Andrew Porter
LightNews LightNews
banner
retropz.bsky.social
Andrew Porter
@retropz.bsky.social
2.3K followers 3.7K following 1.3K posts
Research Integrity and Training Adviser at the Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute

Interested in improving #ResearchIntegrity & #ResearchCulture with training, #TeamScience & promoting #OpenResearch

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3353-7002

Posts Replies Media Videos
retropz.bsky.social
Just seen that LinkedIn have added a #GenerativeAI collection and processing element to their settings - this is an automatic opt-in for users, requiring you to actively opt-out in the Settings if you don't want to have your data used this way

More details here:
www.techradar.com/pro/linkedin...
Screenshot from LinkedIn settings page on Data Privacy, showing the "Data for Generative AI Improvement" tab option
November 11, 2025 at 11:16 AM
retropz.bsky.social
Question for people who write and edit papers, create scientific figures and posters, and who advise ECRs on scientific design:

Is the new Affinity - which is free, and handles both vector graphics and bitmap images all in one - pretty much ideal for scientific figures?

www.affinity.studio
Screenshot from the Affinity home page: An app that adapts to you, not the other way around Affinity comes with built-in Vector, Pixel, and Layout studios, but you’re not locked in. Rearrange panels and mix and match your favorite tools to build custom studios. You can save multiple setups, switch between them in a click, and even share with others or download theirs. It’s customization that flexes to your workflow.
November 3, 2025 at 12:12 PM
retropz.bsky.social
Read this verse this morning; always love and am challenged by it, but feels particularly relevant atm:

Micah 6:8 NIVUK
[8] He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

bible.com/bible/113/mi...
Background image shows a countryside scene Text is in white lettering, centered, serif font Micah 6:8 NIVUK [8] He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
September 7, 2025 at 8:08 AM
retropz.bsky.social
I'm looking forward to speaking at the @jisc.bsky.social community event next week (10th September, 11am, online) about implementing Electronic Lab Notebooks @cruk-mi.bsky.social

📱In-lab hardware
💻Data management
🥼User feedback
🧪#ResearchIntegrity

Booking👇
research.jiscinvolve.org/wp/events/

#ELN
A page from an Electronic Laboratory Notebook - eLabFTW - including details of the JISC community event and talk about ELNs on the 10th September 2025
September 1, 2025 at 3:27 PM
retropz.bsky.social
Update: Not sure it's working correctly, as it didn't capture my message above

I made it using @skyfeed.app and this is my first go, so if anyone can help please let me know!

(I'm sure there are more elegant ways of creating the RegEx!)
Screenshot of the feed builder, including the RegEx: #PRC10|#prc10|Peer Review Congress|peer review congress|10th Peer Review Congress|10th peer review congress|@peerreviewcongress.bsky.social
August 27, 2025 at 10:18 AM
retropz.bsky.social
Also tried to interpret the printed text on the original postcard, some of which is obscured

Interestingly, the AI tool output has linked the text to a real 1902 change in format for postcards - www.sussexpostcards.info/index.php?pa... - which I'm sure you're aware of but was interesting to me
Screenshot of AI generated content that says: a) & c) Visible Letters and Estimated Gaps This first table identifies the visible printed letters and estimates the number of obscured characters in each gap, represented by underscores (_). The vertical text is read from the bottom to the top, as it was printed along the center dividing line. Location Visible Text & Estimated Gaps Vertical (Top) ___ THE ____ UNIO_ Vertical (Middle) (____ POST ___ Reg__tions) Vertical (Middle) THIS SPACE M__W BE USE_ FOR ____________ Vertical (Bottom) ARTISTIC S____ Horizontal (Bottom) SCENERY, SERIES No 129 DESIGNED IN ENGLAND PRINTED IN BAVARIA Screenshot from AI tool aimed at deciphering text: d) Plausible Reconstructed Text This second table fills in the gaps with the most probable words, based on the visible letters and common phrases used on postcards from the early 20th century. The text indicates the postcard was printed after a 1902 British postal rule change that first allowed messages to be written on the address side. Location Reconstructed Text Vertical (Top) UNIVERSAL POSTAL UNION Vertical (Middle) (By POST Office Regulations) Vertical (Middle) THIS SPACE MAY NOW BE USED FOR COMMUNICATIONS Vertical (Bottom) ARTISTIC SERIES Horizontal (Bottom) SCENERY, SERIES No 129 DESIGNED IN ENGLAND PRINTED IN BAVARIA
August 19, 2025 at 9:33 AM
retropz.bsky.social
Nice write-up of the #OpenResearch Conference held @manchester.ac.uk in June - plus links to the materials in a @figshare.com collection:

www.staffnet.manchester.ac.uk/news/display...

It was a pleasure to support the #ResearchCulture labs & explore issues of precarity, teamwork, and recognition
Attendees at the Alliance Manchester Business School listening to the opening talk from Stephen Curry - shot taken from the back of the lecture theatre which is illuminated in pale purple lighting
August 19, 2025 at 8:42 AM
retropz.bsky.social
Interesting follow-up to the PNAS paper from @reeserichardson.bsky.social & co-authors on #PaperMills in @nature.com news:

Exclusive: retraction-prone editors identified at megajournal PLoS ONE
www.nature.org/articles/d41...

Fascinating interviews with some of these journal editors
A photograph of a pile of shredded paper Image taken from the Nature news article website
August 7, 2025 at 3:32 PM
retropz.bsky.social
Wishing everyone attending the International C. elegans meeting a fantastic conference - and I hope everyone enjoys the 20th Anniversary Worm Comedy Show and Art Show Awards tonight!

(PS - I'm still laughing at the iPod Nano, Pico & Femto joke from 2009)

submissions.mirasmart.com/WORM2025/Iti...
Header from the International Worm Meeting Website showing glowing C. elegans
July 1, 2025 at 12:49 PM
retropz.bsky.social
I get that people want to experiment with new technologies & have no issues with running tests to see if those work

But we know enough about the current state of this tech to know that turning a paper into a podcast for patients is not the same as medical communications experts creating podcasts
Screenshot from paper abstract, highlighting the statement that "some podcasts contained inaccuracies, incorrect use of medical terms and mispronunciations" and also highlighting the statement that "podcasts were found to be most appropriate for patients and the public"
June 16, 2025 at 5:46 AM
retropz.bsky.social
Exciting to see the full programme released for the @officialuom.bsky.social #OpenResearch conference next week - www.openresearch.manchester.ac.uk/conference/

I'm looking forward to great talks - including from Stephen Curry & Giovanna Lima, great posters & facilitating the #ResearchCulture labs!
Header for the Open Research Conference 2025 at the University of Manchester webpage, background shows glass buildings rising into the sky
June 3, 2025 at 9:48 AM
retropz.bsky.social
One last image, and one my personal favourites as it captures the really great time we had as the STAy committee: here we are as of March 2017 posing for a newsletter photograph!
Photograph of the STAy committee of 2017, with Amy, Denis, Sam, Sara, me, Marina, Emma, John and Lizzy
May 16, 2025 at 10:50 AM
retropz.bsky.social
The move back to the new Paterson Building went very smoothly but the input required from STAy members reducing time for activities & after a while the group went dormant

So it's great to see it revitalised by the new committee who are continuing the good work of #STAy - I wish them all the best!🤩
Photograph from a STAy social shortly after the relocation back to the Paterson Building, with a walk around Withington enjoying the street art produced by the Withington Walls team - and we even saw artwork (in the background of the photo) being created!
May 16, 2025 at 10:46 AM
retropz.bsky.social
As with so many things, the activities of the STAy committee were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with our extensive plans for 2020 being put on hold

A rapid shift to online-spaces & ingenuity of committee members led to regular online coffee mornings, socials and quizzes to help connect people
Screenshot from the Institute newsletter: The STAy Quarantine Quiz! The STAy Committee, in the spirit of keeping our whole research community connected, hosted fortnightly quizzes for everyone on Friday evenings. Teams were assigned at random and prizes were given to the winning teams. STAy also hosted coffee mornings before seminars to give staff and students an opportunity to chat and catch up. Both these events were very popular and played an important role in connecting us all with our colleagues across the Institute. Advert for the online "ColloQuizium" event at the lockdown Colloquium
May 16, 2025 at 10:46 AM
retropz.bsky.social
Acting as a network for #ECRs at all stages of their careers, the STAy committee supported other activities across the Institute - #PostdocAppreciationWeek events, a survey that helped feed into the design of the new Paterson Building, and running social activities at the Colloquium and Christmas
Poster advertising a Christmas quiz in the (pre-fire) Holt Lecture theatre (featuring an image from Home Alone, and offering a "Stochastic Secret Santa" - which sadly this writer cannot recall the details of)
May 16, 2025 at 10:46 AM
retropz.bsky.social
When the Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute relocated to Alderley Park after the Paterson Building Fire in 2017, STAy ran a treasure hunt (including Jurassic Park-themed elements) to help encourage people to explore their new surroundings, and visit all the different labs and facilities
Image on the left shows a toy dinosaur in the grass going through a cardboard "Jurassic Park"-style gate with the words "Alderley Park" above it, and the picture on the right shows some students on the shuttle bus completing the quiz and treasure hunt Treasure hunt flag from the STAy event that used What3Words to get people moving around the lovely surroundings of Alderley Park
May 16, 2025 at 10:46 AM
retropz.bsky.social
We also helped organise regular "Science Showdown" events with people presenting their research in a fun and engaging way

We always coupled our events with food - living up to the "takeaway" part of our "Science TakeAway" name (the little handle in the logo designed to look like a sandwich bag!)
The Science Showdown poster from 2018, inviting people to take part in the Science Showdown event to present their science in a fun and engaging way Images of people enjoying snacks before a STAy event
May 16, 2025 at 10:46 AM
retropz.bsky.social
On #WorldCancerDay 2019 we ran one of my favourite events - "Behind the Labels" which brought together clinicians, patients & scientists to share their stories

We had great support from patient advocate Jo Taylor, whose insights continue to inform my role today: www.abcdiagnosis.co.uk
Advert from the Behind the Labels event - heading says "from stereotypes to real people living with and working against cancer" Image shows bottles of tablets with pills spilling out labelled with questions and comments like "what does a scientist do all day" and "how does it feel to get a cancer diagnosis?"
May 16, 2025 at 10:46 AM
retropz.bsky.social
We ran all kinds of events - training, networking, socials - and invited speakers locally & internationally to cover a range of topics like career development, publishing and research integrity

The committee grew over the years & was always a fun place; I made many good friends during those times
The STAy committee have had a busy first half of 2019. The centrepiece was our well-attended “Behind the Labels” event on World Cancer Day, 4 February. This brought together researchers, clinicians and patients with the aim of going from those broad labels to finding out about the real people living with and working against cancer. The evening included public tours of the Oglesby Cancer Research Building and interactive exhibits illustrating aspects of cancer research. From our speakers we heard about cutting-edge developments in research, the value of international partnerships, the work of the Biobank, and how childhood inspiration led to a career as a research nurse. The evening ended with moving descriptions from two women living with breast cancer, who gave us an insight into their day-to-day experiences. As a team we benefited from input from Clare Dickinson, CRUK Senior Nurse Manchester, and Jo Taylor, who acted as our patient advocate for planning as well as speaking at the event. We look forward to putting into practice what we learned from running this evening in our next public-facing event. we hosted a science media workshop at the Institute, run by two members of the CRUK Science Media team. June saw the STAy team organise and run a seminar on grant writing, where we drew on the combined experiences across the Institute, hearing from Gill Campbell as Grants Advisor, and Iain Hagan and Caroline Dive on the perspective of grant reviewers. Kiran Batta told us about his transition to independence as Principle Investigator, and Stuart Williamson took us through the process by which he was awarded a Fulbright scholarship. With strong attendance and good feedback, we look forward to coordinating similar events to gain from the insight of other institute members, as well as further training on grant writing. As well as running several socials and another speed networking evening, we also hosted our first two external seminar speakers the hosts and winner of the first "Science showdown event" photographed in 2017 Advert for a 'Next Generation Sequencing" event for researchers to learn about the then-newly arrived sequencing platforms at the Institute A STAy event with people in a room doing a Kahoot Quiz - STAy was always looking for ways to make events fun and interactive
May 16, 2025 at 10:46 AM
retropz.bsky.social
This image of a poster from the 2016 @cruk-mi.bsky.social Colloquium shows some of the key features of the committee: part of the poster was left empty so that people could write Post-It notes with ideas and feedback to stick on the poster - as the committee wanted to be open, accessible & inviting
Photograph of the poster from the Science TakeAway (STAy) committee - networking and career development by researchers for researchers - with post-it notes stuck on the righthand side
May 16, 2025 at 10:46 AM
retropz.bsky.social
STAy is short for "Science TakeAway" - we wanted people to 'takeaway' good input into their research from the events (plus providing 'takeaway' refreshments!)

STAy was about helping people:
🤝Stay connected
📰Stay informed

and ultimately
🥼Stay in science

It was run by researchers for researchers
Photo of people attending the first "Science Showdown" event that STAy helped to host Image from the Research Integrity lecture hosted by STAy back in the old Holt Lecture theatre in the pre-fire Paterson Building
May 16, 2025 at 10:46 AM
retropz.bsky.social
We started STAy in 2016, rebranding the existing "P3" group (which stood for Postdocs, PhD Students and Pizza)

We changed the name and included scientific officers & core facility staff from @cruk-mi.bsky.social @uom-dcs.bsky.social & @mcrcnews.bsky.social to be as inclusive as possible to #ECRs
STAy Poster advertising the name change Text says: "In 1898 Brad's Drink became Pepsi Cola. In 1967 Reginald Dwight became Elton John. In 1998 BackRub became Google. In 2016 P3 became STAy." At the bottom is the STAy Logo - Science TakeAway
May 16, 2025 at 10:46 AM
retropz.bsky.social
Isn't this also the approach that the TNG crew come up with to destroy the Borg - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I,_Borg

"By implanting an unsolvable geometric formula into his mind and returning him to the Collective, the formula should rapidly spread (similar to a computer virus) and disable the Borg"
Highlighted text from the associated Wikipedia article for the Star Trek TNG episode 'I, Borg'
May 10, 2025 at 2:55 PM
retropz.bsky.social
Update (a few days later):

If you type "You can't eat the same screwdriver twice meaning" into Google, no #AI-generated summary is now provided

If you search the same phrase *without* the word "meaning" you get a #GenAI summary

Hypothesis: Someone has hard-coded Google to ignore "meaning" prompts
Image of AI generated response from Google in response to the prompt "you can't eat the same screwdriver three times" Text says: The statement "you can't eat the same screwdriver three times" is a playful, nonsensical phrase. It's a way to express that something is not edible, or that a tool like a screwdriver is not meant for consumption. The phrase implies a clear understanding of the appropriate use of a screwdriver and its inappropriateness as food. Also shows a picture of a series of screwdrivers and at the bottom: Generative AI is experimental. Image of search from Google in response to the prompt "you can't eat the same screwdriver three times" which starts with a Reddit link about eating screwdrivers, and lacks any AI-Generated response
April 30, 2025 at 8:22 AM
retropz.bsky.social
And (for science) I did click the "Summary" button to see what it did, and while it links to the PDF for reference, it immediately starts getting things wrong:

Summary: "A public call attracted 73 initial responses, leading to the selection of 10 experimental methods"

Image shows referenced text
Screenshot from Adobe Acrobat with text from the PDF highlighted in a blue bounding box labelled with the number 12, showing it linked to the summary sentence (see main Bluesky text body.) Here the text of the Preprint says: "Seventy participants selected one of the three methods and received a survey containing a summary of the 20 experiments associated with that method, including the original result and associated statistics."
April 28, 2025 at 11:07 AM