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Cole Donovan

@colesci.bsky.social

430 followers 500 following 440 posts

S&T Ecosystem Development at the Federation of American Scientists. Former White House OSTP, NOAA Office of Space Commerce, National Academies, State Department. Views are my own.

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Cole Donovan @colesci.bsky.social · 6h

So yeah the CBP Instagram is in fact playing an antisemitic dog AIRHORN right now, and the commenters love it.

Cole Donovan @colesci.bsky.social · 1d

The only meaningful difference between today in Gaza and this scene from Charlie Wilson’s War (which I’ve been told is a fairly accurate reflection of conversations after the Soviet withdrawal) is that the United States actually helped the Afghan people in the 80s instead of arming their attackers.

a famous scene from Charlie Wilson's war

YouTube video by Frederick Tubiermont

Cole Donovan @colesci.bsky.social · 1d

So now we’ve got a bunch of desperate people in Gaza who have nothing left after a multi year bombing and starvation campaign, and we (the United States) appear to have noped out on digging out and reconstruction (instead having vague economic benefits and aid).

This is gonna go great. 😬

What could the Israel-Gaza deal mean for the Middle East? | Brookings

Brookings scholars reflect on the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement and what it means for the broader Middle Eastern region.

www.brookings.edu

Cole Donovan @colesci.bsky.social · 1d

When I think of the No Kings Protest, I remember when NPR tweeted the Declaration of Independence on July 4th (as they always did) and like half of Twitter freaking out about it.

Cole Donovan @colesci.bsky.social · 1d

Yeah this 100%.

Cole Donovan @colesci.bsky.social · 2d

Direction of this convo is generally not great, but failing to acknowledge we could have (and should have) done better in a lot of ways is the only way that things get fixed in the future.

Seeing how we handled certain things, genuinely worried about ‘29 if Dems come back into office.

Reposted by Cole Donovan

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 3d

They cannot talk about the shutdown without lying.

There is no connection between troop payments and federal employee layoffs. Zero.

They are paying the troops with multiyear R&D allocations within DOD. This is also illegal by the way! But completely disconnected to the layoffs.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 3d

WELKER: During the 2019 shutdown when Trump was president, no federal workers were laid off. Why are these firings necessary?

VANCE: Who do we care more about- federal bureaucrats or the troops getting the payment they need?

WELKER: But layoffs are a priority?

VANCE: They have forced us to choose

Cole Donovan @colesci.bsky.social · 3d

If you ever want to talk to someone who successfully worked through a change in the way the EU approaches their science and tech policy, hit me up.

(It took eight years).

Cole Donovan @colesci.bsky.social · 3d

The thing I’m most interested in is that they acknowledge that Europe builds much faster and much more cheaply, but their bureaucracy is legendary and they maintain a relatively good quality of life and concern for the environment and citizen’s rights. Sure, they have problems, but different ones.

Cole Donovan @colesci.bsky.social · 3d

I think the driving thing with it, which is legitimate frustration with the functioning and effectiveness of the government, is pretty spot on. I think the diagnosis is frequently way too high level, though, and often requires ignoring those negative externalities.

Cole Donovan @colesci.bsky.social · 3d

They manage smaller portfolios so they can give extra time and attention to projects. It’s extremely hard to do that at a more national scale. The end result of going with DARPA models over NSF and NIH is probably less science, and not necessarily better science.

Cole Donovan @colesci.bsky.social · 3d

I get why Abundance folks like them—there is a get things done, one person making the decision element. But that person brings all of their biases with them and shouldn’t be assumed to be more clever than your average program manager at NSF, NIH, DOE, or anywhere else.

Cole Donovan @colesci.bsky.social · 3d

The DoD funding models are really neat—I’m glad that we have them, as they answer a certain requirement. But we also need to acknowledge that in order to have honest conversations about the value of each of these models, what we can’t see is just as important as the success stories.

Cole Donovan @colesci.bsky.social · 3d

This makes having a conversation about the pros and cons of different funding models difficult. On the one hand, slower uptake of mRNA treatments.

On the other, something we can’t talk about because doing so might cause “grave harm” to the country.

Cole Donovan @colesci.bsky.social · 3d

One of the things the Abundance book does with R&D is take a look at what happens when NIH doesn’t find something neat. It presents DARPA as an alternative model that we should do more of. But what it doesn’t do is look at what happens when DARPA/DoD walks away—the answer usually is classified.

Cole Donovan @colesci.bsky.social · 3d

But what do I know, I was just the assistant director for research security at OSTP, director of the Research Security Roundtable at NASEM, at the State Department working in science cooperation during Trump 1, etc, etc.

Cole Donovan @colesci.bsky.social · 3d

U.S. security services have been pulling this sort of thing pretty consistently since the late 2010s without interruption. If you look at the research security apparatus, even by federal science agencies, a nexus with Made in China 2025 or PLA prioritization is used to justify all kinds of crap.

Will Stancil @whstancil.bsky.social · 3d

Just learned about a brilliant scientist friend who is at risk of being deported because their research field (brain chemistry???) is apparently considered a priority for the People’s Liberation Army and I cannot express in words how much I despise this administration

Cole Donovan @colesci.bsky.social · 4d

And further, after all this, the PRC maintains control over the algorithm and US users have to switch to a different app. It’s just hard for me to see how this is much of anything other than allies of the president gaining more control over a Gen Z-focused social media platform.

Cole Donovan @colesci.bsky.social · 4d

None of this is actually clear. The reason that TikTok came to this point is that it became (justified or not) the boogeyman of all fear centered around the PRC for all three branches of gov’t. No such concern manifests around other social media giants, despite having similar societal impact.

Tech Policy Press @techpolicypress.bsky.social · 4d

Washington and Brussels are taking opposite paths to contest social media power. The US is moving to strip TikTok from China’s grasp, while the EU digs into corporate accountability. One fights geopolitics, the other governance — with Washington having more immediate impact, writes Mark Scott.

In the Social Media Wars, Washington, Not Brussels, is the Victor | TechPolicy.Press

US aims are primarily focused on national security, while those of the EU are centered on transparency and accountability, writes Mark Scott.

Reposted by Cole Donovan

Justin Hendrix @justinhendrix.bsky.social · 4d

For all the scaremongering about the 'threat' from China no one in this administration seems to recognize how this mercurial behavior likely makes Chinese 'stability' seem like a pretty good deal. But then I suppose we don't believe in diplomacy or alliances or trust amymore, really.

Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 4d

Here's the reality: On any given day the President might impose an effective embargo on trade with China. This is the second time he's done it *this year*. They may patch it up again, but the pattern has been set, and it will shape expectations for the rest of his term.

Reposted by Cole Donovan

Costa Samaras @costasamaras.com · 5d

Picture how big the Hoover Dam is. An absolute unit. The Hoover Dam has a power capacity of 2 gigawatts (GW).

The solar farm that the Admin just cancelled could have produces 6.2 GW of power. That's more than 3 Hoover Dams.

jael holzman @jael.bsky.social · 5d

SCOOP: The Bureau of Land Management says the largest solar project in Nevada — the Esmeralda 7 mega-farm — has been canceled

The news was quietly dropped via a sudden website update with no public word from any of the companies involved or a statement from the agency

@heatmap.news

Esmeralda 7 Solar Project Has Been Canceled, BLM Says

It would have delivered a gargantuan 6.2 gigawatts of power.

Cole Donovan @colesci.bsky.social · 5d

Not going to celebrate an end to the devastation of Gaza until more happens. Recall that Netanyahu is basically under siege in his own government. Likelihood that he'll look for ways to move the conversation off of him and toward violence/military action/West Bank settlements still pretty high.

Cole Donovan @colesci.bsky.social · 5d

She's going to give the AMOC a stern talking to

Ian Livingston @ianlivingston.bsky.social · 5d

Karen being obnoxious

What are you doing Karen.

Reposted by Cole Donovan

Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 6d

repost this if an editor has ever saved you from yourself

violent alien @blipstress.bsky.social · 6d

An actual hot take: Too many authors are afraid of editors watering down their voice or whatever and not afraid enough of editors letting you put any old slop on the page.

Reposted by Cole Donovan

Kelsey Atherton @atherton.bsky.social · 6d

I'm professionally cautiously optimisitic on the ceasefire, in the way I was cautiously optimistic that a halt of 2000 lbs bombs in May 2024 was going to herald greater restrictions.

What is most different now is mainly that Trump is impatient and comically thirsty for a Nobel. Followthrough tbd.