Dr. Kat Napaaqtuk❄️
@napaaqtuk.bsky.social
Inupiaq, scientist of host-microbe interactions, mom, runner, news junkie, not necessarily in that order. I speak for myself. She/her. Only reskeets posts with alt text. Unapologetically typo prone.
Pinned
Hi folks! I am an assistant professor in Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of Connecticut. In this thread for #YoungScientistNetworking (invited by @quantumtessera.bsky.social ), I will tell you a little bit about my career path.
But first, my Inupiaq introduction: 1/n
But first, my Inupiaq introduction: 1/n
Reposted by Dr. Kat Napaaqtuk❄️
Reposted by Dr. Kat Napaaqtuk❄️
I am begging people to *please* stop using these tools to make a point or make fun of them. We do not need to further refine them or kill the planet to make a point. We should stop using them to make them irrelevant.
November 24, 2025 at 8:11 PM
I am begging people to *please* stop using these tools to make a point or make fun of them. We do not need to further refine them or kill the planet to make a point. We should stop using them to make them irrelevant.
Reposted by Dr. Kat Napaaqtuk❄️
I'm gunna be honest this is exactly what editors want when they say "authentic"
King's books, many of which i have read and enjoyed, are conspicuously absent from Bad Indians Book Club.
In case you were wondering if this was something a lot of us already knew.
In case you were wondering if this was something a lot of us already knew.
November 24, 2025 at 11:34 PM
I'm gunna be honest this is exactly what editors want when they say "authentic"
Reposted by Dr. Kat Napaaqtuk❄️
The open secret that Thomas King is not Indigenous at all is finally verified, and honestly it's a relief. Having him just confess this instead of going out kicking and screaming like so many before him causes a LOT less harm to Indigenous communities.
It still sucks though.
It still sucks though.
November 24, 2025 at 11:15 PM
The open secret that Thomas King is not Indigenous at all is finally verified, and honestly it's a relief. Having him just confess this instead of going out kicking and screaming like so many before him causes a LOT less harm to Indigenous communities.
It still sucks though.
It still sucks though.
Reposted by Dr. Kat Napaaqtuk❄️
Seven years ago today, I live tweeted my proposal to my wife!
In honor of that, I’m going to repost the proposal so it’s here on Bluesky 🫶🏻
In honor of that, I’m going to repost the proposal so it’s here on Bluesky 🫶🏻
November 24, 2025 at 11:40 PM
Seven years ago today, I live tweeted my proposal to my wife!
In honor of that, I’m going to repost the proposal so it’s here on Bluesky 🫶🏻
In honor of that, I’m going to repost the proposal so it’s here on Bluesky 🫶🏻
Reposted by Dr. Kat Napaaqtuk❄️
“I asked ChatGPT” “I asked Claude” I asked this horseshoe crab and he said your ass wouldn’t have lasted two seconds in the Triassic
November 23, 2025 at 9:50 PM
“I asked ChatGPT” “I asked Claude” I asked this horseshoe crab and he said your ass wouldn’t have lasted two seconds in the Triassic
Reposted by Dr. Kat Napaaqtuk❄️
Can we *please* stop rewarding bullying behavior in academic social media?
November 23, 2025 at 9:59 PM
Can we *please* stop rewarding bullying behavior in academic social media?
Called out 😭
Twitter accounts are based in Russia. BlueSky accounts are based in homes with, frankly, too many books, plants, obsolete cables, and pieces of rustic pottery, that could do with a bit of a tidying up, to be honest.
November 23, 2025 at 11:26 PM
Called out 😭
Reposted by Dr. Kat Napaaqtuk❄️
Don't miss the THINGS ARE TERRIBLE BUT feed! bsky.app/profile/did:...
It's cold and rainy, and my partner is making a ham while I get some work done (thank you, you're amazing), and he's playing the Charlie Brown Christmas music, and maybe everything is terrible, but this is wonderful and cozy
November 23, 2025 at 11:09 PM
Don't miss the THINGS ARE TERRIBLE BUT feed! bsky.app/profile/did:...
Reposted by Dr. Kat Napaaqtuk❄️
The artist formerly known as Prince was a beta tester for the first Oregon Trail (he was in third grade at the school near the developers)
July 13, 2025 at 8:48 PM
The artist formerly known as Prince was a beta tester for the first Oregon Trail (he was in third grade at the school near the developers)
The second story in this episode of Unreserved is about a trans woman Indigenous poet who writes about growing up in the foster system. Powerful, short interview. The rest of the episode is about what it means to be Indigenous, in academia, as a Two-Spirit person, & more
www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...
www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...
© CBC/Radio-Canada 2025. All rights reserved.
www.cbc.ca
November 23, 2025 at 7:24 PM
The second story in this episode of Unreserved is about a trans woman Indigenous poet who writes about growing up in the foster system. Powerful, short interview. The rest of the episode is about what it means to be Indigenous, in academia, as a Two-Spirit person, & more
www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...
www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...
Interesting @npr.org story on AI in the classroom. I'm teaching a writing course this fall and have been thinking about how I will restructure my class next year to ensure my students are learning about the topic and how to write clearly.
www.npr.org/2025/11/23/n...
www.npr.org/2025/11/23/n...
Higher Education’s AI Problem : Up First from NPR
Across the country, colleges and universities are struggling to figure out how to incorporate AI into the classroom. ChatGPT debuted almost exactly three years ago. And very quickly, students began to...
www.npr.org
November 23, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Interesting @npr.org story on AI in the classroom. I'm teaching a writing course this fall and have been thinking about how I will restructure my class next year to ensure my students are learning about the topic and how to write clearly.
www.npr.org/2025/11/23/n...
www.npr.org/2025/11/23/n...
Reposted by Dr. Kat Napaaqtuk❄️
the last 24 hours on X, summed up:
November 23, 2025 at 2:26 PM
the last 24 hours on X, summed up:
Reposted by Dr. Kat Napaaqtuk❄️
Mom and cub stopped by to check us out where we watched, breathless from the buggy. Some bears are very curious of the large, white box full of people with clicky things.
November 23, 2025 at 1:38 AM
Mom and cub stopped by to check us out where we watched, breathless from the buggy. Some bears are very curious of the large, white box full of people with clicky things.
Reposted by Dr. Kat Napaaqtuk❄️
Yep, one of the biggest drivers of the elite panic around “wokeness” was the increasing prominence of Black people and particularly Black women in their fields and we’re seeing that coalition rewarded with the targeting of Black workers.
Since February, according to my latest analysis, almost 600,000 Black women have been economically sidelined. The November 20, 2025, Jobs Report makes clear this isn’t a blip. It’s a structural crisis. That is not a recovery. It is a redistribution of opportunity.
The exit economy is here. Black Women are paying the highest price | Fortune
This isn’t a blip. It’s a structural crisis. And it's not a recovery, it's a redistribution of opportunity.
fortune.com
November 23, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Yep, one of the biggest drivers of the elite panic around “wokeness” was the increasing prominence of Black people and particularly Black women in their fields and we’re seeing that coalition rewarded with the targeting of Black workers.
Reposted by Dr. Kat Napaaqtuk❄️
Good 🧵🧪
Oh my gosh. This is... A thing. Please allow a microbiologist who has played with the microbe that makes this to waffle on for a bit in a short thread. (1)
British and Australian chemists have discovered a powerful new antibiotic called pre-methylenomycin C lactone, hiding in a well-known soil bacterium. This molecule kills drug-resistant bacteria without triggering resistance. buff.ly/YlXaONo
#ShareGoodNewsToo
#ShareGoodNewsToo
November 23, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Good 🧵🧪
Reposted by Dr. Kat Napaaqtuk❄️
You could teach an entire suite of economics classes based solely on what’s happened at Twitter
Twitter pays people based on engagement (views, retweets, comments, etc). It appears that many MAGA accounts are based abroad and they use AI technology to generate low-effort rage bait.
My guess is that this will get worse as AI tech improves. For instance, fake videos of minorities doing crime.
My guess is that this will get worse as AI tech improves. For instance, fake videos of minorities doing crime.
November 23, 2025 at 11:44 AM
You could teach an entire suite of economics classes based solely on what’s happened at Twitter
Needed this thread today, but especially this one. Thanks @itsafronomics.bsky.social
Gen Z has the lowest levels of racial resentment across any generation cc @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social and @adambonica.bsky.social. ✨
You actually love to see it.
You actually love to see it.
The Shocking Truth About Gen Z Voters Is That They’re Pretty Great
Stop panicking: They are the most progressive generation ever, especially on race. If that surprises you, you’ve been listening to the wrong story.
newrepublic.com
November 22, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Needed this thread today, but especially this one. Thanks @itsafronomics.bsky.social
Reposted by Dr. Kat Napaaqtuk❄️
All the ways the next generation gives me a lot of hope. A thread/
November 22, 2025 at 4:43 PM
All the ways the next generation gives me a lot of hope. A thread/
Reposted by Dr. Kat Napaaqtuk❄️
ARTISTS!
I need your help!
In collab. w/the Society for Integrative & Comparative Biology, I'm organizing a group of artists to come to our Jan. meeting! We're looking for artists to create based on what they learn at the conference. $1000 stipend.
Application is V short! forms.gle/ah1i8KwNJinZ...
I need your help!
In collab. w/the Society for Integrative & Comparative Biology, I'm organizing a group of artists to come to our Jan. meeting! We're looking for artists to create based on what they learn at the conference. $1000 stipend.
Application is V short! forms.gle/ah1i8KwNJinZ...
November 22, 2025 at 3:51 PM
ARTISTS!
I need your help!
In collab. w/the Society for Integrative & Comparative Biology, I'm organizing a group of artists to come to our Jan. meeting! We're looking for artists to create based on what they learn at the conference. $1000 stipend.
Application is V short! forms.gle/ah1i8KwNJinZ...
I need your help!
In collab. w/the Society for Integrative & Comparative Biology, I'm organizing a group of artists to come to our Jan. meeting! We're looking for artists to create based on what they learn at the conference. $1000 stipend.
Application is V short! forms.gle/ah1i8KwNJinZ...
Reposted by Dr. Kat Napaaqtuk❄️
Researchers: “my analysis has policy implications because the p value is 0.049, your analysis doesn’t because the p value is 0.051.”
Andre 3000: are you all even listening to yourselves
Andre 3000: are you all even listening to yourselves
Read this and all I could think about was Andre 3000 in green light saying something like, "Sometimes you gotta step from behind that regression"
Someone is going to have the write the thing about how “vibe” has become a substitute for meaningful theory in a world where the theory is so clear — grift and power — but we collectively refuse if because it isn’t sophisticated enough to generate make work for empiricists.
November 22, 2025 at 4:57 PM
Researchers: “my analysis has policy implications because the p value is 0.049, your analysis doesn’t because the p value is 0.051.”
Andre 3000: are you all even listening to yourselves
Andre 3000: are you all even listening to yourselves
Reposted by Dr. Kat Napaaqtuk❄️
Native American women face a pay gap—and that’s part of a much bigger problem
Get the facts about the pay gap for Native American women
The pay gap
Native American women are paid less than white men—and white women
1/33
Get the facts about the pay gap for Native American women
The pay gap
Native American women are paid less than white men—and white women
1/33
November 22, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Native American women face a pay gap—and that’s part of a much bigger problem
Get the facts about the pay gap for Native American women
The pay gap
Native American women are paid less than white men—and white women
1/33
Get the facts about the pay gap for Native American women
The pay gap
Native American women are paid less than white men—and white women
1/33
Reposted by Dr. Kat Napaaqtuk❄️
Many people will say something trite about the Natives of New England next Thursday.
I prefer actionable support and gratitude.
Today's seed store is owned and operated by indigenous people preserving their food and plant heritage.
#gardening #gardensky #indigenous #decolonization #GrowNative
I prefer actionable support and gratitude.
Today's seed store is owned and operated by indigenous people preserving their food and plant heritage.
#gardening #gardensky #indigenous #decolonization #GrowNative
Birth of the Alliance
Sprouted from the collective dreams of Victoria Persinger Ferguson, Dwayne Painter from the Monacan nation, Beth Roach of the Nottoway Tribe of Virginia, and Fix of the Skarù·ręʔ, the Alliance of Na...
www.allianceofnativeseedkeepers.com
November 21, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Many people will say something trite about the Natives of New England next Thursday.
I prefer actionable support and gratitude.
Today's seed store is owned and operated by indigenous people preserving their food and plant heritage.
#gardening #gardensky #indigenous #decolonization #GrowNative
I prefer actionable support and gratitude.
Today's seed store is owned and operated by indigenous people preserving their food and plant heritage.
#gardening #gardensky #indigenous #decolonization #GrowNative
Reposted by Dr. Kat Napaaqtuk❄️
The move to MA has been great for all kinds of reasons. That it was for my partner’s job, not mine, is on the list. It also led to my 2nd job, so I didn’t know how nice starting at an institution as a full professor would be. This feature is well done! A gift!
www.bu.edu/cas/arts-sci...
www.bu.edu/cas/arts-sci...
The Power of Black Literature | Arts & Sciences
www.bu.edu
November 22, 2025 at 2:44 PM
The move to MA has been great for all kinds of reasons. That it was for my partner’s job, not mine, is on the list. It also led to my 2nd job, so I didn’t know how nice starting at an institution as a full professor would be. This feature is well done! A gift!
www.bu.edu/cas/arts-sci...
www.bu.edu/cas/arts-sci...