pyroxena.bsky.social
Planetary scientist, dark music lover, probably need some hobbies again some day. Mercury, Moon and Minerals ❤️❤️Opinions are my own and do not represent my employer.
105 posts
664 followers
157 following
Regular Contributor
Active Commenter
comment in response to
post
I had the privilege of working with colleagues from the Vernadsky Institute when I was in graduate school, with a group of brilliant Russian and Ukrainian scientists (2/4)
comment in response to
post
U24.gov.ua lets you even choose what type of aid you want to provide.
comment in response to
post
FYI to anyone trying to donate, we had a lot of issues getting charges to go through, but MC worked when VISA would not. Slava Ukraini! 🇺🇦🌻
comment in response to
post
My husband noted that I was the only one on there talking with my hands...
comment in response to
post
Was it lasagna inside?
comment in response to
post
Credit and thanks to @thespectralband.bsky.social for motivating me to figure it out AND discover how many animated Tim Robinson gifs exist
comment in response to
post
comment in response to
post
Now I feel like I really accomplished something today.
comment in response to
post
comment in response to
post
It worked!!!!
comment in response to
post
comment in response to
post
I can't get Blue sky to post animated gifs directly, gah! I see others do it, though
comment in response to
post
search.app/sr8swhGNzGPm...
comment in response to
post
🤣
comment in response to
post
I spent like two days writing that and still littered it with typos. I think I need to log into Blue sky from my computer :)
comment in response to
post
I am not sure how nervous the partner institutions are about crossing any lines that might jeapordize the chances that the program may be reinstated, since everything is still in review, but it would be fantastic if we could find a way to get them there.
comment in response to
post
Anyway, I guess that's all I have to say for now. I'll swallow my more angry thoughts, and just say that they can burn our ladders, but they're going to have to find all the ropes and probably cut off our arms, if they want to stop us trying to uplift the next generation. (15/15)
comment in response to
post
Our partner institution included students from community colleges in Ohio, and it's hard to overstate how excited I was to imagine how I would have felt to see a flyer about it at my school years ago. (14/n)
comment in response to
post
But my heart breaks for the students who were preparing to attend their first big science conference, to meet their mentors in person, to form bonds and connections to open up pathways for them to realize their dreams. The program did not exclude anyone by gender or color. (13/n)
comment in response to
post
Through working with the Here to Observe program, I found so many other scientists who also felt this way, donating their time to mentor, wanting to reach out a hand, rather than pull the ladder up behind them. The loss of this program is just a drop in the ocean of losses (12/n)
comment in response to
post
I want any kid who loves looking up at the night sky, and dreaming about what is up there and how it formed to have a chance to learn more about those wonders, no matter where they live, or how much support they have at home, to have a path to do so. (11/n)
comment in response to
post
When I somehow found my way to graduate school, I met many people who did all the right things--prep school, space camp, you name it, and I couldn't believe how lucky I got to somehow find my way from working for $6/hr and going to community college to defending my PhD and publishing (10/n)
comment in response to
post
In high school, I had fully abandoned any dreams of being a scientist, because I didn't have any idea how to even begin to achieve them. I went to community college and ended up studying geokogy, but still assumed my most likely future would probably involve testing soils for contamination (9/n)
comment in response to
post
Students from Ohio, Puerto Rico, Arkansas, New Mexico, and more formed bonds with one another and active NASA mission scientists. Many ended up in internships, some in grad school. (8/n)
comment in response to
post
the program was reimagined ~a year later as a program for undergraduates to be paired with mentors from NASA missions. After the pilot, any interested faculty members could apply to have a small amount of financial support, and travel money for students to attend a science conference. (7/n)
comment in response to
post
When we reviewed the first applications for the observers program, we looked for students from a variety of institutions. It was clear, however, that outside of the usual schools, there were few applicants. Likely, many students just didn't know about the program. So... (6/n)
comment in response to
post
Through great fortune and coincidence, probably involving Halloween, a cape, and a hydrology class, I had the great fortune to end up in one of these families, and find my way into a life I only ever thought I could dream of (5/n)
comment in response to
post
Like many jobs, people probably hired those with similar backgrounds and expertise, not out of malice or to gatekeep, but because in a very specialized field, it's just plain easier to hire those who come out of school with direct experience (4/n)
comment in response to
post
Let's take a step back for a moment. For many years, there were really only a handful of schools with what one would consider planetary science programs, and so much of our field had whole academic 'families' dominating missions and high profile roles (3/n)
comment in response to
post
About 5 years ago, some folks were NASA were thinking about how neat it would be to give students an insider view into how missions work. They launched a initial pilot, inviting graduate students to come to a NASA mission science team meeting, just to see what it was like. (2/n)
comment in response to
post
I've seen the letter that went to our partners :( . Some of the students had LPSC presentations, too, so their funding to attend is now suspended.