Ember McCoy
@embermcc.bsky.social
STS-er • political ecologist • organizer
currently:
postdoc @ penn state
formerly:
phd, university of michigan | swammer, carthage college
currently:
postdoc @ penn state
formerly:
phd, university of michigan | swammer, carthage college
Reposted by Ember McCoy
As the federal government continues its top-down assault on higher education, universities are internally building repression and surveillance machines that mirror the Trump administration.
Campus life is unrecognizable in the Trump era: ‘There’s so many cops everywhere’
As the federal government continues its top-down assault on higher education, universities are internally building repression and surveillance machines that mirror the Trump administration.
therealnews.com
November 6, 2025 at 4:46 PM
As the federal government continues its top-down assault on higher education, universities are internally building repression and surveillance machines that mirror the Trump administration.
Reposted by Ember McCoy
"Europeans recognize his vision about free public transit and universal childcare. We expect our governments to make these kinds of services accessible to all of us,” said Verbeek. “We pay higher taxes and get civilized societies in return."
Europeans recognize Zohran Mamdani’s supposedly radical policies as ‘normal’
Critics of New York City’s mayor-elect have said his pledges of free bus service and universal childcare are unrealistic, but in Europe it’s a given
www.theguardian.com
November 6, 2025 at 4:05 PM
"Europeans recognize his vision about free public transit and universal childcare. We expect our governments to make these kinds of services accessible to all of us,” said Verbeek. “We pay higher taxes and get civilized societies in return."
Reposted by Ember McCoy
If someone says (as they did to my student), Are you trying to fight AI by yourself? They can say, thankfully I am not alone.
And if it is useful, STPP has developed an explanation: stpp.fordschool.umich.edu/research/com...
And if it is useful, STPP has developed an explanation: stpp.fordschool.umich.edu/research/com...
Why we do not use generative AI in STPP
stpp.fordschool.umich.edu
October 29, 2025 at 1:58 PM
If someone says (as they did to my student), Are you trying to fight AI by yourself? They can say, thankfully I am not alone.
And if it is useful, STPP has developed an explanation: stpp.fordschool.umich.edu/research/com...
And if it is useful, STPP has developed an explanation: stpp.fordschool.umich.edu/research/com...
Reposted by Ember McCoy
As people increasingly use AI—especially with institutional support—it is getting harder for scholars (esp junior) to practice informed refusal. I am guiding my students how to still say no, and explain how it violates their ethical and environmental principles. A movement starts from below!
October 29, 2025 at 1:56 PM
As people increasingly use AI—especially with institutional support—it is getting harder for scholars (esp junior) to practice informed refusal. I am guiding my students how to still say no, and explain how it violates their ethical and environmental principles. A movement starts from below!
Reposted by Ember McCoy
There are basically only two positions in the debate about AI.
1. I've seen the sun rise on a snow capped mountain; I've watched grown men cry at the credits of a Bela Tarr film. AI sucks.
2. I’ve never known love nor beauty. Holy cow, AI is transformational.
Position #1 has lower barriers to entry.
1. I've seen the sun rise on a snow capped mountain; I've watched grown men cry at the credits of a Bela Tarr film. AI sucks.
2. I’ve never known love nor beauty. Holy cow, AI is transformational.
Position #1 has lower barriers to entry.
There are basically only two positions in the debate about AI.
1. I’ve barely invested any time in learning how to use it effectively. AI sucks.
2. I’ve invested in learning how to use this tool. Holy cow, it’s transformational.
Position #1 has lower barriers to entry.
1. I’ve barely invested any time in learning how to use it effectively. AI sucks.
2. I’ve invested in learning how to use this tool. Holy cow, it’s transformational.
Position #1 has lower barriers to entry.
October 18, 2025 at 2:51 AM
There are basically only two positions in the debate about AI.
1. I've seen the sun rise on a snow capped mountain; I've watched grown men cry at the credits of a Bela Tarr film. AI sucks.
2. I’ve never known love nor beauty. Holy cow, AI is transformational.
Position #1 has lower barriers to entry.
1. I've seen the sun rise on a snow capped mountain; I've watched grown men cry at the credits of a Bela Tarr film. AI sucks.
2. I’ve never known love nor beauty. Holy cow, AI is transformational.
Position #1 has lower barriers to entry.
Reposted by Ember McCoy
in @michigandaily.bsky.social -- Op-ed written by students and grad workers organizing against disciplinary charges for students alleged to have protested
Accountability in a time of genocide
www.michigandaily.com/opinion/op-e...
Accountability in a time of genocide
www.michigandaily.com/opinion/op-e...
Accountability in a time of genocide
The regents, who steadfastly refuse to cease funding the murder of Palestinian families and directing police violence against our community, must be held accountable. Disrupting a genocide is a moral ...
www.michigandaily.com
October 17, 2025 at 2:34 PM
in @michigandaily.bsky.social -- Op-ed written by students and grad workers organizing against disciplinary charges for students alleged to have protested
Accountability in a time of genocide
www.michigandaily.com/opinion/op-e...
Accountability in a time of genocide
www.michigandaily.com/opinion/op-e...
Reposted by Ember McCoy
Are you a UM worker/student and want to hear better takes than the dude below on AI from university of Michigan faculty, students, staff?
then join the mass meeting on 10/28 at 7 to stop the UM-Los Alamos data center and its support of nuclear weapons!
bit.ly/UMichNoAIMeeting
then join the mass meeting on 10/28 at 7 to stop the UM-Los Alamos data center and its support of nuclear weapons!
bit.ly/UMichNoAIMeeting
There are basically only two positions in the debate about AI.
1. I’ve barely invested any time in learning how to use it effectively. AI sucks.
2. I’ve invested in learning how to use this tool. Holy cow, it’s transformational.
Position #1 has lower barriers to entry.
1. I’ve barely invested any time in learning how to use it effectively. AI sucks.
2. I’ve invested in learning how to use this tool. Holy cow, it’s transformational.
Position #1 has lower barriers to entry.
October 17, 2025 at 11:51 PM
Are you a UM worker/student and want to hear better takes than the dude below on AI from university of Michigan faculty, students, staff?
then join the mass meeting on 10/28 at 7 to stop the UM-Los Alamos data center and its support of nuclear weapons!
bit.ly/UMichNoAIMeeting
then join the mass meeting on 10/28 at 7 to stop the UM-Los Alamos data center and its support of nuclear weapons!
bit.ly/UMichNoAIMeeting
Reposted by Ember McCoy
The government is seeking injunctive relief and penalties of up to $109,024 per day, per environmental violation from EES Coke Battery and DTE Energy. planetdetroit.org/2025/09/dte-...
DTE Energy's control over Zug Island subsidiary 'unprecedented': Expert witness
DTE Energy companies actively operate EES Coke Battery on Zug Island and make environmental decisions, a U.S. attorney says.
planetdetroit.org
September 16, 2025 at 1:58 PM
The government is seeking injunctive relief and penalties of up to $109,024 per day, per environmental violation from EES Coke Battery and DTE Energy. planetdetroit.org/2025/09/dte-...
Reposted by Ember McCoy
This example particularly stood out to me: great way to piss off voters in a swing state is by cancelling grants related to air pollution.
"A doctoral student’s grant was canceled because she was studying low-income neighborhoods with high rates of air pollution."
"A doctoral student’s grant was canceled because she was studying low-income neighborhoods with high rates of air pollution."
April 22, 2025 at 9:58 PM
This example particularly stood out to me: great way to piss off voters in a swing state is by cancelling grants related to air pollution.
"A doctoral student’s grant was canceled because she was studying low-income neighborhoods with high rates of air pollution."
"A doctoral student’s grant was canceled because she was studying low-income neighborhoods with high rates of air pollution."
Reposted by Ember McCoy
I talked to @embermcc.bsky.social, one of the hundreds of scientists who had their grant money revoked by NSF. Her research, focused on environmental injustices, and exemplifies what type of research the government is trying to eliminate. @insideclimatenews.org insideclimatenews.org/news/0605202...
Michigan Researcher’s Work on Air Pollution and Racial Inequities Caught in Funding Freeze at National Science Foundation - Inside Climate News
A doctoral candidate examining air pollution effects in mostly Black and Latino neighborhoods in Detroit was among the wave of researchers who have had federal funds halted.
insideclimatenews.org
May 6, 2025 at 3:03 PM
I talked to @embermcc.bsky.social, one of the hundreds of scientists who had their grant money revoked by NSF. Her research, focused on environmental injustices, and exemplifies what type of research the government is trying to eliminate. @insideclimatenews.org insideclimatenews.org/news/0605202...
Reposted by Ember McCoy
I find these articles frustrating because in so far as AI is denigrating academic labor and the learning process (and it is), it’s doing so in a system that was already denigrating academic labor and turning college into a transactional investment.
“Massive numbers of students are going to emerge from university with degrees, and into the workforce, who are essentially illiterate…Both in the literal sense and in the sense of being historically illiterate and having no knowledge of their own culture, much less anyone else’s.”
Everyone Is Cheating Their Way Through College
ChatGPT has unraveled the entire academic project.
nymag.com
May 7, 2025 at 1:22 PM
I find these articles frustrating because in so far as AI is denigrating academic labor and the learning process (and it is), it’s doing so in a system that was already denigrating academic labor and turning college into a transactional investment.
Reposted by Ember McCoy
Proud of you @embermcc.bsky.social! Gift link to NYT article on NSF terminations here: www.nytimes.com/2025/04/22/s...
April 22, 2025 at 9:48 PM
Proud of you @embermcc.bsky.social! Gift link to NYT article on NSF terminations here: www.nytimes.com/2025/04/22/s...
Live footage of me today:
April 22, 2025 at 6:45 PM
Live footage of me today:
Reposted by Ember McCoy
We also need to talk about the knock-on burdens these grant terminations are creating, for university administrators, students, and PIs, who have to find replacement funds, hop on crisis meetings, figure out how to file appeals, expedite paperwork and reimbursement requests, etc.
My PhD student's NSF grant was terminated today. Her dissertation investigates why air pollution monitoring, metrics, and regulations don't properly capture the harms experienced by marginalized communities--esp in the most polluted Detroit neighborhoods. She and I are happy to talk with press etc.
NSF Award Search: Award # 2240343 - Constructing Credible Knowledge and Expertise in Air Pollution Regulation and Monitoring: The Problem of Quantification Lock
www.nsf.gov
April 22, 2025 at 6:28 PM
We also need to talk about the knock-on burdens these grant terminations are creating, for university administrators, students, and PIs, who have to find replacement funds, hop on crisis meetings, figure out how to file appeals, expedite paperwork and reimbursement requests, etc.
Reposted by Ember McCoy
NEW: Mahmoud Khalil's wife gave birth to their child without him after ICE denied their request to let him be present.
“This was a purposeful decision by ICE to make me, Mahmoud, and our son suffer,” Dr. Abdalla said. “My son and I should not be navigating his first days on earth without Mahmoud."
“This was a purposeful decision by ICE to make me, Mahmoud, and our son suffer,” Dr. Abdalla said. “My son and I should not be navigating his first days on earth without Mahmoud."
Mahmoud Khalil’s Son Arrives After ICE Refuses to Let Him Attend Birth (Gift Article)
Mr. Khalil, a permanent resident detained in Louisiana, had requested a monitored furlough for the birth. His request was denied in less than an hour.
www.nytimes.com
April 21, 2025 at 11:34 PM
NEW: Mahmoud Khalil's wife gave birth to their child without him after ICE denied their request to let him be present.
“This was a purposeful decision by ICE to make me, Mahmoud, and our son suffer,” Dr. Abdalla said. “My son and I should not be navigating his first days on earth without Mahmoud."
“This was a purposeful decision by ICE to make me, Mahmoud, and our son suffer,” Dr. Abdalla said. “My son and I should not be navigating his first days on earth without Mahmoud."
Reposted by Ember McCoy
This is so depressing: the Trump admin has terminated a grant that was going to reinterview Black Americans from the National Survey of American Life, one of the most important mental health surveys of the 21st century and one that sociologists still use more than 2 decades after data were collected
“Older Black Americans are twice as likely as white patients to develop [dementia]. Just as it is not illegal to research breast cancer in women, Mezuk said, it should not be illegal to research dementia in Black and lower-income white Americans.”
www.michigandaily.com/news/researc...
www.michigandaily.com/news/researc...
NIH terminates $13 million grant on dementia
A $12.9 million grant for a study on dementia risks among at-risk U.S. populations was terminated by the National Institutes of Health.
www.michigandaily.com
April 22, 2025 at 12:32 AM
This is so depressing: the Trump admin has terminated a grant that was going to reinterview Black Americans from the National Survey of American Life, one of the most important mental health surveys of the 21st century and one that sociologists still use more than 2 decades after data were collected
Reposted by Ember McCoy
Does that include downriver communities, e.g. Ecorse, Inkster, River Rouge? The pollutants in that area have been so bad that in years past (not sure how bad it is now), you knew when the wind was out of the SW due to the rotten egg aroma from the smelters.
April 21, 2025 at 11:44 PM
Does that include downriver communities, e.g. Ecorse, Inkster, River Rouge? The pollutants in that area have been so bad that in years past (not sure how bad it is now), you knew when the wind was out of the SW due to the rotten egg aroma from the smelters.
Reposted by Ember McCoy
There are some folks (who I can vouch for for whatever that's worth) tracking the terminated NSF grants to facilitate coordinated responses, media coverage, etc:
Form to add a terminated grant: airtable.com/appGKlSVeXni...
Current grants on the list:
airtable.com/appGKlSVeXni...
Form to add a terminated grant: airtable.com/appGKlSVeXni...
Current grants on the list:
airtable.com/appGKlSVeXni...
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airtable.com
April 22, 2025 at 12:02 AM
There are some folks (who I can vouch for for whatever that's worth) tracking the terminated NSF grants to facilitate coordinated responses, media coverage, etc:
Form to add a terminated grant: airtable.com/appGKlSVeXni...
Current grants on the list:
airtable.com/appGKlSVeXni...
Form to add a terminated grant: airtable.com/appGKlSVeXni...
Current grants on the list:
airtable.com/appGKlSVeXni...
Reposted by Ember McCoy
My PhD student's NSF grant was terminated today. Her dissertation investigates why air pollution monitoring, metrics, and regulations don't properly capture the harms experienced by marginalized communities--esp in the most polluted Detroit neighborhoods. She and I are happy to talk with press etc.
NSF Award Search: Award # 2240343 - Constructing Credible Knowledge and Expertise in Air Pollution Regulation and Monitoring: The Problem of Quantification Lock
www.nsf.gov
April 21, 2025 at 8:41 PM
My PhD student's NSF grant was terminated today. Her dissertation investigates why air pollution monitoring, metrics, and regulations don't properly capture the harms experienced by marginalized communities--esp in the most polluted Detroit neighborhoods. She and I are happy to talk with press etc.
Reposted by Ember McCoy
All NIH study sections canceled indefinitely. This will halt science and devastate research budgets in universities.
January 22, 2025 at 8:46 PM
All NIH study sections canceled indefinitely. This will halt science and devastate research budgets in universities.
Reposted by Ember McCoy
So excited about this! If you want to help us make a Michigan-based science and tech policy fellowship a reality, see the job posting below (Nov 17 deadline)!
And if you want to apply, stay tuned!! 👀 fordschool.umich.edu/news/2024/st... #scipolicy #techpolicy #altac #policy #michigan
And if you want to apply, stay tuned!! 👀 fordschool.umich.edu/news/2024/st... #scipolicy #techpolicy #altac #policy #michigan
November 15, 2024 at 6:12 PM
So excited about this! If you want to help us make a Michigan-based science and tech policy fellowship a reality, see the job posting below (Nov 17 deadline)!
And if you want to apply, stay tuned!! 👀 fordschool.umich.edu/news/2024/st... #scipolicy #techpolicy #altac #policy #michigan
And if you want to apply, stay tuned!! 👀 fordschool.umich.edu/news/2024/st... #scipolicy #techpolicy #altac #policy #michigan
Reposted by Ember McCoy
GEOGRAPHERS for JUSTICE in PALESTINE
a pre-AAG workshop
Sunday, March 23, 2025 - Detroit, MI
Please share widely, and sign up for further information below. #geosky
docs.google.com/document/d/e...
a pre-AAG workshop
Sunday, March 23, 2025 - Detroit, MI
Please share widely, and sign up for further information below. #geosky
docs.google.com/document/d/e...
SAVE THE DATE- GEOGRAPHERS for JUSTICE in PALESTINE
docs.google.com
November 7, 2024 at 7:28 PM
GEOGRAPHERS for JUSTICE in PALESTINE
a pre-AAG workshop
Sunday, March 23, 2025 - Detroit, MI
Please share widely, and sign up for further information below. #geosky
docs.google.com/document/d/e...
a pre-AAG workshop
Sunday, March 23, 2025 - Detroit, MI
Please share widely, and sign up for further information below. #geosky
docs.google.com/document/d/e...
Did you leave the #EASST4S2024 presidential plenary session wondering how to put STS in concert with applied policy from the academy (while mentoring students to do the same)? Check out University of Michigan’s Technology Assessment Project or find these folks (unfortunately their panel was Tues).
Looking forward to the #EASST #4S conference starting on Tuesday!! Who will be there? I am co-organizing a panel about UM's Technology Assessment Project, Tuesday at 4pm along with @mollyak.bsky.social, Denia Djokić, and Margarita Rodriguez Morales! #STS stpp.fordschool.umich.edu/technology-a...
July 17, 2024 at 8:43 AM
Did you leave the #EASST4S2024 presidential plenary session wondering how to put STS in concert with applied policy from the academy (while mentoring students to do the same)? Check out University of Michigan’s Technology Assessment Project or find these folks (unfortunately their panel was Tues).
This article could also be written about Ann Arbor amid the frequent power outages due to DTE’s crumbling infrastructure.
I have been thinking about this all week. My elderly parents, who live in Houston, lost power early Monday morning. But, they are privileged enough to have a generator. Millions are not so lucky. This is yet another way we are privatizing public problems. www.nytimes.com/2024/07/11/u...
A Hurricane Divide in Houston: Who Has a Generator?
In the prolonged power outage after Hurricane Beryl, many well-to-do neighborhoods are humming with generators. Other residents are struggling to afford — or even find — one.
www.nytimes.com
July 17, 2024 at 8:16 AM
This article could also be written about Ann Arbor amid the frequent power outages due to DTE’s crumbling infrastructure.
This panel was incredible — I learned so much from my colleagues about this project that I knew about, but didn’t *know* — UM’s Science, Technology & Public Policy program is doing truly remarkable work that engages STS in applied policymaking & transforms early career scholars in the process.
Looking forward to the #EASST #4S conference starting on Tuesday!! Who will be there? I am co-organizing a panel about UM's Technology Assessment Project, Tuesday at 4pm along with @mollyak.bsky.social, Denia Djokić, and Margarita Rodriguez Morales! #STS stpp.fordschool.umich.edu/technology-a...
July 17, 2024 at 8:12 AM
This panel was incredible — I learned so much from my colleagues about this project that I knew about, but didn’t *know* — UM’s Science, Technology & Public Policy program is doing truly remarkable work that engages STS in applied policymaking & transforms early career scholars in the process.