Chris Fields
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cjfields.bsky.social
Chris Fields
@cjfields.bsky.social
Microbiologist turned computational biologist
Bioinformatics Core Director, HPCBio
Open Bioinformatics Foundation Board Member
#metagenomics #microbiome #pangenomics
#python #r (yeah yeah, and #bioperl)
Reposted by Chris Fields
Hi all! We're hosting another Microbial Profiling Analysis Workshop, this time online! The workshop starts Sept 12. To learn more: biotech.illinois.edu/microbial-an...
Microbial analysis profiling workshop - Sept 2025 - Carver Biotech
Microbial Profiling Analysis Workshop WHEN: Held over 3 Fridays from 10am – 2:45pm; Sept. 12, Sept. 19th, & Sept. 26th.   Note: We will record the sessions if you have to miss part of a day and make i...
biotech.illinois.edu
August 28, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Reposted by Chris Fields
Published an op-ed for @cnn.com: “Nobel laureate: I owe America my success. Today, its scientific future is in danger.”
A personal reflection on what’s at stake as science funding gets slashed. I’d be grateful if you could amplify both in and beyond the science world.
www.cnn.com/2025/04/09/h...
Nobel laureate: I owe America my success. Today, its scientific future is in danger | CNN
Dr. Ardem Patapoutian says he watches “with deep sadness as the United States’ remarkable scientific enterprise, which took generations of hard work and national investment to build, faces a concerted...
www.cnn.com
April 9, 2025 at 11:30 AM
Reposted by Chris Fields
How it started / How it's going
April 9, 2025 at 8:06 PM
Reposted by Chris Fields
Today marks the beginning of OpenRxiv, which replaces bioRxiv and medRxiv, the world's largest preprint platform for life and medical science
openrxiv.org/introducing-...
@openrxiv.bsky.social
March 11, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Reposted by Chris Fields
🧪🚨 NSF's Directorate for STEM Education (EDU) has halted making nearly all new awards since inauguration day.

Among *many* other things, EDU runs the Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP).

We need to protect the education & training of the next gen of scientists #StandUpForScience

Thread👇🧵
March 3, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Reposted by Chris Fields
March 12, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Reposted by Chris Fields
🧪 The NSF director is lying to you.

Let’s fact check 7 claims from yesterday’s letter to the community, while pointing out 3 critical omissions. 🧵
March 12, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Reposted by Chris Fields
We're hosting a Microbial Profiling Analysis Workshop! Deadline for signup: March 21! There are pre-requisites so please sign up early to allow yourself time to acquire any missing knowledge. To learn more visit go.illinois.edu/hpcbio-works...
Upcoming Workshops | HPCBio
go.illinois.edu
March 10, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Reposted by Chris Fields
March 7 @standupforscience.bsky.social happened. I now have a question. Reply to this thread w ur answers!

What do we do with this momentum? Think innovative, creative, mundane, give us all your ideas.

We have ideas, but this is for EVERYONE. I want everyone’s ideas.
March 8, 2025 at 12:13 AM
Reposted by Chris Fields
The U.S. Department of Agriculture must temporarily reinstate more than 5,000 probationary employees fired since Feb. 13, according to a ruling by the Merit Systems Protection Board.
More than 5,000 USDA workers fired by Trump ordered back to work for now
The U.S. Department of Agriculture must temporarily reinstate more than 5,000 probationary employees fired since Feb. 13, according to a ruling by the Merit Systems Protection Board.
www.npr.org
March 5, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Reposted by Chris Fields
A reporting page from @seandavis for affected US Government Biomedical Data resources. Sunday not a good day. stats.uptimerobot.com/Zrqh8AhvKn
March 2, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Reposted by Chris Fields
The NIH website, including NCBI, GenBank, and BLAST are down. I thought it might be a brief outage so waited 12 hours and checked again before posting this. They’re still down.

It is hard to express just how fundamental these tools are to biology and medicine: research, applied, public and private.
March 2, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Reposted by Chris Fields
The full email sent to @asm.org members reaffirming the Society's commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity, access, and accountability.

ASM has a long and proud history as a leader advocating for diversity and equity in the microbial sciences.

This builds upon this: asm.org/Newsroom/Fea...
February 18, 2025 at 9:22 PM
Reposted by Chris Fields
Two open positions for a lab manger and a laboratory technician. Applications from displaced federal employees are welcome.

Lab manager position: www.ugajobsearch.com/postings/410...
Lab tech position: www.ugajobsearch.com/postings/391...

Please email zlewis@uga.edu if you have questions
Zachary Lewis on LinkedIn: Laboratory Research Technician
We have open positions for a lab manger and a laboratory technician. Applications from displaced federal employees are welcome. Lab manager position:…
www.linkedin.com
February 24, 2025 at 1:44 AM
Reposted by Chris Fields
The Democrats on the House Science Committee have set up a website to collect stories from fired federal employees, anonymously if desired. Please amplify. (This helps the lawyers establish standing for bringing legal cases against the administration!)

democrats-science.house.gov/sciencefirings
February 19, 2025 at 6:24 AM
Reposted by Chris Fields
Bravo @plos.org!

US exec orders "stand in direct conflict with our core values, our mission, edit policies"

"PLOS will not compromise on issues of scientific rigor & editorial integrity... we seek diversity because more expert voices make for better science"

theplosblog.plos.org/2025/02/plos...
PLOS statement on recent US Executive Orders and scientific integrity - The Official PLOS Blog
Since its founding over twenty five years ago PLOS has been dedicated to advancing open science, ensuring that knowledge is accessible to…
theplosblog.plos.org
February 21, 2025 at 2:45 PM
Reposted by Chris Fields
The NCBI website is down
February 20, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Reposted by Chris Fields
Do you have a project in ecology and evolution that exemplifies open science? If so nominate the project for a SORTEE Commendation Award:

More details about the SORTEE Commendation Award:
SORTEE awards
Awards of Society for Open, Reliable, and Transparent Ecology and Evolutionary biology (SORTEE)
buff.ly
February 21, 2025 at 11:28 AM
Reposted by Chris Fields
Ax falls on elite group of Ph.D.s training to lead U.S. public health labs | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
Ax falls on elite group of Ph.D.s training to lead U.S. public health labs
Most of the fellows in CDC’s highly competitive Laboratory Leadership Service were fired last weekend
www.science.org
February 21, 2025 at 12:22 PM
Reposted by Chris Fields
I have been so excited since I found out this would be announced today! RIP any ability for me to concentrate: www.apple.com/tv-pr/news/2...
Apple’s new sci-fi series “Murderbot” to make global debut May 16, 2025
Today, Apple TV+ unveiled a first look at “Murderbot,” created by Chris and Paul Weitz and starring Alexander Skarsgård
www.apple.com
February 20, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Reposted by Chris Fields
Will the world of short-read Next-Generation Sequencing change forever? We are about to find out! #Roche #SBX #ShortReads #NovaSeqKiller
February 20, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Reposted by Chris Fields
Registration is now open for TWO (2) @nf-co.re hackathons 🎉 (First time that this has ever happened!)

🌐 March: online and distributed local sites
🇺🇸 May: in-person at Boston #NextflowSummit

See the nf-core events page for the full list of hackathons: nf-co.re/events/hacka...
February 13, 2025 at 7:52 PM
Reposted by Chris Fields
March 7. Stand Up For Science. Rallies in DC and nationwide. 🧪

Please visit the website and spread the word.

www.standupforscience2025.org
February 11, 2025 at 1:12 PM
Reposted by Chris Fields
An answer to the question circulating this week about whether to use US flags at protests
Fabulous 🇺🇸💥
February 10, 2025 at 1:52 AM