Vanessa Sun
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vanessainstem.bsky.social
Vanessa Sun
@vanessainstem.bsky.social
1.7K followers 2.8K following 250 posts
She/her 🇧🇷🇹🇼🇺🇸🏳️‍🌈 Atmospheric chemist & mathematician, studying air quality in Salt Lake City.

Mostly sharing academic & COVID related posts. Clean Air Kits discount at: https://linktr.ee/vanessasun

CUNY ➡️ MIT ➡️UUtah (PhDing 👩🏻‍💻)
Posts Replies Media Videos
vanessainstem.bsky.social
Conference planning: air purifiers, rocks, chappell roan
October 14, 2025 at 4:39 PM
vanessainstem.bsky.social
For the first time ever, I have 2 textbooks: one for office, one for home. I keep my precious annotated & signed version at home. Thought it was nerdy to get the author’s autograph but a prof told me that students lined up for the same at a seminar once 😂
Overhead view of textbook with various colorful page flags sticking out the sides. On the white page is a small written message in black ink, saying: “To Vanessa Sun, I enjoyed reading your letter. You have a wonderful path ahead of you in atmospheric chemistry. I look forward to meeting you at some time in the future. All the Best, John H. Seinfeld. June 17, 2024.” There is a rainbow suncatcher refraction over the “To Vanessa Sun” of the message.
October 13, 2025 at 5:32 PM
vanessainstem.bsky.social
Woke up early to prepare leading paper discussion in group meeting today 👩🏻‍💻📊📑☕️☀️
Author of tweet on left side of photo holding up white mug that says MIT Atmos Chem on it. She wears bronze and gold framed glasses and has short hair. Behind her is a dual monitor desk setup with a bigger and more yellow monitor on the left and smaller and whiter monitor on right. On the left monitor, Zotero is open with typed notes next to a paper. On the right monitor, Google Slides is open showing a slide titled F0AM Box Modeling.
September 16, 2025 at 2:11 PM
vanessainstem.bsky.social
Able to run my MATLAB script before my flight 😇 can’t use Python properly on this laptop though 😒
A round table in the center of the photo with an open binder and some notes in the front left, a laptop and orange colored photo beneath the binder. Behind the binder, also on the table, is a closed translucent binder. In the background behind the table is an outdoor lounge with several silver chairs, tables, and benches.
September 13, 2025 at 8:56 PM
vanessainstem.bsky.social
Today’s research group discussion is on box modeling (and modeling in general?) 💻 I’m editing my little personal informational map 💭
June 24, 2025 at 5:31 PM
vanessainstem.bsky.social
In spreadsheet hell 😖😖😖 Someone added new variables (aerosol size bins) to our campaign data and I have to redo all my file merging again 😫 If a high schooler asks me what my job involves, next time I’ll say it’s a ton of data entry into Excel 😭
Author of tweet sitting in front of a desk with her hand on her face, frowning. Behind her on the desk is a monitor showing excel spreadsheets with many rows of information.
June 23, 2025 at 8:33 PM
vanessainstem.bsky.social
In spreadsheet hell 😖😖😖 Someone added new variables (aerosol size bins) to our campaign data and I have to redo all my file merging again 😫 If a high schooler asks me what my job involves, next time I’ll say it’s a ton of data entry into Excel 😭
Author of tweet sitting in front of a desk with her hand on her face, frowning. Behind her on the desk is a monitor showing excel spreadsheets with many rows of information.
June 23, 2025 at 8:33 PM
vanessainstem.bsky.social
Got dressed up to set up my box model today lol
Author of tweet in the center of the photo, holding up her laptop. She wears a silver necklace with star and a sword charm, silver hoop earrings, with amber framed glasses, and a black and rainbow velvet strapless top
June 8, 2025 at 11:14 PM
vanessainstem.bsky.social
Gonna be hosting the 100 hour Weather & Climate livestream @wclivestream.bsky.social for the next hour! Come learn about weather & climate research from scientists, and the impact of federal funding cuts on our work. www.youtube.com/@wclivestream
May 29, 2025 at 4:55 AM
vanessainstem.bsky.social
Gonna be hosting the 100 hour Weather & Climate livestream @wclivestream.bsky.social starting in about half an hour! Come learn about weather & climate research from scientists, and the impact of federal funding cuts on our work. www.youtube.com/@wclivestream
May 29, 2025 at 4:31 AM
vanessainstem.bsky.social
Hosting the 100-Hour Weather & Climate livestream @wclivestream.bsky.social TONIGHT at 1-5 AM Eastern (12-4 AM CT/11-3 AM MT/10-2 AM PT)! It’s already started and you can watch amazing talks on important weather & climate research and the effect of federal funding cuts #weather
wclivestream.com
Author of post sitting at a desk with a thumbs up, wearing a blue and white floral tank top, a large silver MIT university class ring, an orange bracelet, amber framed glasses, and a white Gerson 3230 duckbill N95 respirator. Behind her is a desk with a laptop next to a computer monitor showing a Youtube video of a weather presentation.
May 29, 2025 at 12:24 AM
vanessainstem.bsky.social
Holding impromptu postcard-making session today for my cohort to cheer up some federal employees! #PostcardsforAmerica These are just pre-made postcards in my stash, will post new designs later. Thanks @katycroffbell.bsky.social for inspo & NOAA office spreadsheet. We’ll do other agencies too.
Set of 3 postcards spread out and held by a hand in the center. The left postcard is green with the words, “you are so good looking.” The middle postcard is bright yellow with the words, “your face is like sunshine.” The right postcard is pink with words, “you couldn’t be cooler if you tried.” Set of 3 postcards spread out and held by a hand in the center. The left and right postcard are red with the words, “you’re a dream come true.” The center postcard is light pink with the words, “let’s be honest: you most likely have an overseas fan club.”
April 22, 2025 at 4:59 PM
vanessainstem.bsky.social
We got lots of graupel today in Salt Lake City!!!!!! Biggest storm we’ve had all winter
March 19, 2025 at 1:13 AM
vanessainstem.bsky.social
Nice & foggy views of the snowfall from our top floor classroom in the Geology/Geophysics & Atmospheric Sciences building 😃
February 20, 2025 at 9:23 PM
vanessainstem.bsky.social
I saved some data and plots for the class I'm TAing before the NCEI "maintenance" on average and max temperatures for a few different places, seasons, and years. The tool looks like it's still working right now but the title and section headers have become wonky???
Screenshot of webpage from the National Centers for Environmental information. Shows a title heading of ### SCOPE_NAME### ###SECTION_TITLE### instead of the appropriate titles. Screenshot of bottom section and footer of webpage from the National Centers for Environmental information. Shows a messed up or redacted citation saying, "NOAA National Centers for Environmental information, Climate at a Glance: ###SCOPE_NAME### ###SECTION_TITLE###, published ###PUBLISH_DATE###, retrieved on ###CURRENT_DATE### from ###HTTP_PATH_ROOT######RELATIVE_PATH_APP###/###SCOPE###/###SECTION###" instead of the appropriate information.
February 6, 2025 at 12:24 AM
vanessainstem.bsky.social
Having lunch with seminar speaker today (I don’t eat indoors— food will be takeout for me) and then will be studying for my climate dynamics exam tomorrow 😣📚☁️🌎
Selfie of author of post holding up an Aranet carbon dioxide monitor in purple casing attached to keys and plastic ID card holder. She wears a purple striped cardigan, a colorful MIT class ring called the Grad Rat, and a white duckbill Gerson N95 respirator. Behind her is a blue sky with a few clouds.
February 5, 2025 at 6:16 PM
vanessainstem.bsky.social
Just finished grading for the first time in the class I’m TAing (about snow meteorology)! All 126 posts graded in ~2.5 hours but no rest for me now… working on climate dynamics homework next 😭
Selfie of author of post sitting on the right side of the photo, smiling and holding a mug in front of her face. The mug is navy with white contour lines and says MIT Earth, Atmospheric, & Planetary Sciences on it. Behind her, on the wall, is a chalkboard atop a whiteboard with various trigonometric expressions written on them.
January 27, 2025 at 1:18 AM
vanessainstem.bsky.social
Thanks to all the people who encouraged me to go to my climate dynamics prof’s office hours 😊 Turns out I needed some help with class content so I’ll ask about that, but also some career related topics. Feeling way more nervous about a PhD project abstract deadline due tmrw than talking to my prof 😂
Selfie of author of tweet from head to waist level. She wears navy headphones, a blue colored ACI duckbill N95 respirator, and a heavy black winter coat over a baby blue cardigan, colorful blue-background overalls with bright orange, pink, and blue leaves, and a gray shirt underneath. Her hand is holding the right side of her jacket open and her ring finger features a silver beaver MIT class ring.
January 23, 2025 at 5:50 PM
vanessainstem.bsky.social
First day of the semester today! First official meeting of the semester for the class I’m TAing, first earl grey of the new year, AND first emails from my official PhD committee! 😭 They were all so nice. I’m so happy to have their support! I think it’s going to be a great semester ✨
Selfie of author of tweet on the right side of the photo, holding a mug with a winter scene of animals acting like people such as a fox in a red scarf and green jacket pushing a wheelbarrow with a mouse on top, from Emma Bridgewater. She is smiling, showing teeth, and wears a gold necklace with a V initial, small gold hoop earrings, a white and mustard striped shirt, and amber and gold glasses. Her eye on her left side is closed in a wink. Her hair comes down over her shoulder on the left. Next to her is a chalkboard on top and a whiteboard on the bottom with various colorful writing. Behind her are markers in a basket mounted on the wall and a black feltboard with white lettering saying, “THE PRODUCT OF MY PH.D. IS ME.”
January 6, 2025 at 8:59 PM
vanessainstem.bsky.social
Prof I TA for is wearing masks (respirators) this week to prevent getting sick before the big AGU meeting. Nice to see academics interested in protecting themselves before big conferences. Hope they continue to do so *at* the conferences.
Selfie of author of tweet sitting in front of a bus window. She is wearing a Dentec ComfortAir elastomeric respirator with purple P100 filters. The silicone body is black, with a mask chain of plastic colorful bright stars (green, yellow, pink, blue) across the center. She also wears amber and gold glasses, a white tshirt saying “we can be anything” in capital handwritten letters across the center surrounded by bright pink smiley faces, and a purple circular pin saying “wear a mask for me” on the top and “i’m at risk” on the bottom. Her hair is in a ponytail over her left shoulder.
December 4, 2024 at 4:31 PM
vanessainstem.bsky.social
Why did this year’s Spotify Wrapped have the longest, worst animations ever? They needed a 2x Speed button just to get through all the irrelevant stuff 😠 Anyway, I spent 1/4 of my total Spotify listening time this year listening to Chappell Roan 🥳
December 4, 2024 at 4:17 PM
vanessainstem.bsky.social
Nervous for group meeting presentation tomorrow 🫠
Screenshot of a white powerpoint slide that says in red, “Research Update for Group Meeting Fall 2024” and in smaller letters in grey, “Vanessa Sun.” On the bottom is a strip of small mountains depicted in light grey, running from all the way on the left to the right. In the bottom right corner, there is a big red U with UTAH on top, a shortened logo for the University of Utah
November 19, 2024 at 6:55 PM