I am shocked to see this language from the NSF.
“The U.S. National Science Foundation's Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Request reflects a strategic alignment of resources in a constrained fiscal environment while eliminating woke and weaponized grant programs that previously funded radical DEI projects.”
New database paper led by @limnojess.bsky.social
Limno‐STOICH: A comprehensive database linking the elemental stoichiometry of organisms with inland aquatic habitats.
Grateful to have been part of this large effort!
aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
The Morrill Fire in Nebraska has killed 1 and consumed 549,000 acres with 0% containment. This is more than 10% of the entire area burned by U.S. wildfires in 2025, and makes it one of the 20 largest fires in U.S. history. Sunday forecast is grim: High Wind Warning, 25-35 mph winds, gusting to 50.
Within just 19 hours of ignition, the #MorrillFire in west Nebraska has grown to an estimated 330,000 acres. That's already more than 1.5x the size of Colorado's largest wildfire in state history. Winds will be lower out there today, but Saturday turns extreme again #COWX #NEwx
The DRAFT Nature Record national assessment has dropped and is ready for comment! I'm proud to be one of the authors. This is the first comprehensive, independent, evidence-based assessment of how nature is doing across the U.S.
Come read. Come comment. Come shape the record.
naturerecord.org
Three lab members examining a farm pond covered in bright green duck weed. A bridge extends above the pond in the background.
The USDA postdoc fellowship is back! If you're interested in studying eutrophication issues in working lands, let's write a proposal together. Check my lab webpage for how to get in touch (ecostoich.weebly.com/join.html).
Love aquatic research, teaching, and outreach? Want to join us at our terrific field station and live on Yellow Bay, Montana? University of Montana seeks a new Director for Flathead Lake Biological Station. Position details here: apply.interfolio.com/178916
It's over.
Despite the fact that the academic council recommended against it, despite the fact that the program brought in more tuition than it cost, and despite the fact that Nebraskans need & deserve this expertise, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences will be cut.
www.dailynebraskan.com/news/adminis...
It’s unconscionable. We can’t train good scientists without good stats.
A terribly sad day. After hours of testimony to the contrary, the Regents could not find the will to support Nebraska. Our Earth and Atmospheric Science, Stats, Textiles, and Education Admin programs are gone. Along with the faculty and their creativity, knowledge, and passion. Sorry, students.
They are really planning to go through with these cuts at Nebraska, despite recommendations not to. Unbelievable.
If you want to hire highly qualified, very successful earth and atmospheric sciences faculty in teaching and research, quite a few are probably looking for jobs for next year.
UNL-AAUP is fighting back against administrator raises while programs get cut.
“Decisions are being made behind closed doors & without faculty input. We weren’t invited to the table. There’s no transparency in this process. We’ve been shut out at every turn…”
— Sarah Zuckerman, UNL-AAUP president
Lots of folks out to support UNL Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. The department is slated to be cut - a decision that would mean Nebraska would loose its only meteorology degree program (let alone the faculty and students). 🤦♀️ eas.unl.edu
A red kayak rests at the edge of a still lake with emergent macrophytes and surrounded by low hills. Landscape is dry and brown.
Research by my former PhD student, Daniel Gschwentner, on how grassland wildfires impact lakes is now live in Ecosystems: doi.org/10.1007/s100...
Wildfires are contributing to P loading in lakes, but lakes are N-limited so that P is likely not being processed by algae.
DM if you need access.
What if we all just added as many of these words as possible to our proposals to see what happens? Better yet, squeeze them into empty spaces, but change the text color to white…
Members of research team standing in front of River
A lone camp chair on shore of a rushing river bathed in sunlight
Alex teaching lab members about macrophytes
Upstream view of the Niobrara River
Sampling the Niobrara River is one of my favorite parts of being a limnologist in Nebraska! Cool, clean waters, fascinating biodiversity, and beautiful scenery.
Congratulations to my first PhD graduate, Dr. Gschwentner!
🧪 Though a doubling of NSF's budget might seem far-fetched, that's exactly what Congress said what's needed to maintain national competitiveness in science & tech.
From the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act of 2022:
Congrats to @unlincoln.bsky.social’s Sherri Fritz on her election to the National Academy of Science!!
Ugh, that’s very frustrating. I’m so sorry.
I spoke with a university administrator last week who said “NSF is fine. Don’t worry.” No, NSF is not ok. Are other universities responding better? What is your dept or uni doing to support its faculty, staff, and students?
A stunning sunset reflecting on @lakesuperior.bsky.social, viewed from the North Shore. #LimnologyVacations
And more here: aspb.org/wp-content/u...
I was fortunate enough to work with Mary at NSF just before she retired; I can't help but think what she would be doing in the current situation. To the current leadership at NSF - keep up the fight for the future of science. We need you.
Need an inspiring story of #NSF leadership? Look towards the former BIO AD. From starting the Graduate Research Traineeship & the Research Coordinated Network, to the National Plant Genome Initiative, Dr. Mary Clutter was a leader among leaders.
I love this idea! Of course I’m thinking of Vanni’s catchment-sediment paper, but I don’t know of a synthesis effort.
Rahul Bhargava has done some interesting work in this area - empowering communities to use data for change home.connectionlab.org/rahul-bharga...
It is simply not enough for universities to say, “Our grants & research offices are looking into how research will be affected by the latest directive.”
University leaders must actively and very publicly make the case for the kind of work many of us do. The silence on this front is deafening.
When writing broader impacts in an NSF proposal feels like an act of rebellion…
