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Meg Schwamb @megschwamb.bsky.social · 19h

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Andy Rivkin @asrivkin.bsky.social · 20h

In honor of spooky month, share a 4 word horror story that only someone in your profession would understand.

Visit Planner timed out.

barbylon @barbylon.bsky.social · 20h

In honor of spooky month, share a 4 word horror story that only someone in your profession would understand.

The valve stuck open.

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Meg Schwamb @megschwamb.bsky.social · 1d

Four graphics each for the Centre for Quantum Materials and Technologies, Centre for Light-Matter Interactions, Astrophysics Research Centre,Mathematical Sciences Research Centre - each with a representative figure of atoms, microscope and light waves, telescope pointing at a star, a woman at a chalk board writing an equation - with further description of what each centre does (Studying systems and (non-)equilibrium processes  from nanoscopic domains to quantum engines.; Characterisation and applications driven by light, from atoms/molecules to plasmas; Exoplanets, supernovae, solar physics, and planetary astronomy; Algebra, statistics, operational research, geometry, differential equations)

Meg Schwamb @megschwamb.bsky.social · 1d

I spent the morning making draft figures for my School's Athena Swan Gold application. Here's the draft timeline/infographic template for showing progression on goals/impact in regards to gender equality

red boxes arranged as rising steps with different years as white text in boxes (2011, 2018, 2023, 2024). Coming out of the boxes is a red vertical line then a horizontal line from the end with a open circle with a red outline that serves to contain description text for an activity in each year.

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Reposted by Meg Schwamb

Prof Peter Hotez MD PhD DSc(hon) @peterhotezmdphd.bsky.social · May 30

No words

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admirablewomen.bsky.social @admirablewomen.bsky.social · 1d

#OTD in 1984, Kathryn Sullivan--geologist & NASA astronaut--became the first American women to walk in space. #WomenInSTEM #AstronautEnvy 🚀

kathysullivanastronaut.com/about/

Official portrait of Kathryn Sullivan in her spacesuit in front of the US and NASA flags.

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Meg Schwamb @megschwamb.bsky.social · 2d

I'm getting around to some much needed self care even though it's a working weekend. There's something mood boosting about throwing a whole bunch of purple hair dye on my head and seeing the faded bits of my hair liven back up to a bright purple.

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Reposted by Meg Schwamb

21 Group @21group.bsky.social · 3d

> 10000 university jobs lost in 2024-25

"People could, even if they lost their job, get a job at another institution. That's not happening now"

"They're probably looking not only at the end of the a job, but really the end of their career in academia."

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Thousands more university jobs cut as financial crisis deepens

University workers will vote on national strike action this month over a 1.4% pay offer made in the summer.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Sarah Tuttle @niais.bsky.social · 2d

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 Meg Schwamb

Sean Raymond (planetplanet.net) @planetplanet.bsky.social · 3d

New animation of the ultimate engineered solar system for a talk I'm giving tomorrow at a sci-fi convention in Lithuania.

It has 400 rocky planets in the habitable zone of a single Sun-like star

It's perfectly stable (I simulated it out to about a billion years)

planetplanet.net/2017/05/03/t...

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Reposted by Meg Schwamb

Katie Mack @astrokatie.com · 9d

As a theoretical cosmologist, I'm frequently asked "what is the benefit of the work you're doing for people's lives?" Nothing I work on makes money or cures disease.

There are a few different answers one can give, at various levels of "convincing" / "actually relevant to why the work is done."

1/🧵

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Sarah Tuttle @niais.bsky.social · 3d

Our plan is to reopen admissions next year. It was just very important to us that we be upfront and ethical with applicants about the current situation. And that meant a break this year.
We're committed to supporting the 32 students in our program, and prioritizing them made the decision easier.

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Reposted by Meg Schwamb

Sarah Tuttle @niais.bsky.social · 3d

Unfortunately some programs were in the place of having to rescind offers which we would like to avoid at all costs. Having 400 applicants pay ~$80, and then making... two offers feels like a really unpleasant situation.

Some programs are targeting smaller class sizes, or shifting their approach.

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Sarah Tuttle @niais.bsky.social · 3d

So that plus the deep uncertainty in funding combined with the college level uncertainty, it felt like a good year to take a pause and see how things shook out. Our greatest is fear was that we'd leave admissions open, and get ~400 applications (our standard) and... be extremely limited in offers.

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Sarah Tuttle @niais.bsky.social · 3d

Hello! I'm the grad program coordinator and past admissions chair summoned to answer your questions.
It is a multi-part decision (one many departments are currently navigating.) For us, we got an awesome class last year that was larger than our larger than our target by ~x2.

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Reposted by Meg Schwamb

Chris Lintott @chrislintott.bsky.social · 4d

Last call to join us tomorrow for our celebration of the end of the Universe! Come party while there’s still a chance wegottickets.com/event/676292

The End of the Universe

After a magnificent* 13.8 billion years** astronomer Chris Lintott (Sky at Night) and Steve Pretty (Hackney Colliery Band) lead a funeral and wake for the universe, as it sadly heads into heat death. ...

wegottickets.com

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Meg Schwamb @megschwamb.bsky.social · 3d

All totally the right thing to do, but sad to see that you have to be in the position to have to do this.

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Bloomberg News @bloomberg.com · 6d

Startup Reflect Orbital aims to power solar farms at night by reflecting sunlight from about 4,000 satellites, has recently requested a license for a 2026 demo. But astronomers warn the bright objects could be “ruinous” to vital scientific research.

Plan to Reflect Sunlight to Power Solar Panels at Night Upsets Astronomers

Reflect Orbital aims to launch its first of a planned 4,000 satellites into orbit next year. Scientists worry that it would be “ruinous” for research.

bloom.bg

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Reposted by Meg Schwamb

Laura Lopez @ohdearz.bsky.social · 4d

So far the astronomy PhD programs that have cancelled admissions are Washington, Michigan State, and Case Western.

Meg Schwamb @megschwamb.bsky.social · 5d

Sad to see the University of Washington Astronomy Department has suspended graduate admissions for the 2026-2027 Academic Year. astro.washington.edu/graduate-adm...

Graduate Admissions | Department of Astronomy | University of Washington

The Department of Astronomy has suspended graduate admissions for the 2026-2027 Academic Year. General Information for applying to UW Astronomy Graduate Program. Applications must be submitted using ...

astro.washington.edu

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Meg Schwamb @megschwamb.bsky.social · 4d

Congrats!

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Tim O'Brien @proftimob.bsky.social · 5d

Something to look forward to with @chrislintott.bsky.social

Jodrell Bank @jodrellbank.bsky.social · 5d

📹 Last chance to get your livestream tickets to Professor Chris Lintott’s upcoming lecture exploring the fascinating world of interstellar objects!

Learn about 3I/ATLAS, a small comet from a part of the galaxy never before seen up close: https://ow.ly/rw1O50X7R6U

A photo of Comet 3I/ATLAS crossing a dense star field, captioned 'Livestream: Interstellar Objects And Other Solar System Stories... With Prof. Chris Lintott, Thursday 9 October, 19.30 - 21.00.'

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Reposted by Meg Schwamb

August (Gus) Muench @augustfly.bsky.social · 6d

Jonathan was the architect of WorldWide Telescope project, which I was gifted to work on with him back 15 years ago. I'll also miss knowing he might sneak up on us at some meeting somewhere (he liked to appear unexpectedly). And he was one of those people with near boundless curiosity! Rest well. ♥️

August (Gus) Muench @augustfly.bsky.social · 6d

Damn it, Jonathan Fay, I am gonna miss knowing you are in the world.

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Meg Schwamb @megschwamb.bsky.social · 5d

I don't know, but I would guess potentially some of then reasons outlined in this article www.nature.com/articles/d41...

US universities curtail PhD admissions amid Trump science funding cuts

Nature talks to prospective students left in limbo as some institutes withdraw offers and put applications on hold.

www.nature.com

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Meg Schwamb @megschwamb.bsky.social · 5d

UW is one of the powerhouses of astronomy in the US and internationally. I imagine many other leading astronomy departments may be in a similar situation this year.

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Meg Schwamb @megschwamb.bsky.social · 5d

Sad to see the University of Washington Astronomy Department has suspended graduate admissions for the 2026-2027 Academic Year. astro.washington.edu/graduate-adm...

Graduate Admissions | Department of Astronomy | University of Washington

The Department of Astronomy has suspended graduate admissions for the 2026-2027 Academic Year. General Information for applying to UW Astronomy Graduate Program. Applications must be submitted using ...

astro.washington.edu

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Meg Schwamb @megschwamb.bsky.social · 5d

just wow!

ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · 6d

First images of comet #3I/ATLAS from Europe's Mars orbiters 😍

Observing the comet from 30 million km away, #ExoMars reveals the halo of gas and dust surrounding the comet's nucleus.

Read more 👉 www.esa.int/Science_Expl...
🔭🧪

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