Jennifer Hill Ph.D.
@hill-ecolab.bsky.social
Marine (and occasionally freshwater) community and behavioral ecologist. Sci Comm enthusiast. Associate Professor Louisiana Tech. (She/her)
My Xennial Moment today: handing my undergrad a point and shoot camera to take pictures of leaves for image analysis and he has absolutely no idea how to use it. Absolutely none……😂😂🤦♀️🤦♀️🤷♀️🤷♀️
November 13, 2025 at 4:59 PM
My Xennial Moment today: handing my undergrad a point and shoot camera to take pictures of leaves for image analysis and he has absolutely no idea how to use it. Absolutely none……😂😂🤦♀️🤦♀️🤷♀️🤷♀️
Happy to report my ecology class activity on zoonotic disease and the recent events of bird flu transmission in cattle has firmly changed the mind of at least one student to not drink raw milk anymore……
a shooting star with the words " the more you know " behind it
ALT: a shooting star with the words " the more you know " behind it
media.tenor.com
October 29, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Happy to report my ecology class activity on zoonotic disease and the recent events of bird flu transmission in cattle has firmly changed the mind of at least one student to not drink raw milk anymore……
Finally get a floating plant salinity stress test study going with my undergrads. Kiddie pools all set up outside with different salinity treatments. And now we are forecasted to potentially get over 4 inches of rain 🤦♀️
Yay for early morning runs to the store to grab plastic tarps! 😬
Yay for early morning runs to the store to grab plastic tarps! 😬
October 24, 2025 at 12:39 PM
Finally get a floating plant salinity stress test study going with my undergrads. Kiddie pools all set up outside with different salinity treatments. And now we are forecasted to potentially get over 4 inches of rain 🤦♀️
Yay for early morning runs to the store to grab plastic tarps! 😬
Yay for early morning runs to the store to grab plastic tarps! 😬
Ok this is just super cool!
🧠🌟🐭 Excited to share some of my postdoc work on the evolution of dexterity!
We compared deer mice evolved in forest vs prairie habitats. We found that forest mice have:
(1) more corticospinal neurons (CSNs)
(2) better hand dexterity
(3) more dexterous climbing, which is linked to CSN number🧵
We compared deer mice evolved in forest vs prairie habitats. We found that forest mice have:
(1) more corticospinal neurons (CSNs)
(2) better hand dexterity
(3) more dexterous climbing, which is linked to CSN number🧵
October 22, 2025 at 9:13 PM
Ok this is just super cool!
I need this in my life. My favorite critter!
Passing through the shop
@beatymuseum.bsky.social
and spotted one of our #IconicFishes on a tea cloth/dish towel. Hooray for the wondrous seadragons. @iconicfishes.bsky.social Visit www.iconicfishes.art
@beatymuseum.bsky.social
and spotted one of our #IconicFishes on a tea cloth/dish towel. Hooray for the wondrous seadragons. @iconicfishes.bsky.social Visit www.iconicfishes.art
October 22, 2025 at 12:54 PM
I need this in my life. My favorite critter!
And then we got back to the dock and my students had boat driving lessons with the LUMCON captains. Learning to drive boats is an important skill.
October 2, 2025 at 11:14 PM
And then we got back to the dock and my students had boat driving lessons with the LUMCON captains. Learning to drive boats is an important skill.
A day in the marsh collecting periwinkle snails. My students were blessed by the marsh gods (I.e sunk in the mud) many times.
I got to jump in to the bay to remove a derelict crab trap that wrapped around our boat prop. Thank the marsh gods I left wire snips in my dry bag from our last trip!
I got to jump in to the bay to remove a derelict crab trap that wrapped around our boat prop. Thank the marsh gods I left wire snips in my dry bag from our last trip!
October 2, 2025 at 11:11 PM
A day in the marsh collecting periwinkle snails. My students were blessed by the marsh gods (I.e sunk in the mud) many times.
I got to jump in to the bay to remove a derelict crab trap that wrapped around our boat prop. Thank the marsh gods I left wire snips in my dry bag from our last trip!
I got to jump in to the bay to remove a derelict crab trap that wrapped around our boat prop. Thank the marsh gods I left wire snips in my dry bag from our last trip!
One of my students told me this week that every time she hears all this autism, vaccine, and Tylenol stuff in the news, she hears my voice in her head saying “correlation is not causation” and “ shark attacks are correlated with ice cream sales”
Someone listened and learned. It is possible!
Someone listened and learned. It is possible!
a man in a suit and tie is making a sad face in front of a window with blinds .
ALT: a man in a suit and tie is making a sad face in front of a window with blinds .
media.tenor.com
September 25, 2025 at 7:34 PM
One of my students told me this week that every time she hears all this autism, vaccine, and Tylenol stuff in the news, she hears my voice in her head saying “correlation is not causation” and “ shark attacks are correlated with ice cream sales”
Someone listened and learned. It is possible!
Someone listened and learned. It is possible!
This scandalous share made me laugh out load. And it makes me happy to know the scourge of defunct thermostats is not limited to my campus.
I have the (dubious) pleasure of serving as the chair of my campus's Academic Senate.
This means I have a (sometimes) office on the top floor of the admin building, along with the President, Provost, and VPs.
I will share something scandalous with you. This office has a thermostat. AND IT WORKS.
This means I have a (sometimes) office on the top floor of the admin building, along with the President, Provost, and VPs.
I will share something scandalous with you. This office has a thermostat. AND IT WORKS.
September 18, 2025 at 7:36 PM
This scandalous share made me laugh out load. And it makes me happy to know the scourge of defunct thermostats is not limited to my campus.
Which is why we need the engagement of the arts, humanities, and social sciences.
We cannot “science only” our way out of these problems.
We cannot “science only” our way out of these problems.
Gus Speth: "I used to think that top environmental problems were biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and climate change. I thought that 30 years of good science could address these problems. I was wrong. The top environmental problems are selfishness, greed and apathy...”
August 26, 2025 at 4:20 PM
Which is why we need the engagement of the arts, humanities, and social sciences.
We cannot “science only” our way out of these problems.
We cannot “science only” our way out of these problems.
Cool weather. Delicious wine. Big redwood trees. Loving the vacation life away from the Louisiana heat and humidity.
August 18, 2025 at 4:20 AM
Cool weather. Delicious wine. Big redwood trees. Loving the vacation life away from the Louisiana heat and humidity.
How I know I’m a marine scientist always: I grab some coralline algae to take home for my teaching collection. (And I take pictures of algae while my husband patiently waits and rolls his eyes)
August 16, 2025 at 5:33 PM
How I know I’m a marine scientist always: I grab some coralline algae to take home for my teaching collection. (And I take pictures of algae while my husband patiently waits and rolls his eyes)
When you are doing behavior experiments where you test effects of movement and shadows, one must make a researcher cubby hole.
Kaylie said “ if someone walked in, they will think I’m nuts”
I said, “welcome to the fabulous world of ecology where we contrive scientific contraptions from Lowe’s”
Kaylie said “ if someone walked in, they will think I’m nuts”
I said, “welcome to the fabulous world of ecology where we contrive scientific contraptions from Lowe’s”
August 11, 2025 at 5:23 PM
When you are doing behavior experiments where you test effects of movement and shadows, one must make a researcher cubby hole.
Kaylie said “ if someone walked in, they will think I’m nuts”
I said, “welcome to the fabulous world of ecology where we contrive scientific contraptions from Lowe’s”
Kaylie said “ if someone walked in, they will think I’m nuts”
I said, “welcome to the fabulous world of ecology where we contrive scientific contraptions from Lowe’s”
I have my marine bio students read this article every class because we discuss formation of coasts and oceans. It’s a great article and none of them know about this fault line. Wonderful writing!
When the Cascadia fault ruptures, the area of impact in the Pacific Northwest will cover some 140,000 square miles and some seven million people. Revisit Kathryn Schulz’s 2014 report.
The Earthquake That Will Devastate the Pacific Northwest
When the Cascadia fault line ruptures, it could be North America’s worst natural disaster in recorded history.
www.newyorker.com
August 10, 2025 at 1:32 AM
I have my marine bio students read this article every class because we discuss formation of coasts and oceans. It’s a great article and none of them know about this fault line. Wonderful writing!
When you can hang upside down by your toes Mr. Squirrel off the eaves of our roof, I can’t be anything but impressed. Also that is spicy bird cake, so apparently you are also a Cajun squirrel
July 19, 2025 at 8:31 PM
When you can hang upside down by your toes Mr. Squirrel off the eaves of our roof, I can’t be anything but impressed. Also that is spicy bird cake, so apparently you are also a Cajun squirrel
Hey academic friends. You know something ChatGPT does well: it can make you an excel file of all your class dates so you can update your class calendars for fall. You’re welcome.
July 17, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Hey academic friends. You know something ChatGPT does well: it can make you an excel file of all your class dates so you can update your class calendars for fall. You’re welcome.
So now we are back to periwinkle climbing studies this afternoon. This experiment is classic predator cue study to see if crushed conspecifics, predator urine, or the combination of a predator eating crushed conspecifics elicit similar climbing responses.
July 11, 2025 at 9:09 PM
So now we are back to periwinkle climbing studies this afternoon. This experiment is classic predator cue study to see if crushed conspecifics, predator urine, or the combination of a predator eating crushed conspecifics elicit similar climbing responses.
This week we did some cercarial shedding studies with our periwinkles to see if trematode parasites might be impacting our snail behavior experiments. But after a rate of 1 in 90 snails with a trematode infection, I think that answer is a hard no
July 11, 2025 at 8:06 PM
This week we did some cercarial shedding studies with our periwinkles to see if trematode parasites might be impacting our snail behavior experiments. But after a rate of 1 in 90 snails with a trematode infection, I think that answer is a hard no
Cute and fat little evening visitors to our fig tree.
July 10, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Cute and fat little evening visitors to our fig tree.
Speak up for Sea Grant!
Sea Grant, a program of NOAA which funds coastal research, education, and community outreach - is unfortunately a target for the current administration's draconian reductions in science funding. Sign a letter of support for Sea Grant here: sga.seagrant.org/letters-of-s...
Support Sea Grant Funding – Sea Grant Association
sga.seagrant.org
July 8, 2025 at 2:41 AM
Speak up for Sea Grant!
Reposted by Jennifer Hill Ph.D.
✨ The Bernhardt Lab at the University of Guelph is recruiting graduate students for 2026! Join us! We have several fully funded grad positions available ✨
Please spread the word!
www.bernhardtlab.org/join-us
#CSEE2025
Please spread the word!
www.bernhardtlab.org/join-us
#CSEE2025
July 7, 2025 at 11:21 PM
✨ The Bernhardt Lab at the University of Guelph is recruiting graduate students for 2026! Join us! We have several fully funded grad positions available ✨
Please spread the word!
www.bernhardtlab.org/join-us
#CSEE2025
Please spread the word!
www.bernhardtlab.org/join-us
#CSEE2025
My undergrads did some initial packing for our trip to the coast this weekend.
1 pair of scissors, 1 sharpie, 1 pencil.
Sweet summer children …….
Now I duplicate all the things and throw in lots of just in cases
1 pair of scissors, 1 sharpie, 1 pencil.
Sweet summer children …….
Now I duplicate all the things and throw in lots of just in cases
an elderly woman knitting with the words oh my sweet summer child below her
ALT: an elderly woman knitting with the words oh my sweet summer child below her
media.tenor.com
July 3, 2025 at 4:23 PM
My undergrads did some initial packing for our trip to the coast this weekend.
1 pair of scissors, 1 sharpie, 1 pencil.
Sweet summer children …….
Now I duplicate all the things and throw in lots of just in cases
1 pair of scissors, 1 sharpie, 1 pencil.
Sweet summer children …….
Now I duplicate all the things and throw in lots of just in cases
Reposted by Jennifer Hill Ph.D.
Help us record firefly flashes! 👇🙏
Do you have fireflies in your backyard? Biologist @oritpeleg.bsky.social is collecting data! #emergence docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Help us Record Firefly Flashes ✨
Firefly flashes are amazing ❤️ During mating season, fireflies gather in groups and flash their species-specific flash pattern. To better understand these communication signals, we developed a method ...
docs.google.com
June 25, 2025 at 9:32 PM
Help us record firefly flashes! 👇🙏
The fact that this is going in about an hour down the highway from me is gut punching.
Recently Mark Zuckerberg announced Meta was building an AI data center so large its size would be equivalent to a significant part of Manhattan. What Zuckerberg did not mention was the constructions of 3 new Meta-subsidized, gas power plants www.404media.co/a-black-hole...
'A Black Hole of Energy Use': Meta's Massive AI Data Center Is Stressing Out a Louisiana Community
Details about how Meta's nearly Manhattan-sized data center will impact consumers' power bills are still secret.
www.404media.co
June 24, 2025 at 1:27 PM
The fact that this is going in about an hour down the highway from me is gut punching.