Brynn Paulsen
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brynnpaulsen.bsky.social
Brynn Paulsen
@brynnpaulsen.bsky.social
Cognitive Neuroscience PhD candidate @ the University of Colorado Boulder | @standupforscience.bsky.social staff | photojournalism
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My new piece is live!

While the atrocities of RFK Jr. are many (and well beyond what can be summarized in a single blog post), we at @standupforscience.bsky.social have selected the nine most atrocious.

Read below 👇
www.standupforscience.net/blog/9-worst...

#ImpeachRFKNow
The 9 Worst RFK Jr. Decisions to Date — STAND UP FOR SCIENCE
RFK Jr.'s actions undermine scientific progress, public trust, and the health of millions. Stand Up For Science won't stand for it. Start here.
www.standupforscience.net
Reposted by Brynn Paulsen
RFK is a danger to the health of our nation. Join us in DC to deliver 100k petition signatures calling for RFK Jr. to be impeached!

📣 🚨 911 March for Health and Science!
⏰ November 5th, 3:30pm ET
📍From the National Mall to HHS HQ (200 Independence Ave SW)
INFO and RSVP 🔗 in bio!
November 3, 2025 at 7:45 PM
Reposted by Brynn Paulsen
I’ve learned a LOT this year.

One the biggest lessons: don’t mess with our public servants. They are a courageous bunch!

A single fed has more character in one of their pinky fingers than the Trump administration has in their entire staff.
Two months since the brave signatories of the Katrina Declaration spoke out against Kristi Noem's destruction of FEMA. Two months of her bullying and retaliation against the #fema36.

FEMA employees risk their lives and their careers to save Americans in need.
➡️ STAND IN SOLIDARITY: zurl.co/wHvfW
October 26, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Reposted by Brynn Paulsen
Prof. Stacy Farina asks "why don't we bring people [with direct experience of environmental damage] in and hear their perspective and have that drive our science forward?"

RFK Jr's ignorance of expertise extends to the people who know the human cost of his mistakes. #impeachrfkjr #impeachthequack
October 22, 2025 at 3:23 PM
Reposted by Brynn Paulsen
On Sept 17th, 2025, @aaas.org and @researchamerica.bsky.social hosted Jay Bhattacharya—NIH Director—as the keynote for the National Health Research Forum.

Less than two weeks later, he spoke at the MAHA Action hour alongside Oz, Russel Brand, Tony Lyons, and Callie Means.

I have a call to action:
October 21, 2025 at 11:53 PM
Reposted by Brynn Paulsen
Denver #NOKINGS was in full force today! Thanks to so many who kept us busy at the Colorado @standupforscience.bsky.social table by stopping by to support science, sign up for the Colorado Local, and play with ooblek and microscopes!
Science and health is for ALL of us!
October 18, 2025 at 11:11 PM
Reposted by Brynn Paulsen
this is a further sign of weakness, not strength, imo. It's not the red state publics that they needed to set off a general stampede. It's places like MIT. Turning this into a red state thing makes it _less_ likely to spread www.nytimes.com/2025/10/08/o...
October 14, 2025 at 12:59 PM
Took a break from dissertating to spend a glorious fall day in the mountains with some good pals

I love this life

#photography
October 14, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Reposted by Brynn Paulsen
We will NOT stand for Trump and Vought decimating our health sciences with RFK Jr's permission.

JOIN US FOR A RALLY AT HHS ON FRIDAY 10/17!

WE ARE TAKING BACK SCIENCE.

#ImpeachTheQuack
#GetOutTheVought
#TakeBackScience
FIGHT FOR SCIENCE RALLY ✊🌏
⏰ WHEN: October 17th, 2025
📍WHERE: 200 Independence Ave SW, Washington DC!
RSVP to JOIN THE FIGHT IRL: zurl.co/LayiM ‼️

📲 Join us Virtually!: zurl.co/Um47l
October 11, 2025 at 12:38 PM
Reposted by Brynn Paulsen
UPDATE‼️The Hill reports at least 4,100 employees fired today as Russell Vought and Trump devastate our government agencies and slash the federal workforce.

thehill.com/homenews/adm...
thehill.com
October 11, 2025 at 3:09 AM
Being anti-fascist & anti-authoritarian = hating America ??

The country that *checks notes* brags about its democracy & freedom? & This is coming from the self proclaimed “pro-freedom” party??

Biblical levels of irony here

#nokings
Mike Johnson is now calling #NoKings a "hate America rally"
October 10, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Hike to see the fall leaves this past weekend 😌🍂

#autumn
#photography
October 10, 2025 at 1:29 PM
Reposted by Brynn Paulsen
Hey US scientists, the NY Times wants to hear from you if you've had your funding cut. 🌊🧪
Has Your Scientific Work Been Cut? We Want to Hear.
www.nytimes.com
October 9, 2025 at 4:04 PM
This is my Roman Empire 🙇
October 6, 2025 at 9:46 PM
Reposted by Brynn Paulsen
Young children are capable of finding systematic solutions to complex problems without any instruction, contradicting long-held assumptions about cognitive development, according to a psychologist
buff.ly/226VzMZ 🧪
Children can be systematic problem-solvers at younger ages than psychologists had thought – new research
By cranking up the difficulty on the test task, researchers found that children are capable of finding systematic solutions to complex problems far earlier than psychologists had believed.
buff.ly
October 3, 2025 at 10:03 PM
Reposted by Brynn Paulsen
Today is October 3rd, another day where we are calling to #ImpeachtheQuack!
October 3, 2025 at 7:17 PM
Reposted by Brynn Paulsen
Some schools will be starved of resources. Other schools will be offered bribes. The end goal is the same. To make the universities an extension of the Trump administration. Shame on any of these institutions willing to take the bribes.
October 2, 2025 at 1:37 AM
Reposted by Brynn Paulsen
TURNS OUT data analysis skills are transferable.

Shout out to our staff entomologist-turned-resistance-fighter @lovettbr.bsky.social for this one...

ALSO, MY DISTRICT IS WINNING AND IT ISN'T BECAUSE I BOUGHT ANY QOG! @repnikema.bsky.social buckle up! You've got ducks headed your way.
"I would like to see the data" (Werner Herzog in the Mandalorian voice)

We wouldn't be scientists if our team didn't use R to make a visualization to share with the class. The yellower the district, the more Quack-O-Grams were sent! Will GA-05 keep the crown?

Send your own here! zurl.co/bLwwE
September 29, 2025 at 10:22 AM
Please if you have ever read this paper go look at the second post in this thread to learn my new favorite fun fact.
As long as I am noting cognitive psychologists who took important stands against the repression of science and academics, let me highlight someone else.

George Miller. For cognitive sorts, the famous 7 plus or minus two guy. Also in my academic family. In the magical number seven paper. 1/2
September 26, 2025 at 11:19 PM
As a cognitive psychologist currently working in the business of fighting fascism and defending science, this makes me so emotional.

Here’s to you, Kohler
Today I started my grad cognition class for our masters program (we’re on a quarter system).

After introductions, I start with a brief historical consideration of cognitive psychology. I note that the Gestalt school was a cognitive approach based in Germany.

We then talked about what happened. 1/
September 26, 2025 at 10:24 PM
🎶 Tylenol, pregnancy, autism, vaccines🎶
September 24, 2025 at 4:25 AM
Reposted by Brynn Paulsen
FACT CHECK: Acetaminophen (Tylenol) has no credible link with autism. Tylenol is the leading option to combat dangerous fevers during pregnancy — fearmongering around tried and tested medicine puts pregnant people and children at risk. #impeachthequack
September 23, 2025 at 3:28 PM
One thing they don’t tell you about writing a dissertation is the absolute agony your shoulders are suddenly in 24/7 from slouching over a computer for nearly 100 hours a week.

I am… pain…
September 24, 2025 at 3:34 AM
Reposted by Brynn Paulsen
1. demonizes Tylenol
2. blames moms for causing autism by taking a pain killer for a fever or pain (nevermind risks of a high fever to a fetus)
3. recommends leucovorin, which is sold by Dr.Oz's iHerb
4. makes autism out to be worst thing a child could have, but cut kids' cancer research, etc
RFK Jr. Announces FDA Will Approve Leucovorin, a New Treatment for Autism. What Is It?
The folinic acid supplement will be prescribed for a subset of children with autism who have “cerebral folate deficiency,” but experts caution, “it’s not a cure."
people.com
September 23, 2025 at 12:32 PM