Marko Spasojevic
LightNews LightNews
banner
m-j-spasojevic.bsky.social
Marko Spasojevic
@m-j-spasojevic.bsky.social
1.7K followers 290 following 88 posts
Associate prof. at UC-Riverside studying biodiversity, plant traits, biogeography, global change. Niwot LTER. Dad, Army Veteran, He/Him.
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Marko Spasojevic
instaar.bsky.social
🙏🏽 A big thank you to Andrew Mayock, @colorado.edu's VC for Sustainability. He recently toured the Mountain Research Station & the Tundra Lab at Niwot Ridge, meeting with INSTAAR faculty & discussing future collaborations.

Read our story about his visit: www.colorado.edu/instaar/2025...
Vice chancellor for sustainability visits the Mountain Research Station and Niwot Ridge
CU Boulder’s Andrew Mayock recently toured the Mountain Research Station, a high-altitude climate station and the Tundra Lab at Niwot Ridge. INSTAAR faculty
www.colorado.edu
July 15, 2025 at 6:59 PM
Reposted by Marko Spasojevic
seemasheth.bsky.social
We begin reviewing applications next week!
April 29, 2025 at 3:57 PM
m-j-spasojevic.bsky.social
Latest camera trap video
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDd9...
Lake Perris State Recreation Area - Camera Trap Highlights
YouTube video by Spasojevic Ecology Lab
www.youtube.com
April 10, 2025 at 8:58 PM
Reposted by Marko Spasojevic
petehomyak.bsky.social
In new work by Sharon, we studied whether changes in #soil N in response to shifts in precipitation may favor tradeoffs between AOA and AOB nitrifiers and the emission of NO and #N2O 🧪 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Nitrogen Availability and Changes in Precipitation Alter Microbially Mediated NO and N2O Emissions From a Pinyon–Juniper Dryland
Climate change is altering precipitation regimes that control nitrogen (N) cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. In ecosystems exposed to frequent drought, N can accumulate in soils as they dry, stimula...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
April 7, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Reposted by Marko Spasojevic
aoc.bsky.social
Hell yeah. Hold the line. This is what we need people to do.

Slow things down, don’t comply in advance so the courts have time to stop them. It’s starting to work.
ellenlweintraub.bsky.social Ellen L. Weintraub @ellenlweintraub.bsky.social · Feb 6
Received a letter from POTUS today purporting to remove me as Commissioner and Chair of the FEC. There's a legal way to replace FEC commissioners-this isn't it. I've been so fortunate to serve the American people and stir up some good trouble along the way. That's not changing anytime soon.
February 7, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Reposted by Marko Spasojevic
hormiga.bsky.social
I've been seen lots of feckless despair and detachedness among scientists in the US at the moment. How we might live up to this critical moment when things seem the worst.

scienceforeveryone.science/p/how-ive-be... 🧪
How I've been thinking about all of the rapid horrible changes in the United States
I'm not telling you how to think or feel, but maybe letting you know where I'm at might be useful.
scienceforeveryone.science
February 8, 2025 at 1:20 AM
Reposted by Marko Spasojevic
funeco.bsky.social
The criteria for flagging grants: “broadening participation” language, foreign assistance, climate science, domestic energy, and “discriminatory programs, including illegal DEI”.

“To see ‘women’ and ‘woman’ and ‘people of colour’— that was a gut punch,"
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Exclusive: how NSF is scouring research grants for violations of Trump’s orders
The US National Science Foundation has unfrozen grant funding, but it continues to scrutinize research projects, sowing turmoil.
www.nature.com
February 4, 2025 at 1:49 AM
Reposted by Marko Spasojevic
carlbergstrom.com
NSF FUNDING FREEZE UPDATE

I received this email from the NSF about 45 minutes ago. Attached are the links.

I believe this should restore trainee funding but await confirmation on that.

nsf-gov-resources.nsf.gov/files/TRO-NY...

new.nsf.gov/executive-or...
MESSAGE to the NSF PI Community, On Friday, January 31, 2025, a Federal Court issued a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) directing Federal grant-making agencies, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), to “...not pause, freeze, impede, block, cancel, or terminate... awards and obligations to provide federal financial assistance to the States, and... not impede the States’ access to such awards and obligations, except on the basis of the applicable authorizing statutes, regulations, and terms.” Although the language of the TRO is directed at State institutions, the Department of Justice has determined that it applies to all NSF award recipients. You can review the TRO here. In order to comply with the TRO, the NSF Award Cash Management Service (ACM$) system is available for awardees to request payments as of 12:00pm EST, February 2, 2025. This message is also available on the Executive Order Implementation webpage. Please check back regularly as we add frequently asked questions (FAQs) based on community feedback. Sethuraman Panchanathan Director
February 2, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Reposted by Marko Spasojevic
aoc.bsky.social
I honestly believe our most powerful position in a toxic time that feeds on cynicism, apathy,& despair is to genuinely care and act for a better world.

Cynicism is our enemy. We should check it, incl. on the left. It’s not intellectually superior. It’s the virus they’re trying to infect us with. NO
January 31, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Reposted by Marko Spasojevic
daveyfwright.bsky.social
Also worth keeping in mind: every program director, program officer, and other NSF staff I've ever interacted with are kind, thoughtful, & professional. They are working through a challenging situation & deserve kindness on the other side of this. Direct anger & frustration at leadership, not them
phoebefossil.bsky.social Phoebe Cohen @phoebefossil.bsky.social · Jan 31
Just a reminder that NSF program officers aren't reaching out to you because they can't - no communications allowed.
January 31, 2025 at 2:24 PM
Reposted by Marko Spasojevic
mattbetts42.bsky.social
This is causing major issues for us at the HJ Andrews LTER. Possible disruptions to >40 years of data on water, tree growth and survival, ecosystem response to fire. As well as three long-term employees whose livelihoods are now uncertain.
January 31, 2025 at 3:07 PM
m-j-spasojevic.bsky.social
Where are our leaders? Why aren’t our societies having a joint press conference on the steps of NSF? Why aren’t they organizing a march on NSF? Why aren’t they sending us call scripts?

What are ESA and AGU doing? As far as I can tell, nothing
January 31, 2025 at 2:56 PM
Reposted by Marko Spasojevic
aoc.bsky.social
Yes, this administration is dangerous and cruel, but they are also shockingly dim and incompetent.

Opportunities are everywhere.

Make everything as hard as possible. Resist every demand. Refuse entry without a warrant. Don’t take the buyout. Their problem solving skills are 📉
January 30, 2025 at 2:35 AM
Reposted by Marko Spasojevic
jalene-lamontagne.bsky.social
Lots! Recently, our @uslter.bsky.social Synthesis Working Group published a synthesis paper in an #EcologyLetters Very Long-Term Data special issue! We explored a new area of research, looking at Community-Level synchrony in woody plant reproduction. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
A map showing 7 long-term ecological research sites in the US, and graphs showing varying synchrony in reproduction of woody plants.
January 29, 2025 at 10:57 PM
Reposted by Marko Spasojevic
society4conbio.bsky.social
We have a great list of ongoing award, fellowship and grant opportunities that we thought our members might be interested in. 🌍 #conservation #MarineLife #ecology
Check it out here: docs.google.com/document/d/1...
#conservation #funding #fellowships #awards
Award, Fellowship and Grants Opportunities
Award, Fellowship and Grant Opportunities Below is a list of some of the ongoing award, fellowship and grant opportunities that we thought our members might be interested in. Use the hyperlinks to ju...
docs.google.com
January 29, 2025 at 10:19 PM
Reposted by Marko Spasojevic
ljrissler.bsky.social
The Oath of Office taken by me and my colleagues at the NSF -

“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; …”
January 29, 2025 at 10:35 PM
m-j-spasojevic.bsky.social
Long thread but hear me out. If we keep trying to play by the old rules we lose. We can’t keep turning to the rules and crying foul, hoping they suddenly start following them.
January 29, 2025 at 7:36 PM
Reposted by Marko Spasojevic
benstemon.bsky.social
NSF PRFB POSTDOCS:

Pull the remainder of this funding cycle’s stipend, all remaining research funds, and all remaining travel funds (if you have them). Do it before 5PM today. Per instructions from multiple NSF POs.

If you’re not already on the PRFB slack, DM me and I’ll send you an invite
January 28, 2025 at 5:36 PM
Reposted by Marko Spasojevic
rebeccasolnit.bsky.social
Hi that was a coup last night in case no one mentioned that to you. The executive branch seized the power of the purse the Constitution gave to Congress, which is a pretty authoritarian / illegal consolidation of powers move. Time to go yell at your reps, the media, etc.
Hey friends! We're seeing a lot of terrible things. We're not able to cover all of them, but we felt this latest one is a really big deal and needs much more awareness. Our summary is this: It's an administrative coup. Trump has ordered tens of billions (maybe up to $3 trillion) of budget halted indefinitely in a blatantly illegal move. He's claiming power to halt and potentially redirect funding that's already been authorized by Congress — a classic authoritarian move. Here's what we know. And we're doing our best to catch up with this story, because it's moving fast. There's a memo from Matthew Vaeth, the acting head of the Office of Management and Budget. (That's the same government entity who set-up the DEI "snitch" line, that's now been spammed by tens of thousands of our fellow residents.) In typical Trump-style, the memo gets its facts wrong. It claims in FY2024 the US government spent $10 trillion (actually it was $6.8 trillion). It says money should be used for the administration's priorities — "The use of Federal resources to advance Marxist equity, transgenderism, and green new deal social engineering policies is a waste of taxpayer dollars that does not improve the day-to-day lives of those we serve." (Again, it's very fact deficient.) The memo says a pause will begin at 5pm on January 28th where, "Federal agencies must temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance, and other relevant agency activities that may be implicated by the executive orders, including, but not limited to, financial assistance for foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, DEI, woke gender ideology, and the green new deal." Anyone promised federal grants might have their money at risk, even states. This is Congressional directed spending and Trump is ordering people to not do it. This funding includes universities for education and research programs, nonprofits, local and tribal governments, disaster relief aid, e… So what can we do? It's been a lot. And the shock approach of this administration is to overwhelm us with nonsense and a state of paralysis. We continue to believe the best thing is to stay grounded and keep yourself sane amidst insanity. At this juncture, three actions we suggest that make sense to us: 1) Urge media to cover this story properly This is not "possibly illegal" — it's "patently illegal." You can read notes on that here. It's not "temporary" — it's "indefinite." There's no timetable for ending it. It's not just a memo — it's an administrative coup. 2) Urge your Representatives to act like this is a big deal If you know us, this isn't a knee-jerk action we suggest. We think this is a strategic because it's Congress that's being violated — their power is being directly undermined. 3) Continue to support ACLU and Democracy Forward These groups have been preparing litigation for some time. Unless Trump revokes this, this will certainly make its way through the courts. Our read is even the biased courts will have trouble swallowing this — so it may end up being shut down. Keep breathing. “Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again," Nelson Mandela. Warmly, - Choose Democracy
January 28, 2025 at 3:51 PM
m-j-spasojevic.bsky.social
A few highlights from our camera traps. We pulled the SD cards after a month because of the high winds. 2 SD cars were stollen, 1 was fully corrupted and 1 was partially corrupted. still a few good shots
youtu.be/D9-PLa1j-wo?...
Forest Camera Trap Highlights - early winter 2025
YouTube video by Spasojevic Ecology Lab
youtu.be
January 26, 2025 at 12:31 AM
Reposted by Marko Spasojevic
pkpd-babe.bsky.social
1. Pace yourself. Things are awful, but you cannot sustainably stay in a doom spiral.

2. Don’t reinvent the wheel. Organizers have been in these spaces for years. See what is already happening and how you can help.

3. Don’t feel guilty for taking care of yourself. Step back then rejoin when ready.
January 25, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Reposted by Marko Spasojevic
instaar.bsky.social
📢 Applications are open for INSTAAR's 2025 Summer Scholars program to support grad student research at CU Boulder. This week, we sat down with 2024 recipients NATALIE ARANDA & JED LENETSKY to learn more about their experience www.colorado.edu/instaar/2025...
INSTAAR’s summer scholarship is open (plus a Q&A with last-year’s cohort)
INSTAAR is now accepting applications for the 2025 Summer Scholars cohortEach year, the scholarship provides funding for two CU Boulder graduate students to
www.colorado.edu
January 23, 2025 at 10:26 PM
Reposted by Marko Spasojevic
pedsaly.bsky.social
The antidote for despair is action ❤️

* Dial (202) 224-3121
* Enter zip code
* Leave voicemail
* Say “My name is ___, I’m a constituent in [town]. (If clinician/scientist, say so)

“The NIH freeze harms research and patients and must be lifted immediately.”

Be brief. Staffers tally all calls. Go! ✅
samwang.bsky.social Sam Wang @samwang.bsky.social · Jan 23
NIH funding supports the vast majority of all biomedical research in the United States. Virtually every advance in American medicine and biological science comes from NIH. This is a blow against American science.

Call Congress, 202-224-3121.
liebschutz.bsky.social Jane Liebschutz, MD MPH (she/her) @liebschutz.bsky.social · Jan 22
All NIH study sections canceled indefinitely. This will halt science and devastate research budgets in universities.
January 23, 2025 at 3:21 AM
Reposted by Marko Spasojevic
uslter.bsky.social
We're excited to see a bunch of LTER sites making their way over to BlueSky! Our sites are the heart of our network—they're the places advancing our understanding of ecology, one 40-year study at at time.

You can follow all of our sites on BlueSky using our starter pack here: go.bsky.app/MrcEQVV
January 22, 2025 at 10:45 PM
Reposted by Marko Spasojevic
uslter.bsky.social
REU programs are starting to come out across the LTER Network!

See all the postings below.

REU opportunities will continue to come out through the winter, so check back often for the most up-to-date postings.

lternet.edu/education-an...
Undergraduate Research Opportunities - LTER
NSF funds a large number of research opportunities for undergraduate students through its Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Sites Program. The REU program allows for active research partic...
lternet.edu
December 17, 2024 at 7:44 PM