. The “broader impacts” of this are stomach turning.
NSF review canceled as well.
January 27, 2025 at 5:21 PM
This is sickening and makes me worry deeply for the success of a grant I submitted in July, which contains so much good science and broader impacts that will help ALL people touched by the grant.
Reposted by Melissa Ingala, Ph.D. 🦇🦠
Hey science friends?
I know that many of you are concerned about the perceived neutral and apolitical role of science in decisionmaking.
But scientists are being targeted. We didn't start it.
And advocating *for the role of scientific evidence in policymaking* is not unprofessional advocacy.
I know that many of you are concerned about the perceived neutral and apolitical role of science in decisionmaking.
But scientists are being targeted. We didn't start it.
And advocating *for the role of scientific evidence in policymaking* is not unprofessional advocacy.
January 27, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Hey science friends?
I know that many of you are concerned about the perceived neutral and apolitical role of science in decisionmaking.
But scientists are being targeted. We didn't start it.
And advocating *for the role of scientific evidence in policymaking* is not unprofessional advocacy.
I know that many of you are concerned about the perceived neutral and apolitical role of science in decisionmaking.
But scientists are being targeted. We didn't start it.
And advocating *for the role of scientific evidence in policymaking* is not unprofessional advocacy.
Reposted by Melissa Ingala, Ph.D. 🦇🦠
DOE ordered to suspend PIER plan
January 27, 2025 at 5:12 PM
DOE ordered to suspend PIER plan
Reposted by Melissa Ingala, Ph.D. 🦇🦠
Winter sunset in Norway
December 3, 2024 at 9:43 AM
Winter sunset in Norway
Wow! This feels like early 2010s Twitter and I'm here for it.
November 22, 2024 at 2:57 AM
Wow! This feels like early 2010s Twitter and I'm here for it.