Catherine Brockway
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catherine-brockway.bsky.social
Catherine Brockway
@catherine-brockway.bsky.social
150 followers 790 following 22 posts
Aspiring land surveyor. Lover of dogs, mules, canoes, rivers, and languages. Erstwhile nonprofit strategist and linguistic geographer.
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Reposted by Catherine Brockway
thetriibe.com
Chicagoans have made it clear that President Donald Trump’s threats to send in the National Guard won’t be taken lightly.

Grassroots organizations and activists are providing Chicago-area residents with information on how to stay safe during these times.

thetriibe.com/2025/09/we-k...
We keep us safe: Trainings, workshops and resources for Chicagoans ahead of Trump’s feds deployment • The TRiiBE
Organizers are hosting trainings, workshops and providing mass text services
thetriibe.com
September 6, 2025 at 7:42 PM
catherine-brockway.bsky.social
On April 5, we’re uniting to say Hands Off! Join me to fight back against Trump’s unprecedented power grab. app.sosha.ai/s/WtaQIWcS
Join me on April 5th
app.sosha.ai
March 27, 2025 at 4:45 PM
catherine-brockway.bsky.social
Stand up for Science rally today at the Texas Capitol. Great to hear from fellow scientists fired up to fight for the science we love, the research we need, and the funding we earned!
Several hundred protestors standing up for science at the Texas Capitol. One sign reads “Science not Silence”
March 8, 2025 at 2:15 AM
catherine-brockway.bsky.social
Who else is going to the March for Science tomorrow at the Austin State Capitol? Would love to meet up!
March 6, 2025 at 7:05 PM
Reposted by Catherine Brockway
standupforscience.bsky.social
Welcome to the Bluesky account for Stand Up for Science 2025!

Keep an eye on this space for updates, event information, and ways to get involved. We can't wait to see everyone #standupforscience2025 on March 7th, both in DC and locations nationwide!

#scienceforall #sciencenotsilence
February 12, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Reposted by Catherine Brockway
standupforscience.bsky.social
MORE LOCATIONS BEING ADDED BY THE DAY!

Want to plan a local event or be included on the map of events?

Visit standupforscience2025.org/local-event-information for more information & to be added to the map!
March 2, 2025 at 1:15 PM
Reposted by Catherine Brockway
pronounced-ing.bsky.social
Here is an easy thing you can do today to support trans people and fight authoritarianism: 👇
February 24, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Reposted by Catherine Brockway
joekatz45.bsky.social
Upcoming dates of protests:

2/28: Economic blackout
3/4: 50501 protests AND @aftunion.bsky.social's #ProtectOurKids day of action
3/7: March for Science protests
February 23, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Reposted by Catherine Brockway
jksteinberger.bsky.social
As promised, here are the slides I shared with students to convince them to NOT use chatGPT and other artificial stupidity.

TL;DR? AI is evil, unsustainable and stupid, and I'd much rather they use their own brains, make their own mistakes, and actually learn something. 🪄
NO CHATGPT Or other artificial stupidity: motivation First, clarity on distinguishing AIs: Non-generative: grammar aid, translation, dictionary, text-to-audio (e.g. Natural Reader): no problem As long as you use the appropriate tools (least intensive in data and server energy use). Why? Because you provide the content. Your brain is doing the most important work Generative: ChatGPT & Co. You only supply the prompt, the AI supplies the content. Why is this delegation of work problematic? 3 domains: ethical, environmental, intellectual engagement. (Caveat: generative is probably ok for computer programming, where it can be useful and save time. Not relevant to this class.) 1) AI and ethics Mass theft of all and everything «learning» on books, articles, blogs, social media, images, music, cultural production, without permission of authors/creators, and leading to their mass joblessness. Profits are not reditributed to originators. Permanent destruction of the mental health of underpaid precarious tech workers in the Global South (Kenya, Philippines …): «correction» to avoid production of violent and pedophile contents etc, tech workers are obliged to watch and correct super violent contents for days on end, leading to extreme psychological suffering and trauma, from which recovery is doubtful. No or little compensation (certainly not at the level of the suffering inflicted). In short, an industry built on theft of real human creation and sacrifice of real human health, profiting a few megafortunes. 2) AI and (un)sustainability Massive consumption of electricity, water, server capacity for generative AI. Outcome: keep fossil fuel companies in business, using up new renewable capacity, without any satisfaction of basic human needs. Massive misappropriation of the finance necessary for climate and ecological action (renewable generation, efficiency and retrofit for buildings, public transit, infrastructures for cycling etc) towards AI industry. Overall: undermine climate action, reinforce fossil industry, waste resources necessary for human development. 3) AI and intellectual engagement First, what learning is (or should be) about: The goal should not (only) be the reproduction of «correct» knowledge, But mainly personal engagement and experience of thinking about topics of interest. Personal engagement = using one’s own brain. The most important activity for learning and intellectual engagement is the experience of making one’s own mistakes, by trial and error, corrections based on new ideas, starting over again. Learning to recognise nuances, knowledge gaps, better explanations This kind of learning is possible only through using your own brain, not AI. Also, Ais are not «intelligent». At all. They simply reproduce pre-existing patterns. They «bullshit», invent false references, false facts, false data, simply because those sound plausible. VERY DANGEROUS. If you learn how to NOT use AI, and how to research facts and data on your own, this will serve you and your communities for the rest of your life.
February 23, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Reposted by Catherine Brockway
cdelawalla.bsky.social
Get in dorks, we're going protesting!

STAND UP FOR SCIENCE WITH US ON MARCH 7TH, 2025
WASHINGTON DC AND EVERY STATE CAPITOL

Because science is for everyone!

Find us at www.standupforscience2025.org

#standupforscience2025 #scienceforall #sciencenotsilence
February 10, 2025 at 11:57 PM
Reposted by Catherine Brockway
reana.bsky.social
Sortable/searchable spreadsheet for feds n' friends resources. Hopefully this helps some folks. 🧵
tinyurl.com/ALT-Resources
@altspaceforce.altgov.info @altfda.bsky.social @altcdc.bsky.social @altusda.bsky.social @alt-irs.bsky.social @altfws.bsky.social
ALT Resources
tinyurl.com
February 20, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Reposted by Catherine Brockway
chrischirp.bsky.social
🧵"So this is how liberty dies..."

Trump’s first 3 weeks have been a relentless flood of actions. It's incredibly hard to keep up.

I’ve gone through 69 actions & mapped out the pattern - showing how they fall within 5 broad domains consistent with authoritarian states 1/9
This is a venn diagram showing how 69 Trump actions map onto domains covering: undermining democratic institutions; suppressing dissent and media; dismantling social protections; attacking science and education; destabilising the global order. A table version is available here https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1LZN7QnbSyFfUZJG8Sn1MWpK0VnfBtb0OSyZ1jxP3xBk/edit?usp=sharing
February 13, 2025 at 11:38 AM
Reposted by Catherine Brockway
kakape.bsky.social
„Anyone who has studied science under the Nazis, as I did for my book Serving the Reich, cannot fail to be dismayed and alarmed at the parallels in the response so far of scientific institutions and academies to the purges and abuses of power following Trump’s executive orders“ 🧪
Scientific institutions have a long history of anticipatory obedience
Societies should learn from this and speak up to support inclusion
www.chemistryworld.com
February 8, 2025 at 10:38 PM
Reposted by Catherine Brockway
carlbergstrom.com
Modern-Day Oracles or Bullshit Machines?

Jevin West (@jevinwest.bsky.social) and I have spent the last eight months developing the course on large language models (LLMs) that we think every college freshman needs to take.

thebullshitmachines.com
INTRODUCTION
thebullshitmachines.com
February 4, 2025 at 4:12 PM
Reposted by Catherine Brockway
jonlambert.bsky.social
This 15% cap on indirect costs for NIH grants is yet another example of the 'unprecedented' moves the Trump administration is taking to change how science is done that I wrote about today.

www.npr.org/sections/sho...
'Unprecedented': White House moves to control science funding worry researchers
If the Trump administration continues targeting DEI in science and seeking to slash funding, American science will look fundamentally different.
www.npr.org
February 8, 2025 at 12:34 AM
Reposted by Catherine Brockway
owasow.bsky.social
I’ve been studying civil rights protests for 20 years. With new mobilization against Trump’s agenda, I’m sharing a thread summarizing my research on how nonviolent & violent actions by 1960s activists and police influenced media, elites, public opinion & voters. 1/ www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Article title: Agenda Seeding: How 1960s Black Protests Moved Elites, Public Opinion and Voting Article Abstract How do stigmatized minorities advance agendas when confronted with hostile majorities? Elite theories of influence posit marginal groups exert little power. I propose the concept of agenda seeding to describe how activists use methods like disruption to capture the attention of media and overcome political asymmetries. Further, I hypothesize protest tactics influence how news organizations frame demands. Evaluating black-led protests between 1960 and 1972, I find nonviolent activism, particularly when met with state or vigilante repression, drove media coverage, framing, congressional speech, and public opinion on civil rights. Counties proximate to nonviolent protests saw presidential Democratic vote share increase 1.6–2.5%. Protester-initiated violence, by contrast, helped move news agendas, frames, elite discourse, and public concern toward “social control.” In 1968, using rainfall as an instrument, I find violent protests likely caused a 1.5–7.9% shift among whites toward Republicans and tipped the election. Elites may dominate political communication but hold no monopoly.
February 6, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Reposted by Catherine Brockway
thierryaaron.bsky.social
"The American Association of University Professors, the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education &other groups argue in a lawsuit filed Mon that the orders exceed executive legal authority, violate both the 1st & 5th Amendments, &threaten academic freedom &access to HE for all"
Higher ed organizations sue against Trump’s DEI orders
The American Association of University Professors and others argue in a new lawsuit that the executive orders violate the Constitution.
www.insidehighered.com
February 5, 2025 at 3:28 PM
catherine-brockway.bsky.social
How it started
February 4, 2025 at 1:12 AM
Reposted by Catherine Brockway
chrisdornan.bsky.social
Here's the speech if you haven't heard it. 13 minutes of your time. Share it with your American friends and neighbours, because they won't see it otherwise. Circulate it in Mexico and Denmark, France and the UK, Panama and Germany, Poland and Estonia, and especially -- especially -- Ukraine.
Trudeau: Canada will retaliate with 25% tariffs on $155B of U.S. goods
YouTube video by CBC News
youtu.be
February 2, 2025 at 4:38 AM
Reposted by Catherine Brockway
gtconway.bsky.social
An excellent resource for federal civil servants.

www.civilservicestrong.org
Civil Service Strong: Resources for Civil Servants
Effective. Impartial. Resilient. The civil service comprises dedicated, nonpartisan federal employees who work tirelessly across the country and around the world to ensure the effective delivery of go...
www.civilservicestrong.org
February 1, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Reposted by Catherine Brockway
donmoyn.bsky.social
NSF grantees - people who have already received their grants based on a previously funded and approved research proposal - are being told to stop any activities related to DEI and accessibility.
Call this what it is: government censorship of ongoing research projects.
www.opm.gov/policy-data-...
January 29, 2025 at 1:34 PM
catherine-brockway.bsky.social
If you are interested in learning about Data Justice, please consider registering for the Laha Seminar Series Spring 2025 (hosted by yours truly, and funded by National Science Foundation ALL-SPICE INCLUDES Alliance). eastwestcenter.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Laha Seminar Series: Topics in Data Justice - Spring 2025. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.
The Laha Seminar Series is co-hosted by Chaminade University of Honolulu, the Pacific Islands Development Program at the East-West Center, and the NSF ALL-SPICE INCLUDES Alliance. The purpose of the s...
eastwestcenter.zoom.us
January 28, 2025 at 1:36 AM
catherine-brockway.bsky.social
Newbie here! Don’t know how this all works, but so excited to be in a new, fresh social world. These are my dogs, Joxer and Xena. If you follow me, you’ll be seeing a lot more of them.

#dog #newbie
Black and tan long-haired dog amf tan short-haired dog sitting real good and looking expectantly for a treat.
January 21, 2025 at 2:38 PM