Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Britt Lundgren @brittlundgren.bsky.social · 8h

I'd like to know which Chatbot is telling students that the Eagle Nebula is "4 to 5 feet tall"

Reposted by Britt Lundgren

Adam "I Was Hoping We Could Keep It" Laats @adamlaats.bsky.social · 13h

University leaders: Please pay attention.

If you truckle, you will only alienate the people you rely on to exist.

In the 1920s, when Mississippi banned evolution from its public colleges, the flagship almost died from student attrition.

The Washington Post Is Running Out Of Readers Willing To Pay

Once a titan of American journalism, The Washington Post now struggles to reach even 100,000 print subscribers most days.

www.forbes.com

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Reposted by Britt Lundgren

W. Carson Byrd @wcbyrdphd.bsky.social · 13h

This is a good overview of struggles around what materials are ‘public’ at public institutions & how GCs & admins can take differing positions.

Under pressure from right-wing groups, NC public universities disagree on whether a syllabus is a public record

Right-wing groups are increasingly requesting copies of syllabi and course materials to assess what's being taught in college classrooms. That means universities like UNC-Chapel Hill and UNC Greensbor...

www.wunc.org

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Britt Lundgren @brittlundgren.bsky.social · 1d

From the article: "It’s true that I recall few other kids at the camp who even went to a public school, like we did. (A spokesperson for CTY said the program doesn’t track the types of schools campers attend.)"

LOL what.

Reposted by Britt Lundgren

Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 1d

U.S. Department of Education fired nearly everyone in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services in a wave of new layoffs that began Friday, according to the union representing the agency's employees. www.usatoday.com/story/news/e...

Education Department wipes out special ed office in shutdown layoffs, union says

The Education Department laid off nearly everyone at the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.

www.usatoday.com

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Britt Lundgren @brittlundgren.bsky.social · 1d

"kids who had early access to advanced academic material were likely to have more productive careers in math and science"

Hm. ~30 years ago I attended CTY & even as a teen I observed the commonality of the cohort was S/E status, rather than ability / curiosity www.chronicle.com/article/what...

What Nerd Camp Can Tell Us About the SAT

No selective college relies on standardized tests alone to admit students, but the Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Talented Youth does. That makes it an interesting test case.

www.chronicle.com

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Reposted by Britt Lundgren

Abbabadook 🎃 @abbiestev.bsky.social · 15d

If any of you fine folks are planetarians in (or want to be in) mid-Michigan, the Abrams Planetarium is hiring a full-time-staff position for the first time in 11 years!! Come work with the astro, scicomm, and informal ed folks at MSU!! 🔭 🧪 (reskeets welcome) careers.msu.edu/jobs/educati...

Educational Program Coordinator II - East Lansing, Michigan, United States

Position Summary The program coordinator will maintain the planetarium, present live shows, and create new planetarium visualizations. In addition, this position will assist customers, assist in educa...

careers.msu.edu

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Reposted by Britt Lundgren

Matt Seybold @mattseybold.bsky.social · 1d

Inspired by Northwestern students protesting EdTech-delivered loyalty oaths, by the student-led Luddite Renaissance, by Matthew Josephson, Connie Bruck & @tressiemcphd.bsky.social, I tried to track how kleptocratic antitrust policy enables a surveillance megalith.

open.substack.com/pub/theameri...

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Britt Lundgren @brittlundgren.bsky.social · 2d

"A liberal arts education encompasses the arts, the humanities, the social sciences and STEM. It rejects the notion that some branches of knowledge are more important than others. Instead, it emphasizes that tackling the big questions of our current moment requires cross-disciplinary approaches." 🙌

Andrea Kaston Tange @aktange.bsky.social · 2d

My latest: "Numerous studies show that majors in the humanities—typically, in departments of English, history, philosophy, religious studies, classics and languages—lead students to employment and life satisfaction outcomes as positive as those for majors traditionally championed as 'practical.'”

Counterpoint | Minnesota humanities graduates thrive in meaningful careers

"The stereotype of the underemployed history major is simply not true," professor Andrea Kaston Tange writes.

www.startribune.com

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Britt Lundgren @brittlundgren.bsky.social · 2d

OK, I think I'm ready for a Carrington Event now.

Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 2d

Who had “self-swatting” on their dystopia bingo card.

Police are asking kids to stop pulling AI homeless man prank

The AI #homelessmanprank has gone viral, causing headaches for law enforcement.

www.theverge.com

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Britt Lundgren @brittlundgren.bsky.social · 2d

Vought is only 49 years old? Rage really consumes a person.

Thomas Zimmer @thomaszimmer.bsky.social · 2d

Sunday reading:

I wrote about the aggrieved extremist who is currently firing thousands of federal workers and ravaging state capacity based on conspiratorial nonsense - and about mainstream media’s infuriating tendency to sanitize Russell Vought and the regime he serves.

This week’s piece:

We need to talk about Russell Vought – But Properly

Why certain mainstream outlets insist on sanitizing Vought as a devout “small government” conservative – and what actually animates his war against pluralistic democracy

steady.page

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Britt Lundgren @brittlundgren.bsky.social · 2d

Some of my students were talking about this today and how they no longer trust anything they see online.

It's not a fun watch, but "Mountainhead" really captured the essence of this latest civilization-level threat of our own making.

Chuck Wendig @chuckwendig.bsky.social · 3d

I could tell this was AI right from the get-go but it’s like with the Terminators — every generation makes it harder and harder to tell. And that’s scary.

"How" @myoneandonlykat.bsky.social · 3d

Timeline cleanse!

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Britt Lundgren @brittlundgren.bsky.social · 3d

The backdrop of that stage was so weird, and then there was a fire alarm just as the event was starting, so Silver had to stand outside awkwardly avoiding all the fan bros crowding around. I guess that's why it's apparently burned into my brain.

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Britt Lundgren @brittlundgren.bsky.social · 3d

The human brain is baffling. There is so much I can't recall about my time on this planet, but I saw this photo and immediately remembered I was in the room when it was taken in 2016 😂

Vernors Herzog @vernorsherzog.bsky.social · 3d

“my programming needs are … somewhat unusual”

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Reposted by Britt Lundgren

Piper @yourfriendpiper.bsky.social · 3d

I love this piece and glad this part was noted: "The question of who wins or who loses in Triangle Posting Politics is divorced from material conditions, justice, or the common good."

sarah jeong @sarahjeong.bsky.social · 3d

I have a theory www.theverge.com/policy/79849...

American politics has devolved into shitposting and aura farming

The Frog is owning the president.

www.theverge.com

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Britt Lundgren @brittlundgren.bsky.social · 3d

"In the release, UNC said an implementation plan has yet to be developed, and they will turn to faculty and students to help determine what the new school will look like."

97.9 The Hill WCHL & Chapelboro.com @wchlchapelboro.bsky.social · 5d

UNC announced Thursday it will combine the School of Information and Library Science and the School of Data Science and Society into a new entity focused on information technologies such as generative AI.

UNC Combining Library Science, Data Science Schools Into New Entity - Chapelboro.com

The two schools will be combined into a new entity focused on information technologies such as generative AI.

chapelboro.com

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Reposted by Britt Lundgren

Triangle Blog Blog @triangleblogblog.bsky.social · 5d

“as first reported by triangleblogblog”

97.9 The Hill WCHL & Chapelboro.com @wchlchapelboro.bsky.social · 5d

UNC announced Thursday it will combine the School of Information and Library Science and the School of Data Science and Society into a new entity focused on information technologies such as generative AI.

UNC Combining Library Science, Data Science Schools Into New Entity - Chapelboro.com

The two schools will be combined into a new entity focused on information technologies such as generative AI.

chapelboro.com

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Reposted by Britt Lundgren

Chanda Prescod-Weinstein 🌌 @chanda.blacksky.app · 3d

www.dailytarheel.com/article/e9c7...

UNC ends Black Student Movement's 52-year 'co-ownership' of Upendo Lounge

BSM President Adam Sherif said administrators cited new federal guidelines that instruct all federally funded entities to ensure they are not engaging in "discriminatory practices, including those lab...

www.dailytarheel.com

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Reposted by Britt Lundgren

NightMar on Hicks Street, Part 4: The Rabbit’s Revenge @histoftech.bsky.social · 4d

The Virginia Senate just told UVA it’s not getting state funding if it accepts the compact since UVA exists to serve Virginia, its residents, & their interests—not be a tool of the federal govt. Scoop from our student newspaper, who’ve been doing vital reporting www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2025...

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Reposted by Britt Lundgren

Jacqueline Sweet @jsweetli.bsky.social · 4d

WGN, this woman’s employer, is now reporting she was not charged with any crimes and was released.

DHS said earlier she was arrested for assault for throwing objects at agents.

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Pauline Barmby @pbarmby.bsky.social · 4d

Also includes some Canadian universities, where the process is somewhat different (students are accepted by individual supervisors, not as members of a class) - I’m happy to answer questions about grad school in Canada.

Sarah Tuttle @niais.bsky.social · 4d

Are you someone who is interested in astronomy graduate school? This is a list of many/most departments and their expectations for admissions this year. Please feel free to spread it far and wide. If you are doing admissions and you'd like to update your entry, reach out as per the form!

US Astronomy Graduate Admissions, AY 2025-2026

docs.google.com

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Reposted by Britt Lundgren

Matthew Facciani @matthewfacciani.bsky.social · 5d

“A new study shows that receiving an updated COVID vaccine reduced people’s risk of severe disease and death in all age groups, regardless of immunity from prior infection or vaccination”
www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-...

Annual COVID Vaccines Save Lives, New Study Shows

A new study shows that receiving an updated COVID vaccine reduced people’s risk of severe disease and death in all age groups, regardless of immunity from prior infection or vaccination

www.scientificamerican.com

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Britt Lundgren @brittlundgren.bsky.social · 4d

Rowan doesn't even attempt to provide any supporting evidence for his laundry list of gripes. Compare it to the official response from MIT's President, an actual serious person: orgchart.mit.edu/letters/rega...

Regarding the Compact | MIT Organization Chart

orgchart.mit.edu

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Reposted by Britt Lundgren

Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 4d

Stephen Miller just said that Chicago ICE raid was one of the most successful law enforcement operations ever. I asked Pritzker to respond.

"If this was Pinochet’s Chile, if this was Argentina under authoritarian rule, maybe you’d call it successful," he said. 2/

newrepublic.com/article/2016...

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Reposted by Britt Lundgren

Josh Moody @byjoshmoody.bsky.social · 4d

MIT rejects "compact" proposed by the Trump administration.
MIT prez wrote: it "would restrict freedom of expression and our independence as an institution" and "is inconsistent with our core belief that scientific funding should be based on scientific merit alone."
orgchart.mit.edu/letters/rega...

Regarding the Compact | MIT Organization Chart

orgchart.mit.edu

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