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microbeminded.bsky.social
Buck Samuel 🪱🦠🧬🔬
@microbeminded.bsky.social
3.3K followers 2.9K following 190 posts
organismal biologist & geneticist | PI at med school in Houston | amazed by microbial superpowers | he/him

#microbiome #Celegans #spacebiology #firstgen 🧫 🦠 🧪 🧬

GS: https://bit.ly/goog-schol-buck-sam
ORCID: 0000-0002-4347-3997
Posts Replies Media Videos
microbeminded.bsky.social
July 4th parade in Woods Hole today was a celebration of freedom, life, liberty and happiness through science!

Many @mblscience.bsky.social groups represented— so fun! May have missed #Celegans, but flies, squid, and axolotls well represented. 🧪
Parade with axolotls Parade with praying mantis Parade with 76 American flag Parade with lady liberties
July 5, 2025 at 3:46 AM
microbeminded.bsky.social
Essential #worm25 survival tip no. 1000 - beat the heat with tasty ice cream and cool science! Great catching up with fellow host-microbe aficionados Molly Matty and Jennifer Heppert ( @heppertlab.bsky.social ).
3 smiling worm researchers holding up ice cream during a break at #worm25
July 2, 2025 at 1:00 AM
microbeminded.bsky.social
Amazing talk about personal scientific journey of perseverance @rogerslabucd.bsky.social and way forward for advocating for science. #worm25
Reminders to myself and others • Apply often, apply broadly, and diversify funding. • Fight misinformation about science and scientists (publicly and/or privately). • Use social media for advocacy, branding, and SciComm- expand your network. • Maximize your resources- learn how to do science on a budget. • Bring your whole self to science (when you can safely). • Celebraie AUlL of your wins, long aid small!! • Always keep your options open and approach science and academia with flexibility.
July 1, 2025 at 9:24 PM
microbeminded.bsky.social
Inspirational talk from Pam Padilla highlighting ways to broaden impact of our research to broader communities. #worm25
Strategy to Broaden Impact: > Communication research impact > Engage with political representatives > Advocate for higher education > Counter misinformation > Assign high value to teaching › Engage with diverse communities
July 1, 2025 at 8:57 PM
microbeminded.bsky.social
#worm25 version of between two ferns about the #NobelPrize moment for Gary Ruvkun and @vambros.bsky.social
June 30, 2025 at 12:42 AM
microbeminded.bsky.social
Had an amazing and inspiring time at #Garypalooza celebration at MGH this week. Was so great to meet many current and catch up with former Ruvkunites. Such an incredible broad legacy of impact and innovation in many fields #Celegans #microRNAs and beyond.

#NobelPrize #academicsky 🧪🦠🧬 🪱
Massachusetts General Hospital Founding Member, Mass General Brigham Please join us for the Ruvkun Nob73 Symposium Honoring Gary Ruvkun's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine Tuesday, April 10 9 a.m.- 6:30 p.m. Third floor, large seminar room 3110 Simches Research Building 185 Cambridge Street Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Harvard Medical School investigator Gary Ruvkun, PhD, has been named Physiology or Medicine for his role in the discovery of microRNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation Gary Ruvkun presenting history of miRNA discovery. 9:00 am - 9:15 am Coffee Session A 9:15 am to 11:00 am - Moderator: Sylvia Fischer 9:15-9:20 Diane Sacchetti 9:20-9:45 Gary Ruvkun 9:45-9:55 David Greenstein 9:55-10:05 Heidi Tissenbaum 10:05-10:15 Kotaro Kimura 10:15-10:25 Mike Finney 10:25-10:30 Ann Sluder 10:30-10:40 Tom Barnes 10:40-10:50 Christopher Carr 10:50-10:55 Angel Mojarro 10:55-11:00 Thomas Isenbarger Ruvkun Nob73 Schedule revised Mon Apr 8 4 pm Break 11:00 to 11:15 am Session B 11:15-11:25 11:25-11:35 11:35-11:45 11:45-11:55 11:55-12:05 12:05-12:15 12:15-12:20 12:20-12:30 12:30-12:40 12:40-12:50 12:50-1:00 11:15 am to 1:00 pm - Moderator: David Greenstein Amy Pasquinelli Frank Slack Eric Lai John Kim Himani Galagali Scott Kennedy Duo Wang, Sylvia Fischer Tai Montgomery Carolyn Phillips Hafiz Mohd Rothi Lunch 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm 2-00-2:10C 2:00 Kat Ashram - Moderator: Carolyn Phillips 2:00-2:10 2:10-2:20 Sylvia Le 2:20-2:30 leng Wan 2:30-2:40 Sean Curran 2:40-2:50 Eyleen O'Rourke 2:50-3:00 Patrick Hu 3:00-3:10 3:10-3:20 Buck Samuel Natasha Kirienk 3:20-3:30 Alex Soukas 3:30-3:35 Sascha Russel 3:35-3:40 3:40-3:45 Amaramanath Govindan 3:45-3:50 Dave Shore 3:50-3:55 Maria Armakola Break 3:55 pm to 4:15 pm 4:45-4:55 4:55-5:05 5:05-5:15 5: 15-5:25 5:25-5:35 5:35-5:45 5:45-5:55 5:55-6:00 6:00-6:05 Nic Lehrbach Josh Meisel Kurt Warhoff Ilya Ruvinsky Yuval Tabach Kai Mao Andy Samuelson Ashwin Seetharaman
April 11, 2025 at 6:18 PM
microbeminded.bsky.social
Full text of my op-ed to the Bonner Country Daily Bee. #ScienceHomecoming

2/n
Funding the future: The impact of science cuts on rural Idaho Science is often portrayed as the stuff of villains in sci-fi movies or as almost magical in catching criminals on TV dramas. The reality is that the scientific research that benefits us all takes both time and continued investment. This investment has made our nation a leader in research and innovation for decades, thanks in large part to broad bipartisan support. But now, science is the victim of indiscriminate federal funding cuts that put this progress at risk. Three main actions are devastating scientific research right now: freezing federal budgets and review panels for the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation (NSF), firing thousands of expert scientists from agencies like NIH, NSF, and NASA, and canceling programs that promote entry into the scientific workforce. This hurts science, but why should it matter to you? [NIH/NSF funds to ID] I grew up in Eastern Washington and North Idaho, where my family still lives today. I rode the bus for hours each day to Priest River Junior and Senior High Schools, where my teacher, Mrs. Mund, first sparked my interest in science. With a mix of Pell Grants and scholarships, I became the first in my family to graduate from college, earning two degrees from the University of Idaho. In college, my passion for science ignited through an NSF-funded Research Experience for Undergraduates summer program. This led me to graduate studies, where I received support from an NIH training grant and an NSF fellowship to study the microbes inside us with a gut microbiome pioneer at Washington University. Later, thanks to an NIH postdoctoral fellowship, I worked with a now Nobel Prize-winning scientist in Boston. These opportunities changed my life. Now, I have my dream job as a professor at Baylor College of Medicine, leading a team that studies how microbes in the gut affect metabolism and health. Our research, salaries, and lab space are almost …
March 6, 2025 at 9:30 PM
microbeminded.bsky.social
Where are the #StandUpForScience events in these states with millions in NIH funding?
- Wyoming ($12M)
- Idaho ($24M)
- North Dakota ($25M)
- South Dakota ($29M)
- Mississippi ($65M)

standupforscience2025.org/local-event-...

🧪 #MedSky #AcademicSky
Map of Stand Up for Science events in the US on March 7 2025 with pins in every state but ID, WY, ND, SD and MS.
March 5, 2025 at 7:34 PM
microbeminded.bsky.social
Before it is all taken down, a good reminder that the NIH has (or maybe had) an expansive definition of what constitutes diversity. So this means less participation by #womeninSTEM, #URMinSTEM, #disabledinSTEM, plus those that grew up rural, #firstgen, unhoused, or low-income.

#academicSky 🧪👩‍🔬 2/n
Underrepresented Populations in the U.S. Biomedical, Clinical, Behavioral and Social Sciences Research Enterprise Individuals from racial and ethnic groups that have been shown by the National Science Foundation to be underrepresented in health-related sciences on a national basis Individuals with disabilities, who are defined as those with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, as described in the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended. See NSF data at, https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/2017/nsf17310/static/data/tab7-5.pdf. Individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, defined as those who meet two or more of the following criteria: Were or currently are homeless, as defined by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (Definition: https://nche.ed.gov/mckinney-vento/); Were or currently are in the foster care system, as defined by the Administration for Children and Families (Definition: https://www.acf.hhs.gov/cb/focus-areas/foster-care); Were eligible for the Federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program for two or more years (Definition: https://www.fns.usda.gov/school-meals/income-eligibility-guidelines); Have/had no parents or legal guardians who completed a bachelor’s degree (see https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2018/2018009.pdf); Were or currently are eligible for Federal Pell grants (Definition: https://www2.ed.gov/programs/fpg/eligibility.html); Received support from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) as a parent or child (Definition: https://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/wic-eligibility-requirements). Grew up in one of the following areas: a) a U.S. rural area, as designated by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Rural Health Grants Eligibility Analyzer (https://data.hrsa.gov/tools/rural-health), or b) a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services-designated Low-Income and Health Professional Shortage Areas (qualifying zipcodes are included in the file
January 24, 2025 at 7:41 PM
microbeminded.bsky.social
In another detrimental turn of events, #diversity supplements on NIH grants are no longer a thing as of today - grants.nih.gov/grants/guide...

Right now, ~$65M goes to 750+ projects / people doing to #ScientificResearch in 45 of 50 states.

#academicSky #publicHealth #medSky 1/n
Heatmap of NIH diversity supplements per state. From NIH Reporter.
January 24, 2025 at 7:41 PM
microbeminded.bsky.social
Like many states, the economic impact of NIH funds is huge in Texas:
NIH AWARDS FUNDING: 1 $1.85 B JOBS SUPPORTED: 2 29,563 ECONOMIC ACTIVITY SUPPORTED: $5.8 B
January 23, 2025 at 5:02 AM
microbeminded.bsky.social
Gary Ruvkun also highlighted the key role of the lab in #mentoring each other. I absolutely learned so much from those amazing people around me in the Ruvkun lab. What this undersells is his uncanny ability to recruit and cultivate a creative environment. No easy task!

#academicSky #Celegans 3/3
List of trainees from Gary Ruvkun's lab and positions in science
December 7, 2024 at 9:32 PM
microbeminded.bsky.social
Still time to apply for the TRISH NASA postdoctoral fellowship in space health!

Due December 18

www.bcm.edu/spacehealth

🧪🚀👩‍🚀 #astrobiology #medsky #postdocjobs #spacehealth
TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR SPACE HEALTH 2025 POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP NOW ACCEPTING PROPOSALS DEADLINE: DEC 18, 2024
December 5, 2024 at 2:24 AM
microbeminded.bsky.social
Maybe too accurate to be a true roast, but entertaining nonetheless! Blueskyroast.com
Bluesky roast results for microbeminded. The Microbial Maestro of Bluesky: Buck Samuel Unleashed! Meet the scientist who's equal parts #C. elegans and meme machine, cooking up connections in the microbial universe. " A hybrid of intellectual charm and enthusiastic nerdiness that makes science feel like a cool hangout. 95% & Authenticity 92% & Thought Leader Key Topics 90% Microbiome Research 85% • C. elegans Advocacy
December 4, 2024 at 3:00 AM
microbeminded.bsky.social
PSA to all newskies: you can find out what lists and starter packs you (or any other account) has been added to here - clearsky.app
#academicsky
clearsky logo
November 18, 2024 at 5:34 PM
microbeminded.bsky.social
Post a picture that you took (no description) to bring some zen to the timeline.
Panorama of Iguazu Falls from Brazil with a rainbow from the mist and plenty of blue skies.
November 18, 2024 at 4:05 AM
microbeminded.bsky.social
To all the newskies, welcome! #HiSciSky

As #firstgen PI at BCM in Houston, my lab studies how the #microbiome alters host physiology using genetics & genomics in #Celegans. Our lens is #BasicResearch, but aim to promote human health on earth and beyond.

🧪🖥️🧬 #AcademicSky #MicroSky 1/3
Cartoon illustration of C. elegans nematodes and their microbiome. By Adrien Assié.
November 12, 2024 at 8:27 PM
microbeminded.bsky.social
Inspiring words from Harris - "If it [a dark time], let us fill the sky with the light of a brilliant, brilliant billion of stars, the light of optimism, of faith, of truth and service. And may that work guide us, even in the face of setbacks, toward the extraordinary promise of the [USA]."
Cosmic birthplace of stars, the Carina Nebula, with its landscape of “mountains” and “valleys” speckled with glittering stars. Captured in infrared light by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI
November 6, 2024 at 10:54 PM
microbeminded.bsky.social
Early voted here in Texas, but still time to get out there and #vote today. All votes matter to the future of our country.

Swing state or not, local and state elections matter just as much and can impact how the president can govern. Exercise your civic duty!

www.vote.org/polling-plac...
November 5, 2024 at 3:21 PM
microbeminded.bsky.social
Bluesky now has over 10 million users, and I was #506,152!
Bluesky user #506,152
September 18, 2024 at 4:10 PM
microbeminded.bsky.social
Partial eclipse view (94%) from Houston today-- spooky!
View of partial eclipse from Texas Medical Center. View of partial eclipse from Texas Medical Center through filter...spooky!
April 8, 2024 at 8:13 PM
microbeminded.bsky.social
With BlueSky open, I wanted to highlight a couple things for wayward wormies:

>> BOOST your feed with ~100 #CeleganSky users tinyurl.com/CeleganSkyList

>> ADD / LIKE / SKEET to WormFeed, a 7 day snapshot of #Celegans mentions tinyurl.com/BlueSkyWormF...

1/n

#Celegans🧪
pic: @m3thyl.bsky.social
Cartoon drawing of worms in zoom windows. By Adrien Assie (2020)
February 7, 2024 at 3:57 PM
microbeminded.bsky.social
#HiSciSky wordcloud intro is pretty spot on for my focus on the #microbiome in a number of systems over the years, plus development of #Celegans microbiome system in my own lab.

HT @morinryan.bsky.social for the app - shiny.rcg.sfu.ca/u/rdmorin/pu...
Wordcloud of pubmed abstracts for Buck Samuel with microbiome, elegans and gut being the largest words.
September 25, 2023 at 2:20 PM
microbeminded.bsky.social
🚨🚨🚨 NEW FEED ALERT --> WormFeed, for following worm discussion and research. Anyone can add to it by using #Celegans and also scrapes the last 7 days of the network for "C. elegans" in posts. bsky.app/profile/did:...
Rainbow pseudo-colored images of C. elegans adult animals.
September 19, 2023 at 2:14 PM
microbeminded.bsky.social
🧵 of #CeleganSky / worm researchers to connect with. Pls tag yourself/others in replies. 1/n
@senguptalab.bsky.social
@snickclunk.bsky.social
@needhibhalla.bsky.social
@ahnaskop.bsky.social
@rnareylab.bsky.social
@millerlab.bsky.social
@javierapfeld.bsky.social
@wyomingwormboy.bsky.social
Abstract cartoon of nematode coiled on clouds in the sky with the setting sun. (AI generated)
September 5, 2023 at 3:55 PM