Maddie O’Keefe
@mokeefe.bsky.social
Science writer, lover of Shakespeare
Reposted by Maddie O’Keefe
This is a comprehensive (and very bleak) summary of the current state of US science
Donald Trump’s second term as US President has begun with staff layoffs, slashed budgets, axed diversity programmes and cancelled conferences in what some see as a new "dark ages" 🧪⚛️ physicsworld.com/a/us-science...
US science in chaos as impact of Trump's executive orders sinks in – Physics World
US science hit by staff layoffs, slashed budgets, axed diversity programmes and cancelled conferences
physicsworld.com
February 13, 2025 at 11:46 AM
This is a comprehensive (and very bleak) summary of the current state of US science
Reposted by Maddie O’Keefe
Donald Trump’s second term as US President has begun with staff layoffs, slashed budgets, axed diversity programmes and cancelled conferences in what some see as a new "dark ages" 🧪⚛️ physicsworld.com/a/us-science...
US science in chaos as impact of Trump's executive orders sinks in – Physics World
US science hit by staff layoffs, slashed budgets, axed diversity programmes and cancelled conferences
physicsworld.com
February 12, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Donald Trump’s second term as US President has begun with staff layoffs, slashed budgets, axed diversity programmes and cancelled conferences in what some see as a new "dark ages" 🧪⚛️ physicsworld.com/a/us-science...
Reposted by Maddie O’Keefe
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, says the National Science Foundation has given money to thousands of "Woke DEI" studies. Researchers say that's misrepresenting science and disparaging important research.
Sen. Ted Cruz's list of 'woke' science includes self-driving cars and solar eclipses
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, says the National Science Foundation has given money to thousands of "woke DEI" studies. Researchers say that's misrepresenting science and disparaging important research.
www.npr.org
February 13, 2025 at 3:08 PM
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, says the National Science Foundation has given money to thousands of "Woke DEI" studies. Researchers say that's misrepresenting science and disparaging important research.
Reposted by Maddie O’Keefe
i am going to put a finer point on this: executive orders are not laws. and they certainly are not royal decrees. they are interpretations of existing law for the purposes of enforcement. the fact that so many people are treating them as laws is actually driving me a bit insane.
i mean, the president's executive order isn't a goddamn law! as far as this doctor is concerned, who cares what the president says!
A New York City doctor said he will continue providing gender-affirming treatments to his patients younger than 19 despite President Donald Trump’s executive order aiming to ban such care.
February 12, 2025 at 2:48 AM
i am going to put a finer point on this: executive orders are not laws. and they certainly are not royal decrees. they are interpretations of existing law for the purposes of enforcement. the fact that so many people are treating them as laws is actually driving me a bit insane.
Reposted by Maddie O’Keefe
These are research grants awarded through evaluation of their merits by scientific peers, in which the investigators are carrying out important, ground-breaking work. They're being targeted because, as required by NSF guidelines, they include some investment in benefits for the broader community.
Ted Cruz released a spreadsheet of NSF grants found to be "questionable projects that promoted Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) or advanced neo-Marxist class warfare propaganda."
There are more planetary sci grants here then I expected. Are you here?
www.commerce.senate.gov/2025/2/cruz-...
There are more planetary sci grants here then I expected. Are you here?
www.commerce.senate.gov/2025/2/cruz-...
Cruz-Led Investigation Uncovers $2 Billion in Woke DEI Grants at NSF, Releases Full Database
www.commerce.senate.gov
February 12, 2025 at 4:08 PM
These are research grants awarded through evaluation of their merits by scientific peers, in which the investigators are carrying out important, ground-breaking work. They're being targeted because, as required by NSF guidelines, they include some investment in benefits for the broader community.
Reposted by Maddie O’Keefe
I have work to do but I'm distracted by watching US scientific progress & leadership being irreversibly undermined because a few unelected malcontents are penalizing researchers for following legal requirements set out by congressional orders to augment basic research with benefits to society.
February 12, 2025 at 4:31 PM
I have work to do but I'm distracted by watching US scientific progress & leadership being irreversibly undermined because a few unelected malcontents are penalizing researchers for following legal requirements set out by congressional orders to augment basic research with benefits to society.
Reposted by Maddie O’Keefe
Happy International Day of Women in Science. The National Science Foundation’s list of flagged words includes both “Women” and “Female.”
February 11, 2025 at 2:26 PM
Happy International Day of Women in Science. The National Science Foundation’s list of flagged words includes both “Women” and “Female.”
Reposted by Maddie O’Keefe
I wish there was a way to quantify the collective amount of work lost due to stress and despair over the last few weeks, independent of barriers to funding.
February 11, 2025 at 2:25 PM
I wish there was a way to quantify the collective amount of work lost due to stress and despair over the last few weeks, independent of barriers to funding.
Reposted by Maddie O’Keefe
oh hey I found out why everyone's so anxious all the time! turns out it's every open-parenthesis you've ever read that never got closed again. let's fix that. )))))))))))))))))))))) phew. glad we've solved that forever
February 10, 2025 at 9:58 AM
oh hey I found out why everyone's so anxious all the time! turns out it's every open-parenthesis you've ever read that never got closed again. let's fix that. )))))))))))))))))))))) phew. glad we've solved that forever
Reposted by Maddie O’Keefe
I am really frustrated that the press is discussing the destruction of USAID as something that has happened rather than an illegal action that will likely be undone in two weeks when courts tell the world that it was illegal.
February 7, 2025 at 12:34 AM
I am really frustrated that the press is discussing the destruction of USAID as something that has happened rather than an illegal action that will likely be undone in two weeks when courts tell the world that it was illegal.
Reposted by Maddie O’Keefe
Just in case you thought that removing DEI criteria would mean that everyone is competing equally: NIH is removing grad students from underrepresented backgrounds from the applicant pool altogether. Their applications will not be considered. Other students, not from these backgrounds, will be.
February 6, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Just in case you thought that removing DEI criteria would mean that everyone is competing equally: NIH is removing grad students from underrepresented backgrounds from the applicant pool altogether. Their applications will not be considered. Other students, not from these backgrounds, will be.
Reposted by Maddie O’Keefe
NEW JWST IMAGE SHOWING A PROTOPLANETARY DISK AROUND A NEWLY FORMED STAR!!! 🤩
February 5, 2025 at 12:00 AM
NEW JWST IMAGE SHOWING A PROTOPLANETARY DISK AROUND A NEWLY FORMED STAR!!! 🤩
Reposted by Maddie O’Keefe
🚨BREAKING. From a program officer at the National Science Foundation, a list of keywords that can cause a grant to be pulled. I will be sharing screenshots of these keywords along with a decision tree. Please share widely. This is a crisis for academic freedom & science.
February 4, 2025 at 1:26 AM
🚨BREAKING. From a program officer at the National Science Foundation, a list of keywords that can cause a grant to be pulled. I will be sharing screenshots of these keywords along with a decision tree. Please share widely. This is a crisis for academic freedom & science.
Reposted by Maddie O’Keefe
i wish the sky looked like this all the time
February 3, 2025 at 1:47 AM
i wish the sky looked like this all the time
Reposted by Maddie O’Keefe
Reminder that a study on lizard saliva eventually led to the development of Ozempic so be real wary of the criticism of studies and funding that sounds non-sensical when presented with no context.
February 3, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Reminder that a study on lizard saliva eventually led to the development of Ozempic so be real wary of the criticism of studies and funding that sounds non-sensical when presented with no context.
Reposted by Maddie O’Keefe
Hey, scientists:
.
🌟 . * . 🌙
🛸 *
🛰️ . ✨ *
YOU ARE NOT ALONE
. * .
🌏 🪐 *
🌞
👽 . * . ✨
.
Pass it on.
.
🌟 . * . 🌙
🛸 *
🛰️ . ✨ *
YOU ARE NOT ALONE
. * .
🌏 🪐 *
🌞
👽 . * . ✨
.
Pass it on.
January 31, 2025 at 9:32 PM
Hey, scientists:
.
🌟 . * . 🌙
🛸 *
🛰️ . ✨ *
YOU ARE NOT ALONE
. * .
🌏 🪐 *
🌞
👽 . * . ✨
.
Pass it on.
.
🌟 . * . 🌙
🛸 *
🛰️ . ✨ *
YOU ARE NOT ALONE
. * .
🌏 🪐 *
🌞
👽 . * . ✨
.
Pass it on.
Reposted by Maddie O’Keefe
The National Science Foundation's funding freeze, and wider confusion about the status and future of science funding, is already hampering research.
National Science Foundation freezes payments in response to Trump's executive actions
The National Science Foundation's funding freeze, and wider confusion about the status and future of science funding, is already hampering research.
www.npr.org
January 31, 2025 at 9:36 PM
The National Science Foundation's funding freeze, and wider confusion about the status and future of science funding, is already hampering research.
Reposted by Maddie O’Keefe
“If the freeze is not stopped, I might lose my house."
Some NSF-funded postdocs are having trouble paying rent and credit card bills because their salaries were paused this week, even though the federal funding freeze memo was rescinded.
www.statnews.com/2025/01/30/t...
Some NSF-funded postdocs are having trouble paying rent and credit card bills because their salaries were paused this week, even though the federal funding freeze memo was rescinded.
www.statnews.com/2025/01/30/t...
National Science Foundation suspends salary payments, leaving researchers unable to pay their bills
An NSF online payment system remained down after the federal funding freeze was lifted, leaving early-career scientists scrambling to pay bills
www.statnews.com
January 30, 2025 at 11:07 PM
“If the freeze is not stopped, I might lose my house."
Some NSF-funded postdocs are having trouble paying rent and credit card bills because their salaries were paused this week, even though the federal funding freeze memo was rescinded.
www.statnews.com/2025/01/30/t...
Some NSF-funded postdocs are having trouble paying rent and credit card bills because their salaries were paused this week, even though the federal funding freeze memo was rescinded.
www.statnews.com/2025/01/30/t...
Reposted by Maddie O’Keefe
NSF is still freezing grant payments because of Trump's executive orders targeting DEI, despite NSF's congressional mandate to weigh how grants will expand participation in science.
What that means for scientists/science (with more detail than yesterday's radio story)
www.npr.org/2025/01/31/n...
What that means for scientists/science (with more detail than yesterday's radio story)
www.npr.org/2025/01/31/n...
National Science Foundation freezes payments in response to Trump's executive actions
The National Science Foundation's funding freeze, and wider confusion about the status and future of science funding, is already hampering research.
www.npr.org
January 31, 2025 at 5:53 PM
NSF is still freezing grant payments because of Trump's executive orders targeting DEI, despite NSF's congressional mandate to weigh how grants will expand participation in science.
What that means for scientists/science (with more detail than yesterday's radio story)
www.npr.org/2025/01/31/n...
What that means for scientists/science (with more detail than yesterday's radio story)
www.npr.org/2025/01/31/n...
Reposted by Maddie O’Keefe
i prefer nature’s fireworks: supernovae
July 5, 2023 at 3:39 AM
i prefer nature’s fireworks: supernovae