Rachel K
@xrkulik.bsky.social
health policy and political science PhD candidate at the University of Michigan, studying the politics of data in American institutions.
GEO steward. mixed race Chinese American. she/her
GEO steward. mixed race Chinese American. she/her
Thinking a lot about gen AI while grading student work, and one of the slightly less consequential but very annoying effects of it is crafting. More and more crochet & cross stitch patterns are AI, eroding quality... new crafters are getting scammed esp since some are not that obvious!
November 1, 2025 at 8:51 PM
Thinking a lot about gen AI while grading student work, and one of the slightly less consequential but very annoying effects of it is crafting. More and more crochet & cross stitch patterns are AI, eroding quality... new crafters are getting scammed esp since some are not that obvious!
I guess I should end with this defense of graduate education (at Chicago, but also everywhere)
October 29, 2025 at 6:08 PM
I guess I should end with this defense of graduate education (at Chicago, but also everywhere)
I've been thinking about this article for *days* and still can't quite put my finger on what's bugging me about it
ourworldindata.org/does-the-new...
ourworldindata.org/does-the-new...
October 19, 2025 at 4:45 PM
I've been thinking about this article for *days* and still can't quite put my finger on what's bugging me about it
ourworldindata.org/does-the-new...
ourworldindata.org/does-the-new...
that moment when a British newspaper has front page coverage of the biggest day of protest* since the Earth Day protests of 1970 but the biggest US Newspaper does not
*let's not fight about counting methodology; the fact that towns in the middle of nowhere had protests is politically important
*let's not fight about counting methodology; the fact that towns in the middle of nowhere had protests is politically important
October 19, 2025 at 5:18 AM
that moment when a British newspaper has front page coverage of the biggest day of protest* since the Earth Day protests of 1970 but the biggest US Newspaper does not
*let's not fight about counting methodology; the fact that towns in the middle of nowhere had protests is politically important
*let's not fight about counting methodology; the fact that towns in the middle of nowhere had protests is politically important
Counting Like A State, The Politics of Failed Policies, and Hacking the Electorate are all in my office, but I’m writing the first pass of my diss intro and what other social science books about data should I own? (I realize this is a niche question…)
October 18, 2025 at 1:46 AM
Counting Like A State, The Politics of Failed Policies, and Hacking the Electorate are all in my office, but I’m writing the first pass of my diss intro and what other social science books about data should I own? (I realize this is a niche question…)
AI is great! This is not the first time it's been suggested that I write the opposite of what I mean.
September 28, 2025 at 6:58 PM
AI is great! This is not the first time it's been suggested that I write the opposite of what I mean.
also, literally in the disclaimer to access FAERS data:
September 23, 2025 at 10:03 PM
also, literally in the disclaimer to access FAERS data:
a reminder from a friend that I printed and keep in my office
September 23, 2025 at 6:20 PM
a reminder from a friend that I printed and keep in my office
Made it to Vancouver nearly 6 hours late but I am in my happy place with hot pot and Discworld
September 11, 2025 at 2:25 AM
Made it to Vancouver nearly 6 hours late but I am in my happy place with hot pot and Discworld
Seattle Ethiopian food with an old friend was fun and delicious also
September 10, 2025 at 1:41 AM
Seattle Ethiopian food with an old friend was fun and delicious also
I miss the mountain and I miss Seattle Chinese food
September 10, 2025 at 1:38 AM
I miss the mountain and I miss Seattle Chinese food
The weather on each side of this Seattle-Bainbridge ferry is pretty different!
September 8, 2025 at 7:19 PM
The weather on each side of this Seattle-Bainbridge ferry is pretty different!
Trump fires the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics!!!!!
Feeling some such way that BLS is a case study in my dissertation on why governments produce high quality data
Feeling some such way that BLS is a case study in my dissertation on why governments produce high quality data
August 1, 2025 at 8:54 PM
Trump fires the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics!!!!!
Feeling some such way that BLS is a case study in my dissertation on why governments produce high quality data
Feeling some such way that BLS is a case study in my dissertation on why governments produce high quality data
A list of top-cited North American political scientists has 3 men names James and 0 women
source: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
source: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
July 30, 2025 at 8:38 PM
A list of top-cited North American political scientists has 3 men names James and 0 women
source: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
source: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
These political data visualizations are living rent-free in my head.
Especially:
1. the top 100 R donors now account for OVER HALF of contributions
2. US senators' age distribution looks a whole lot like a retirement home
3. support for Medicaid work reqs rises w/ Medicare eligibility
Especially:
1. the top 100 R donors now account for OVER HALF of contributions
2. US senators' age distribution looks a whole lot like a retirement home
3. support for Medicaid work reqs rises w/ Medicare eligibility
July 23, 2025 at 10:03 PM
These political data visualizations are living rent-free in my head.
Especially:
1. the top 100 R donors now account for OVER HALF of contributions
2. US senators' age distribution looks a whole lot like a retirement home
3. support for Medicaid work reqs rises w/ Medicare eligibility
Especially:
1. the top 100 R donors now account for OVER HALF of contributions
2. US senators' age distribution looks a whole lot like a retirement home
3. support for Medicaid work reqs rises w/ Medicare eligibility
Writing and coffee with an amazing friend who’s about to start her faculty position and the vibes are excellent
July 21, 2025 at 7:49 PM
Writing and coffee with an amazing friend who’s about to start her faculty position and the vibes are excellent
uh, is CDC WONDER down for anyone else?
wonder.cdc.gov
wonder.cdc.gov
July 7, 2025 at 9:37 PM
uh, is CDC WONDER down for anyone else?
wonder.cdc.gov
wonder.cdc.gov
lots of reasons to dislike fireworks but it's amazing how bad they are for air quality
(source: gispub.epa.gov/airnow/?cont...)
(source: gispub.epa.gov/airnow/?cont...)
July 5, 2025 at 4:46 AM
lots of reasons to dislike fireworks but it's amazing how bad they are for air quality
(source: gispub.epa.gov/airnow/?cont...)
(source: gispub.epa.gov/airnow/?cont...)
Coauthors @scottlgreer.bsky.social @hjarman.bsky.social @mirandayaver.bsky.social and I evaluate the effect of Trump's first 100 days on health, including research, vaccines, Medicaid, public health services & more. Surprise: it's pretty much all bad
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
July 4, 2025 at 5:18 PM
Coauthors @scottlgreer.bsky.social @hjarman.bsky.social @mirandayaver.bsky.social and I evaluate the effect of Trump's first 100 days on health, including research, vaccines, Medicaid, public health services & more. Surprise: it's pretty much all bad
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Discworld, cider, and cake. A 10/10 evening trying to ignore a dismal day of politics
July 4, 2025 at 1:27 AM
Discworld, cider, and cake. A 10/10 evening trying to ignore a dismal day of politics
![Screenshot of an interview:
We're in such a weird position right now where members of the business community are now thinking that they're gonna throw their weight behind Adams again. What do you think of that?
[Lander laughs for about five seconds.
Catches breath.]
I genuinely find this hilarious. Like, they lit $20 million on fire, and all it did was boost Zohran's numbers. And in no small part because they corrupted their own souls by supporting a person they know to be a corrupt, abusive asshole. What are they gonna do now? Do they think they can rehabilitate Eric Adams, who's sold our city out in a way that's so humiliating you never could have believed it?
Eric Adams is running an experiment in how you could bend the knee to Donald Trump in the most humiliating ways possible and run a government so rife with corruption it would be like a comic book, and the notion that these guys think, "Oh, maybe we'll line up behind Eric Adams." It's not even that they should be ashamed. They should just be embarrassed.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:revfutm7sz2upuf2iwwhnp6m/bafkreieabvgbcrctkdf7bzg54ejcbsqd5lmxtxufykmnj6qudtp6nw2ecq@jpeg)
Current scintillating summer reading courtesy of the UM library
June 19, 2025 at 9:34 PM
Current scintillating summer reading courtesy of the UM library
My general takes on Ann Arbor protests: not enough marching! Impressive boomer turnout! Movement in MI still feels fragmented but mayyyybe starting to coalesce?
June 14, 2025 at 8:53 PM
My general takes on Ann Arbor protests: not enough marching! Impressive boomer turnout! Movement in MI still feels fragmented but mayyyybe starting to coalesce?
Current coping mechanism— political cross stitch
May 27, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Current coping mechanism— political cross stitch
constantly go back in forth on if interdisciplinarity is a superpower or a headache (or both. probably both).
May 16, 2025 at 7:50 PM
constantly go back in forth on if interdisciplinarity is a superpower or a headache (or both. probably both).