Rob Whitner (he/him)
@robwhitner.bsky.social
Event organizer for non-profit society. Advocate for equity, diversity, and inclusion... especially in STEM/STEAM fields. Reluctant professional traveler. AI and Crypto averse.
Reposted by Rob Whitner (he/him)
THREAD.
A collection of photographs of excellent goats I have met during walks in the British countryside.
You will find the captions to each photo in the alt text.
A collection of photographs of excellent goats I have met during walks in the British countryside.
You will find the captions to each photo in the alt text.
December 7, 2025 at 12:39 PM
THREAD.
A collection of photographs of excellent goats I have met during walks in the British countryside.
You will find the captions to each photo in the alt text.
A collection of photographs of excellent goats I have met during walks in the British countryside.
You will find the captions to each photo in the alt text.
Reposted by Rob Whitner (he/him)
China’s CO2 emissions have now been flat or falling for 18 months, starting in March 2024.
This trend continued in the third quarter of 2025, when emissions were unchanged year-on-year.
If this trend starts to move into sustained carbon emissions reduction it would be hugely significant.
This trend continued in the third quarter of 2025, when emissions were unchanged year-on-year.
If this trend starts to move into sustained carbon emissions reduction it would be hugely significant.
November 11, 2025 at 9:00 PM
China’s CO2 emissions have now been flat or falling for 18 months, starting in March 2024.
This trend continued in the third quarter of 2025, when emissions were unchanged year-on-year.
If this trend starts to move into sustained carbon emissions reduction it would be hugely significant.
This trend continued in the third quarter of 2025, when emissions were unchanged year-on-year.
If this trend starts to move into sustained carbon emissions reduction it would be hugely significant.
Reposted by Rob Whitner (he/him)
November 11, 2025 at 4:30 AM
Reposted by Rob Whitner (he/him)
Sharing for awareness: For those able and willing to help, the Embassy of Jamaica in DC is coordinating disaster relief in the U.S.
They have asked folks to reach out to them at disasterresponse@jamaicaembassy.org to coordinate support.
The government has info on donations supportjamaica.gov.jm
They have asked folks to reach out to them at disasterresponse@jamaicaembassy.org to coordinate support.
The government has info on donations supportjamaica.gov.jm
Support Jamaica
supportjamaica.gov.jm
October 28, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Sharing for awareness: For those able and willing to help, the Embassy of Jamaica in DC is coordinating disaster relief in the U.S.
They have asked folks to reach out to them at disasterresponse@jamaicaembassy.org to coordinate support.
The government has info on donations supportjamaica.gov.jm
They have asked folks to reach out to them at disasterresponse@jamaicaembassy.org to coordinate support.
The government has info on donations supportjamaica.gov.jm
Reposted by Rob Whitner (he/him)
Study after study shows that it's remarkably cheap and easy to solve the problems of homelessness and poverty with low-barrier supportive housing and universal basic income, but our own fear that someone, somewhere will get something they didn't "earn" keeps us looking for other (punitive) options.
“In Finland, the number of homeless people has fallen sharply. Those affected receive a small apartment & counselling with no preconditions. 4 out of 5 people affected make their way back into a stable life. And all this is CHEAPER than accepting homelessness.”
It costs a lot less to house people.
It costs a lot less to house people.
Finland ends homelessness and provides shelter for all in need - scoop.me
In Finland, the number of homeless people has fallen sharply. Why? The country applies the "Housing First" concept agains homelessness.
thebetter.news
October 18, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Study after study shows that it's remarkably cheap and easy to solve the problems of homelessness and poverty with low-barrier supportive housing and universal basic income, but our own fear that someone, somewhere will get something they didn't "earn" keeps us looking for other (punitive) options.
Reposted by Rob Whitner (he/him)
30 years ago, Black men gathered in Washington, D.C. for the historic Million Man March. Today, we honor the legacy, the message, and the movement. That spirit lives on. We must continue the fight alongside our brothers and sisters in a struggle that’s so much bigger than us. ✊🏿 #MillionManMarch
October 16, 2025 at 9:49 PM
30 years ago, Black men gathered in Washington, D.C. for the historic Million Man March. Today, we honor the legacy, the message, and the movement. That spirit lives on. We must continue the fight alongside our brothers and sisters in a struggle that’s so much bigger than us. ✊🏿 #MillionManMarch
Reposted by Rob Whitner (he/him)
You're living through one of the biggest technological transformations in world history and it has nothing to do with AI
Grid scale batteries are changing our electricity system. Excellent new visual story on batteries in FT today shows just how far this technology has evolved.
Fasten your seatbelts, this is just the beginning.
ig.ft.com/mega-batteri...
Fasten your seatbelts, this is just the beginning.
ig.ft.com/mega-batteri...
October 14, 2025 at 2:54 AM
You're living through one of the biggest technological transformations in world history and it has nothing to do with AI
Reposted by Rob Whitner (he/him)
We've known for a while that satellite mega-constellations like SpaceX's Starlink are a problem for optical astronomy. Now, a new survey shows they're also adversely affecting radio astronomy – including at wavelengths supposedly protected by international regs. 🔭⚛️🧪 physicsworld.com/a/starlink-s...
Starlink satellite emissions interfere with radio astronomy – Physics World
Largest-ever survey shows new regulations on unintended transmissions are needed, say researchers at Australia’s Curtin University
physicsworld.com
August 22, 2025 at 9:49 AM
We've known for a while that satellite mega-constellations like SpaceX's Starlink are a problem for optical astronomy. Now, a new survey shows they're also adversely affecting radio astronomy – including at wavelengths supposedly protected by international regs. 🔭⚛️🧪 physicsworld.com/a/starlink-s...
Reposted by Rob Whitner (he/him)
EVERYONE STOP EVERYTHING Mychal the Librarian is hosting the Reading Rainbow revival!!!
reactormag.com/reading-rain...
reactormag.com/reading-rain...
Reading Rainbow Is Back, With Mychal the Librarian Hosting! - Reactor
The butterfly is back in the sky; can’t wait to fly twice as high.
reactormag.com
September 29, 2025 at 7:34 PM
EVERYONE STOP EVERYTHING Mychal the Librarian is hosting the Reading Rainbow revival!!!
reactormag.com/reading-rain...
reactormag.com/reading-rain...
Reposted by Rob Whitner (he/him)
Even if you were going to pick an example of overreach in the UK, the fact that the country labels supporters of Palestine Action as terrorists is probably a bigger free speech threat right now than defending the right of a man to make violent threats against a marginalized group.
Using a piece in The Atlantic to throw up a JD Vance-shaped bat signal in support of your little fasho buddy really tells you everything about reactionary centrism circa 2025
September 4, 2025 at 4:40 PM
Even if you were going to pick an example of overreach in the UK, the fact that the country labels supporters of Palestine Action as terrorists is probably a bigger free speech threat right now than defending the right of a man to make violent threats against a marginalized group.
Reposted by Rob Whitner (he/him)
This is devastating, and part of a larger move to entirely push science out of NASA's mission. It is horrific betrayal of so much work, not to mention the fact that it violates NASA's charter.
NASA’s acting chief calls for the end of Earth science at the space agency arstechnica.com/space/2025/0...
NASA’s acting chief calls for the end of Earth science at the space agency
NASA’s charter clearly states the agency should study planet Earth, however.
arstechnica.com
August 15, 2025 at 9:29 PM
This is devastating, and part of a larger move to entirely push science out of NASA's mission. It is horrific betrayal of so much work, not to mention the fact that it violates NASA's charter.
Reposted by Rob Whitner (he/him)
Y'all need to read this
One of our earliest civil rights statutes was designed to protect us against masked gangs who violate our constitutional rights. This particular history makes the masked ICE gangs uniquely repugnant. open.substack.com/pub/sherrily...
Masked Terror
At this point, we have all seen the videos.
open.substack.com
June 25, 2025 at 12:55 AM
Y'all need to read this
Reposted by Rob Whitner (he/him)
The only appropriate response to what Trump is doing is impeachment and removal from office. Elected officials who are not working toward this goal with urgency are helping to destroy the constitution and the rule of law.
June 22, 2025 at 1:05 AM
The only appropriate response to what Trump is doing is impeachment and removal from office. Elected officials who are not working toward this goal with urgency are helping to destroy the constitution and the rule of law.
Reposted by Rob Whitner (he/him)
Musk casually demonstrating the huge risk of placing systemic faith in software which can be casually adjusted to suit the political goals of a multi-billionaire.
(Trusting the free market to resolve this is naive as hell)
(Trusting the free market to resolve this is naive as hell)
“You are being updated this week.”
(MM and RS are Media Matters and Rolling Stone)
(MM and RS are Media Matters and Rolling Stone)
June 21, 2025 at 7:26 AM
Musk casually demonstrating the huge risk of placing systemic faith in software which can be casually adjusted to suit the political goals of a multi-billionaire.
(Trusting the free market to resolve this is naive as hell)
(Trusting the free market to resolve this is naive as hell)
Reposted by Rob Whitner (he/him)
sheer expenditure on AI feels like a profound misallocation of resources
June 21, 2025 at 5:28 AM
sheer expenditure on AI feels like a profound misallocation of resources
Reposted by Rob Whitner (he/him)
Chatbots — LLMs — do not know facts and are not designed to be able to accurately answer factual questions. They are designed to find and mimic patterns of words, probabilistically. When they’re “right” it’s because correct things are often written down, so those patterns are frequent. That’s all.
June 19, 2025 at 11:21 AM
Chatbots — LLMs — do not know facts and are not designed to be able to accurately answer factual questions. They are designed to find and mimic patterns of words, probabilistically. When they’re “right” it’s because correct things are often written down, so those patterns are frequent. That’s all.
Reposted by Rob Whitner (he/him)
this is appreciated, and not at all saying this is the only direction compromise needs to go, but liberals working with the left towards a popular front rather than punching left really needs to happen if we’re going to get out of this in a way that doesn’t just create the same cycle.
Yes. And it is going to take progressive liberals, like me, curbing the desire to argue with the slightest misgivings of others and rally around the moment. Stopping fascism.
this us the fundamental problem with Vote Blue nonsense. we don’t need a democratic party, we need an anti fascist party
June 13, 2025 at 2:14 PM
this is appreciated, and not at all saying this is the only direction compromise needs to go, but liberals working with the left towards a popular front rather than punching left really needs to happen if we’re going to get out of this in a way that doesn’t just create the same cycle.
Reposted by Rob Whitner (he/him)
Under the proposed White House budget, the NASA Space Grant program would be eliminated.
I was a NASA Space Grant recipient during my Masters—it funded my research on water on Mars.
I then went on to work in science & mission ops on multiple NASA Mars missions immediately after graduation. (1/2)
I was a NASA Space Grant recipient during my Masters—it funded my research on water on Mars.
I then went on to work in science & mission ops on multiple NASA Mars missions immediately after graduation. (1/2)
June 12, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Under the proposed White House budget, the NASA Space Grant program would be eliminated.
I was a NASA Space Grant recipient during my Masters—it funded my research on water on Mars.
I then went on to work in science & mission ops on multiple NASA Mars missions immediately after graduation. (1/2)
I was a NASA Space Grant recipient during my Masters—it funded my research on water on Mars.
I then went on to work in science & mission ops on multiple NASA Mars missions immediately after graduation. (1/2)
Reposted by Rob Whitner (he/him)
The National Bonsai and Penjing Museum marks the 400th anniversary of the Yamaki Pine, an ancient tree that survived the 1945 bombing of Hiroshima and has since become a symbol of peace.
Washington honors an ancient tree that survived Hiroshima
The National Bonsai and Penjing Museum marks the 400th anniversary of the Yamaki Pine, an ancient tree that survived the 1945 bombing of Hiroshima and has since become a symbol of peace.
www.npr.org
May 19, 2025 at 6:51 PM
The National Bonsai and Penjing Museum marks the 400th anniversary of the Yamaki Pine, an ancient tree that survived the 1945 bombing of Hiroshima and has since become a symbol of peace.
Reposted by Rob Whitner (he/him)
Science Magazine gets it wrong. 🧵
“Her departure, which she announced this morning in an essay in Time, is believed to be the first time in the agency’s 75-year history that a member of the 24-person board resigned over a policy disagreement with an administration”
@policyhound.bsky.social on Alondra Nelson’s bombshell resignation 🧪
@policyhound.bsky.social on Alondra Nelson’s bombshell resignation 🧪
NSF board member resigns in protest of Trump policies at agency
Alondra Nelson fingers DOGE in taking an unprecedented step
www.science.org
May 14, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Science Magazine gets it wrong. 🧵
Reposted by Rob Whitner (he/him)
It's that time of year again. Please send us your ideas on how to use astronomy in some way to make the world a better place! (deadline 31 May 2025) @astro4dev.bsky.social
astro4dev.org/iau-oad-2025...
astro4dev.org/iau-oad-2025...
IAU OAD 2025 Grants Open: Astronomy to Promote Sustainable Development - IAU Office of Astronomy for Development
What is the role of discovery sciences in global development? Can astronomers contribute their skills to solve local and global challenges? The IAU Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD) has launch...
astro4dev.org
April 26, 2025 at 4:13 AM
It's that time of year again. Please send us your ideas on how to use astronomy in some way to make the world a better place! (deadline 31 May 2025) @astro4dev.bsky.social
astro4dev.org/iau-oad-2025...
astro4dev.org/iau-oad-2025...
Reposted by Rob Whitner (he/him)
Announcing a PhD position starting October 2025, on Applications of Machine Learning in Ultrafast Nonlinear Fibre Optics. The advertisement will be out soon, but my email is easy to find, so please send me a CV if interested. Experience in experimental & numerical photonics highly desirable!
April 21, 2025 at 11:24 AM
Announcing a PhD position starting October 2025, on Applications of Machine Learning in Ultrafast Nonlinear Fibre Optics. The advertisement will be out soon, but my email is easy to find, so please send me a CV if interested. Experience in experimental & numerical photonics highly desirable!
Reposted by Rob Whitner (he/him)
“From April 14-18, select UBC graduate programs at UBC Vancouver will re-open their applications for US citizens to be considered for Sept 2025 or Jan 2026 entry - they are ready to provide quick admissions decisions for these applicants“ #gradstudent #gradschool
www.grad.ubc.ca/us-applicant...
www.grad.ubc.ca/us-applicant...
US Applicant Week
www.grad.ubc.ca
April 8, 2025 at 3:23 AM
“From April 14-18, select UBC graduate programs at UBC Vancouver will re-open their applications for US citizens to be considered for Sept 2025 or Jan 2026 entry - they are ready to provide quick admissions decisions for these applicants“ #gradstudent #gradschool
www.grad.ubc.ca/us-applicant...
www.grad.ubc.ca/us-applicant...
Reposted by Rob Whitner (he/him)
Awesome new exoplanet observations with #JWST. Kudos to co-author & @esa.int chum Emily Rickman who’s following up a huge marathon PR yesterday with this great new science result 🏅✨🪐🔭 esawebb.org/news/weic2504/
Webb images young, giant exoplanets, detects carbon dioxide - Findings suggest giant exoplanets in HR 8799 system likely formed like Jupiter and Saturn.
The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has captured direct images of multiple gas giant planets within an iconic planetary system. HR 8799, a young system 130 light-years away, has long been a ke...
esawebb.org
March 17, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Awesome new exoplanet observations with #JWST. Kudos to co-author & @esa.int chum Emily Rickman who’s following up a huge marathon PR yesterday with this great new science result 🏅✨🪐🔭 esawebb.org/news/weic2504/