Melissa Starking, Ph.D.
@mstarking.bsky.social
Ecologist • Wildlife Biologist • Data Analyst • Landscapes 🌳🦌🌲🐦⬛🌴🐿🌊🐢🍁🦇🌿
#BIinSci #AuDHD #neuroqueer #ecologist
#BIinSci #AuDHD #neuroqueer #ecologist
Pinned
Hi ☺️ 👋 #audhd #BIinSci #ecologist here. I study Wildlife and Forest interactions at the landscape scale. Finnegan the (indoor) cat says hello!
Reposted by Melissa Starking, Ph.D.
The application deadline is approaching for the Tatter Family Entomology Graduate Fellowship at MSU!
This fully funded opportunity supports M.S. and Ph.D. students with a stipend, tuition and research support.
Apply by Nov. 21, 2025: www.canr.msu.edu/ent/graduate... #Entomology #Ecology 🌎🧪🍁
This fully funded opportunity supports M.S. and Ph.D. students with a stipend, tuition and research support.
Apply by Nov. 21, 2025: www.canr.msu.edu/ent/graduate... #Entomology #Ecology 🌎🧪🍁
November 18, 2025 at 9:40 PM
The application deadline is approaching for the Tatter Family Entomology Graduate Fellowship at MSU!
This fully funded opportunity supports M.S. and Ph.D. students with a stipend, tuition and research support.
Apply by Nov. 21, 2025: www.canr.msu.edu/ent/graduate... #Entomology #Ecology 🌎🧪🍁
This fully funded opportunity supports M.S. and Ph.D. students with a stipend, tuition and research support.
Apply by Nov. 21, 2025: www.canr.msu.edu/ent/graduate... #Entomology #Ecology 🌎🧪🍁
Reposted by Melissa Starking, Ph.D.
BREAKING: The Supreme Court rejects a call to overturn its decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide.
Supreme Court rejects call to overturn its decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide
The Supreme Court has rejected a call to overturn its landmark decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.
bit.ly
November 10, 2025 at 2:41 PM
BREAKING: The Supreme Court rejects a call to overturn its decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide.
Reposted by Melissa Starking, Ph.D.
Looking for a PhD opportunity? I'm hoping to recruit someone to my group at Durham University to work on a project combining fieldwork and labwork to study speciation in rubyspot damselflies: iapetus.ac.uk/studentships...
Get in touch if you want to chat!
Get in touch if you want to chat!
November 10, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Looking for a PhD opportunity? I'm hoping to recruit someone to my group at Durham University to work on a project combining fieldwork and labwork to study speciation in rubyspot damselflies: iapetus.ac.uk/studentships...
Get in touch if you want to chat!
Get in touch if you want to chat!
Reposted by Melissa Starking, Ph.D.
Tonight was a very bad night.
November 10, 2025 at 3:09 AM
Tonight was a very bad night.
Reposted by Melissa Starking, Ph.D.
“Women are often hired and promoted based on past accomplishments, while men are hired and promoted based on future potential...” swe.org/magazine/wom...
Women in STEM: Perceptions Vs. Realities - Society of Women Engineers
Women have steadily increased their representation in STEM and among leadership ranks across the corporate world in the past few decades, giving the
swe.org
November 10, 2025 at 3:39 AM
“Women are often hired and promoted based on past accomplishments, while men are hired and promoted based on future potential...” swe.org/magazine/wom...
##BirdOfTheDay American dipper on #rocks
November 5, 2025 at 12:17 PM
##BirdOfTheDay American dipper on #rocks
Reposted by Melissa Starking, Ph.D.
I’m just going to say it…
It’s pretty damn validating to hear Barack Obama say the same things we’ve been shouting for months, and longer.
It’s pretty damn validating to hear Barack Obama say the same things we’ve been shouting for months, and longer.
November 1, 2025 at 8:50 PM
I’m just going to say it…
It’s pretty damn validating to hear Barack Obama say the same things we’ve been shouting for months, and longer.
It’s pretty damn validating to hear Barack Obama say the same things we’ve been shouting for months, and longer.
Reposted by Melissa Starking, Ph.D.
It's November 1st, which means millions of Americans are logging onto healthcare.gov to get covered. But this year, they’re being hit with skyrocketing premiums all while SNAP benefits lapse because congressional Republicans refuse to act.
November 1, 2025 at 1:06 PM
It's November 1st, which means millions of Americans are logging onto healthcare.gov to get covered. But this year, they’re being hit with skyrocketing premiums all while SNAP benefits lapse because congressional Republicans refuse to act.
Reposted by Melissa Starking, Ph.D.
Trump continues to attack public education and our ideals of fairness and decency.
November 1, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Trump continues to attack public education and our ideals of fairness and decency.
Reposted by Melissa Starking, Ph.D.
I've given my new Senator a lot of shit on here. But I don't think anyone with power has laid out the stakes of what we're facing as clearly as she does right here.
And if she's saying this, it's because she feels she must.
And if she's saying this, it's because she feels she must.
November 1, 2025 at 10:05 AM
I've given my new Senator a lot of shit on here. But I don't think anyone with power has laid out the stakes of what we're facing as clearly as she does right here.
And if she's saying this, it's because she feels she must.
And if she's saying this, it's because she feels she must.
Reposted by Melissa Starking, Ph.D.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. admitted Wednesday that he doesn’t have “sufficient” evidence that pregnant people’s use of Tylenol can cause autism in their children.
October 30, 2025 at 4:20 AM
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. admitted Wednesday that he doesn’t have “sufficient” evidence that pregnant people’s use of Tylenol can cause autism in their children.
Reposted by Melissa Starking, Ph.D.
Thoughts and prayers… but I doubt that is enough.
We must rise.
We must fight.
We must not give up.
This country, this world— needs us to provide checks and balances. We need to act.
www.cnn.com/2025/10/29/p...
We must rise.
We must fight.
We must not give up.
This country, this world— needs us to provide checks and balances. We need to act.
www.cnn.com/2025/10/29/p...
Trump instructs Pentagon to start testing nuclear weapons ‘on an equal basis’ with Russia and China | CNN Politics
President Donald Trump on Thursday vowed to begin testing US nuclear weapons “on an equal basis” with Russia and China, heralding a potentially major shift in decades of US policy at a time of growing...
www.cnn.com
October 30, 2025 at 10:51 AM
Thoughts and prayers… but I doubt that is enough.
We must rise.
We must fight.
We must not give up.
This country, this world— needs us to provide checks and balances. We need to act.
www.cnn.com/2025/10/29/p...
We must rise.
We must fight.
We must not give up.
This country, this world— needs us to provide checks and balances. We need to act.
www.cnn.com/2025/10/29/p...
Reposted by Melissa Starking, Ph.D.
Welch: "This has nothing to do with the shutdown. The law requires and the funds are available to continue SNAP right now without any interruption. So that is a decision the president is making on his own to allow people to go hungry."
October 29, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Welch: "This has nothing to do with the shutdown. The law requires and the funds are available to continue SNAP right now without any interruption. So that is a decision the president is making on his own to allow people to go hungry."
Reposted by Melissa Starking, Ph.D.
Breaking on MSNBC:
Two federal prosecutors have been placed on leave at the direction of the White House after filing a sentencing memo seeking 27 months in prison for a pardoned Jan. 6 rioter who brought illegal guns and ammunition to President Obama's house in 2023.
Two federal prosecutors have been placed on leave at the direction of the White House after filing a sentencing memo seeking 27 months in prison for a pardoned Jan. 6 rioter who brought illegal guns and ammunition to President Obama's house in 2023.
October 29, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Breaking on MSNBC:
Two federal prosecutors have been placed on leave at the direction of the White House after filing a sentencing memo seeking 27 months in prison for a pardoned Jan. 6 rioter who brought illegal guns and ammunition to President Obama's house in 2023.
Two federal prosecutors have been placed on leave at the direction of the White House after filing a sentencing memo seeking 27 months in prison for a pardoned Jan. 6 rioter who brought illegal guns and ammunition to President Obama's house in 2023.
Reposted by Melissa Starking, Ph.D.
So they didn’t like the ad. Let’s just post Reagan’s 5 min speech against tariffs as it appears on YouTube.
Over and over. On all platforms (some of y’all are still on X).
*1981 Sherrilyn horrified by 2025 Sherrilyn saying “let’s post Reagan’s speech.”
youtu.be/5t5QK03KXPc
Over and over. On all platforms (some of y’all are still on X).
*1981 Sherrilyn horrified by 2025 Sherrilyn saying “let’s post Reagan’s speech.”
youtu.be/5t5QK03KXPc
President Reagan's Radio Address on Free and Fair Trade on April 25, 1987
YouTube video by Reagan Library
youtu.be
October 24, 2025 at 5:14 PM
So they didn’t like the ad. Let’s just post Reagan’s 5 min speech against tariffs as it appears on YouTube.
Over and over. On all platforms (some of y’all are still on X).
*1981 Sherrilyn horrified by 2025 Sherrilyn saying “let’s post Reagan’s speech.”
youtu.be/5t5QK03KXPc
Over and over. On all platforms (some of y’all are still on X).
*1981 Sherrilyn horrified by 2025 Sherrilyn saying “let’s post Reagan’s speech.”
youtu.be/5t5QK03KXPc
Reposted by Melissa Starking, Ph.D.
The U.S. has conducted 10 strikes on alleged drug-carrying boats, killing 43 people.
Remember: no judge or jury has found these boats were trafficking drugs. We're simply taking Trump's word for it.
He’s unilaterally acting as judge, jury, and executioner.
This is a danger to us all.
Remember: no judge or jury has found these boats were trafficking drugs. We're simply taking Trump's word for it.
He’s unilaterally acting as judge, jury, and executioner.
This is a danger to us all.
October 24, 2025 at 7:03 PM
The U.S. has conducted 10 strikes on alleged drug-carrying boats, killing 43 people.
Remember: no judge or jury has found these boats were trafficking drugs. We're simply taking Trump's word for it.
He’s unilaterally acting as judge, jury, and executioner.
This is a danger to us all.
Remember: no judge or jury has found these boats were trafficking drugs. We're simply taking Trump's word for it.
He’s unilaterally acting as judge, jury, and executioner.
This is a danger to us all.
#Corvids are my favorite! Here are three #BirdOfTheDay from my trip to Edmonton for The Wildlife Society conference. Canada jay, common raven, and black-billed magpie.
October 24, 2025 at 11:27 AM
#Corvids are my favorite! Here are three #BirdOfTheDay from my trip to Edmonton for The Wildlife Society conference. Canada jay, common raven, and black-billed magpie.
Reposted by Melissa Starking, Ph.D.
Laying plain the lies of the Speaker of the House.
October 24, 2025 at 11:06 AM
Laying plain the lies of the Speaker of the House.
Reposted by Melissa Starking, Ph.D.
Don’t laugh at this. Don’t dismiss it. They’re serious. Prepare for it. And get ready to fight against it.
October 23, 2025 at 10:49 PM
Don’t laugh at this. Don’t dismiss it. They’re serious. Prepare for it. And get ready to fight against it.
Reposted by Melissa Starking, Ph.D.
This is the Canada ad Trump lost his mind over. Shocker, he’s lying—it is Reagan’s real voice.
He’s now cutting off trade with Canada because he’s scared it could mess with the Supreme Court case over his “reciprocal” tariffs.
He’s now cutting off trade with Canada because he’s scared it could mess with the Supreme Court case over his “reciprocal” tariffs.
October 24, 2025 at 11:08 AM
This is the Canada ad Trump lost his mind over. Shocker, he’s lying—it is Reagan’s real voice.
He’s now cutting off trade with Canada because he’s scared it could mess with the Supreme Court case over his “reciprocal” tariffs.
He’s now cutting off trade with Canada because he’s scared it could mess with the Supreme Court case over his “reciprocal” tariffs.
Reposted by Melissa Starking, Ph.D.
Today, the White House Press Secretary told the country that this ridiculous damn ballroom is “the president’s main priority”…not reopening the government, not lowering the cost of groceries, not lowering the cost of housing, not lowering the cost of healthcare….building a ballroom
October 23, 2025 at 10:36 PM
Today, the White House Press Secretary told the country that this ridiculous damn ballroom is “the president’s main priority”…not reopening the government, not lowering the cost of groceries, not lowering the cost of housing, not lowering the cost of healthcare….building a ballroom
Reposted by Melissa Starking, Ph.D.
ABC News released before-and-after satellite images of the White House demolition.
October 23, 2025 at 9:27 PM
ABC News released before-and-after satellite images of the White House demolition.
This #raptor #BirdOfTheDay was sitting above my chicken and duck coop. Smaller than most of my flock, this coopers hawk was soon mobbed by crows and went of its way. One of the many reasons why my domestic flock has an enclosure to keep them safe and to keep wildlife safe.
October 23, 2025 at 1:18 PM
This #raptor #BirdOfTheDay was sitting above my chicken and duck coop. Smaller than most of my flock, this coopers hawk was soon mobbed by crows and went of its way. One of the many reasons why my domestic flock has an enclosure to keep them safe and to keep wildlife safe.
Reposted by Melissa Starking, Ph.D.
White House changes course and will now be demolishing the entire East Wing.
October 22, 2025 at 9:19 PM
White House changes course and will now be demolishing the entire East Wing.
Reposted by Melissa Starking, Ph.D.
DOI Layoffs Via court docket (see the appendix by bureau and function.
For FWS:
Hardest hit is those who were consolidated to the Department (Office of Sec).
RIF summary for current FWS:
Migratory Birds, 35
Off Cons Investment 14
Fisheries 48
Eco Serv 13
RD Offices 8
Refuges 24
Off Law Enf 1
For FWS:
Hardest hit is those who were consolidated to the Department (Office of Sec).
RIF summary for current FWS:
Migratory Birds, 35
Off Cons Investment 14
Fisheries 48
Eco Serv 13
RD Offices 8
Refuges 24
Off Law Enf 1
subscriber.politicopro.com
October 20, 2025 at 8:39 PM
DOI Layoffs Via court docket (see the appendix by bureau and function.
For FWS:
Hardest hit is those who were consolidated to the Department (Office of Sec).
RIF summary for current FWS:
Migratory Birds, 35
Off Cons Investment 14
Fisheries 48
Eco Serv 13
RD Offices 8
Refuges 24
Off Law Enf 1
For FWS:
Hardest hit is those who were consolidated to the Department (Office of Sec).
RIF summary for current FWS:
Migratory Birds, 35
Off Cons Investment 14
Fisheries 48
Eco Serv 13
RD Offices 8
Refuges 24
Off Law Enf 1