Crystal Uminski
@crystaluminski.bsky.social
150 followers 270 following 160 posts
Asst. Professor at Towson University. #DBER work on assessments in undergraduate biology. Enthusiastic about movies and cats. she/her 📝🧬🎬
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Check out some cool science (and great science communication) happening at @towsonu.bsky.social!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ9C...

Josh's video is part of a sci-comm competition sponsored by @galacticpolymath.com. If you learned something new by watching, please "Like" the video on YouTube!
Marine Biologists come from Iowa too!—#MySciJourney with Sea Anemones
YouTube video by Galactic Polymath
www.youtube.com
A little fella enjoying the Fall
A gray cat named Turnip who is outdoors among fallen leaves
Reposted by Crystal Uminski
DEADLINE EXTENDED to Oct. 12!✨

I don't need to tell you that public support is crucial to sustaining science. #SciComm has never been more important, so don’t miss this chance to give the public a window into how science really works—and why it works so well. Join the #MySciJourney Challenge!
Scientists, only 2 weeks left to share your work, why it matters & win up to $500!
It's as easy as making a slideshow with our template. This #MySciJourney challenge sponsored by @ncse.bsky.social #scicomm 🧪🔊🐸
👉https://galacticpolymath.com/blog/my-scijourney-scicomm-competition-2025
I’m delighted to be back on the Elizabethtown campus to receive the Honors Outstanding Young Alumni Award!
Crystal with a certificate for the Elizabethtown College Honors Program Outstanding Young Alumni Award
Turnip is getting a lesson about neuroplasticity from David Byrne 🧠
Turnip, a gray cat, sitting in front of a TV showing a scene from American Utopia. In the scene, David Byrne holds a model of a human brain.
Reposted by Crystal Uminski
To appreciate the power & promise of science, people need a deeper understanding of the _processes_ of science. Join the #MySciJourney Challenge to show the world what “doing science” looks like for you! Scientists at all stages are invited to submit their short videos by September 30.
Scientists, only 2 weeks left to share your work, why it matters & win up to $500!
It's as easy as making a slideshow with our template. This #MySciJourney challenge sponsored by @ncse.bsky.social #scicomm 🧪🔊🐸
👉https://galacticpolymath.com/blog/my-scijourney-scicomm-competition-2025
It doesn't have the fun animations like on the DNA Landscape website, but we do have some ideas about how to teach and draw alleles in this paper!

journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
We do a small bit about alleles in the "Beta Globin" tab (all the animations are in the context of the HBB gene that makes beta globin), but we don't have any spiffy animations specifically of alleles.
I'm teaching about the structure of DNA, genes, and chromosomes. If you're in the same boat, consider bringing the DNA Landscape into your class! It can be tricky to "see" how representations of DNA are related, so we created animations to make it more visible! sites.google.com/view/dnaland...
I love the idea of a Science Library! What a great way to make science accessible! (Also, the way this one is painted is perfect! 🦑)
A new office on campus means new places to hang up David Byrne art
Crystal standing in front of a framed poster of David Byrne
Turnip has some opinions about the new David Byrne album
A gray cat named Turnip sitting on top of a turntable playing a copy of David Byrne’s “Who Is The Sky”
Delilah is a little adventurer 🌿
A gray cat named Delilah on a harnessed leash. Delilah is standing in a small shrub.
Dreams walking in broad daylight! These Talking Heads lyrics best capture what I’m feeling as I’m starting as a tenure-track professor at Towson University! @towsonu.bsky.social
Crystal standing in front of a sign for Towson University
I’m gonna keep on dancing at the Pink Poodle Club 🐩
Turnip: Beastie Boys edition.
Turnip the cat painted as Mike D of Beastie Boys Mike D of Beastie Boys
Tonight’s painting: Turnip in the David Byrne Big Suit 🎨
Turnip the cat painted wearing David Byrne’s Big Suit from Stop Making Sense David Byrne in Stop Making Sense
I perused published figures and found misshaped chromosomes, mismatched chromatids, and missized genes! Yikes!

Representing chromosomes and genes can be a tricky task, so I published ideas for easy edits to figures that can mitigate misconceptions.

journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
An evening painting root vegetables and a cat named after them 🎨
A painting of Turnip the cat surrounded by turnips
I try to explore each city I travel to for conferences. This year, I attended SABER in Minneapolis to present research on how visual models are used on biology exams and I adventured to Prince's Paisley Park!
Crystal standing in front of the title slide for a presentation "Biology exams rarely use visual models to engage higher-order cognitive skills" Crystal standing in front of the Prince Symbol sculpture at Paisley Park
What a beautiful little adventure cat! (And a great name for him too! ☕️)
I’m attending a science communication education research meeting and found the perfect book in a local bookstore for the occasion! I study models of chromosomes and this 1960s educational book is filled with fascinating illustrations of chromosomes in mitosis and meiosis models!
Crystal with a book titled Mitosis and Meiosis
Reposted by Crystal Uminski
DBER-SiT, part of the @sabercommunity.bsky.social, is thrilled to finally join Bluesky! ⭐ We're a community of early career scholars in #BER and #DBER. Let's connect for chats about research, social and professional events, and a growing community of early career scholars!