Dr Sho Jacobs 🍁
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shoshanahjacobs.bsky.social
Dr Sho Jacobs 🍁
@shoshanahjacobs.bsky.social
6.9K followers 3.2K following 900 posts
Professor | #Education & #Biomimetics | Addicted collaborator | Just-in-time thinker | settler | they/them | EN/FR/SP | Aggressively Helpful |

Thinking a lot about climate adaptation: ManufacturedEcosystems.com for more details about our NFRF
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shoshanahjacobs.bsky.social
I'm so done with detailed rubrics. It's disingenuous to have students think that instructors will be able to anticipate all potential elements and variance of an assessment.
But then, students hold instructors to them as though they are contracts.
#HigherEd
From now on, here's what I'll be using:
0 - No answer or missed point of the question 1 (novice) - Some, but not all, necessary information; and/or information is not well communicated; and/or inclusion of incorrect or irrelevant information 2 (progressing) - All information is there, but not well communicated; or most, but not all information is there, and, for the most part, well-communicated. 3 (progressing +) - All information is there and is well communicated. 4 (expert) - All information is present and in a coherent and logical form, there is evidence of having gone 'beyond' either in information, context, analysis, or creativity.
November 19, 2025 at 5:52 PM
shoshanahjacobs.bsky.social
Can Ecosystem Services be replaced by Technology, yet?

"Our conclusion is both cautionary and constructive: some can be mimicked; very few can be entirely replaced; none should be rendered optional"

The #ManufacturedEcosystems Team takes a transdisciplinary approach 🧪

doi.org/10.3390/biom...
Screenshot of title, authors, and some of the affiliations: Are Ecosystem Services Replaceable by Technology Yet? Bio-Inspired Technologies for Ecosystem Services: Challenges and Opportunities Shoshanah Jacobs 1,* , Jindong Zhang 2,3 , Emily Wolf 2, Elizabeth Porter 1 , Shelby J. Bohn 4, Adam Maxwell Sparks 1, Marjan Eggermont 5 , Mindi Summers 4 , Claudia I. Rivera Cárdenas 6 , Heather Clitheroe 7 , Daniel Gillis 8 , M. Alex Smith 1 , Karina Benessaiah 9, Andria Jones 10 , Adam Davies 11 , Michael Helms 12, Dawn Bazely 13, Mark Lipton 14 , David Dowhaniuk 14 , Nyssa van Vierssen Trip 13 , Nikoleta Zampaki 15 , Peggy Karpouzou 15 and Kristina Wanieck Figure 4. Distribution of bio-inspired research articles by technological trajectory and ecosystem service focus. The inner pie chart shows the proportion of the 31,593 ecosystem-service-linked publications that aim to replace (orange), enhance (green), or support the corresponding services (blue). Radial branches list the individual ES, and bar length represents the number of papers within that trajectory devoted to the service.
November 19, 2025 at 1:58 PM
shoshanahjacobs.bsky.social
My favourite AI-resistant assignment in #HigherEd:

In my human biology course, students synthesize all content by redesigning the Pioneer Plaque to depict humanity for extraterrestrials 👽

ChatGPT’s version? Predictable👇

Its justification? “Full human diversity.”

Cue the collective womp womp
Chat GPT's miserable attempt at redesigning the pioneer plaque. There is a naked man with a hand-penis, a nuclear family, all white people, a disaster.
November 18, 2025 at 6:44 PM
shoshanahjacobs.bsky.social
October 31, 2025 at 10:46 PM
shoshanahjacobs.bsky.social
I'm reading the transcript of a House of Commons committee hearing about #EDI in Research

Full text: www.ourcommons.ca/documentview...

#HigherEd 🧪

Representative Vincent Ho, Richmond Hill South, is asking the USAgov-questions out loud:
There was a study that was done, which was submitted as part of this study, and it states that 88% of all Canadian faculty in universities are left-leaning and that 12% are right-leaning. Do you see an issue with that?
October 31, 2025 at 3:42 PM
shoshanahjacobs.bsky.social
This is unhinged and violent:

The layers of hate in these statements need to be addressed directly and continuously

EDI initiatives are a critical ingredient to ensuring a happier and healthier future

#HigherEd 🧪

@uwaterloo.ca @sshrc-crsh.canada.ca @create-les.bsky.social
Brief submitted to the House Committee on Science and Research; Impact of the Criteria for Awarding Federal Funding on Research Excellence in Canada Delete DEI. Invest in AI. Mikko Packalen CDASH Director, Associate Professor Department of Economics University of Waterloo 15 October 2025 Background: For two decades my research has focused on science policy. For over a decade, this work has been regularly mentioned in leading international news outlets (including in the New York Times last month). I’m a member of the National Institutes of Health Council of Councils Working Group on Science of Science, which gives advice to the world’s largest funder of scientific research. For nearly a decade, I have taught AI. My course is the most popular fourth year elective course. Fact 1. There is no high-quality evidence to support the idea that EDI policies advance scientific progress or benefit university students. Fact 2. Canada’s funding agencies’ and universities’ preoccupation with EDI has a significant opportunity cost. Canada is losing out on the AI economy. Fact 3. Leading U.S. universities now strongly reject social change goals and non- merit-based funding. Recommendation 1. Prohibit SSHRC, NSERC and CIHR from implementing EDI policies. Recommendation 2. Force SSHRC, NSERC, and CIHR to publish data on hiring practices, applicant pools, and outcomes in Canada Research Chairs program. Recommendation 3. Give universities incentives to delete EDI from their activities and strategic plans, and to re-focus on education and discovery. Recommendation 4. Invest in AI instead of EDI
October 31, 2025 at 1:43 PM
shoshanahjacobs.bsky.social
Educators!
Here's one idea to disrupt the narrative and recognize contribution over attribution.

Try telling the stories of discovery in a different order

eg. instead of starting with Watson and Crick, start with Franklin

#HigherEd #AdaLovelace #WomenInSTEM 🧪
screenshot of my slides, where the slide about Franklin is before the slide about watson and crick
October 15, 2025 at 2:26 PM
shoshanahjacobs.bsky.social
It's T-25 mins to class time and I've got our welcome song all cued up: Ukiuq by The Jerry Cans.

Take a break: www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nef...

TURN IT UP AND DANCE WITH US!! 🕺

#HigherEd
screenshot of the welcome slide for today's class that highlights that we are listening to the The Jerry Cans. Ther is also a fun search puzzle and a short announcement about a mental health break next week.
October 7, 2025 at 6:09 PM
shoshanahjacobs.bsky.social
If you are invited to speak at a conference or on a panel, consider sharing this caveat 👇

Feel free to use it. It's mine.
#HigherEd 🧪
It would be an honour to participate. And here's the 'fine print' (but I'll keep it in large print 🙂 ) : I agree to support your efforts in whatever way that I can provided that there is evidence of inclusive and accessible practices throughout. I am happy to step aside as an authoritative voice should we decide that the voices of others are more important, and I reserve the right to step down should commitments to equity and access not be realized.
September 24, 2025 at 6:16 PM
shoshanahjacobs.bsky.social
This you?

Stop it

#HigherEd
Screenshot of a text that reads “the Department of redacted text is deeply committed to equity and diversity“ Posts list of nominees for Chair’s advisory committee. All one demographic
September 22, 2025 at 8:40 PM
shoshanahjacobs.bsky.social
A tradition that divides us….

Anthems can be fine, but the Canadian version needs to be more inclusive

I will not bear a cross for any country
BREAKING: Our PC government has issued a new directive requiring all schools to play the national anthem every morning. A simple tradition that builds pride in Canada and respect for our shared values.
September 19, 2025 at 12:03 PM
shoshanahjacobs.bsky.social
"Do not be afraid", chirped the robot, which was about the size of a small mouse. "I am a B3704 Pollination Drone -"

- @rosemarymosco.com imagines the future of pollination

Learn more about projected futures #ManufacturedEcosystems
at www.manufacturedecosystems.com/program
Screenshot of two pages from the manufactured Ecosystems program guide located at the website URL included in the text.
September 9, 2025 at 1:53 PM
shoshanahjacobs.bsky.social
Inclusion-action in the #HigherEd classroom can include learning about HOW your students access the course tools and materials

Here's an example if you teach using Zoom:

On day 1, ask: “How do you find Zoom Annotate?”
Then students stamp under their path
A simple way to see differences in access
A slide showing three patheways to accessing the annotate tools of zoom depending upon the tech that they use.
September 4, 2025 at 8:37 PM
shoshanahjacobs.bsky.social
📣Research Publishing Advisory:

@tandfresearch.bsky.social does not accept submissions from Manuscript-based theses

Avoid submission of this format if you want your students to get published quickly after the defence, without having to rewrite

See explanation below
Please share
#HigherEd
The specific issue was that a range of text and references written by one of the authors and used in their Master's thesis is directly copied into the manuscript that is offered as the result of the work of multiple authors. As this is clearly not the case, it raises issues of academic integrity for the journal (and the Senior Editor assessing the manuscript for consideration). Therefore, for this article to be considered as jointly authored, it requires either: a) the text and references directly copied from the thesis of one of the authors is included as direct quotes by this single author from their thesis; or b) the material that is directly taken from the thesis is reconsidered and rewritten by the joint authors to ensure it is legitimately the output of all those claiming authorship. Either of these options would effectively respond to the concerns raised by this decision.
September 4, 2025 at 3:59 PM
shoshanahjacobs.bsky.social
Classes are about to start, and in #BIOL1500, I invite students to attend a tech-check for our synchronous, virtual course

A lot goes into creating virtual spaces that can spark learning

Here's the front and back of house:
What students experience vs My #HigherEd set up
September 2, 2025 at 8:14 PM
shoshanahjacobs.bsky.social
Known unknowns, the unknown knowns, I'm overwhelmed!

#Biodiversity is our shared heritage🪲

Conservation, preservation, curation, and respect are critical elements of our collective survival

So is curiosity

AND, check out @alexsmithants.bsky.social 's mad-R-skills!

www.mdpi.com/2313-7673/10...
Figure 3. The phylogenetic breadth of biological systems used for bio-inspired technologies. This phylogenetic tree has been developed, mapping predicted (blue) and described (green) diversity (phylogeny adapted from Dunn et al. [22]—a hypothesis of animal phylogeny, compiled across multiple studies and methodologies) against their usage frequency in bio-inspirations (purple) within the animal kingdom. The “Biomimetic Examples” (purple) illustrates the total frequency at which biological systems have been used as inspiration, based on the number of biological systems used for the inspiration of documented 379 products [ 20] combined with data from an extensive literature analysis [23 ], i.e., these frequency counts reflect the number of times models within each phylum were cited, rather than the number of distinct taxonomic groups utilized.
September 2, 2025 at 1:55 PM
shoshanahjacobs.bsky.social
📣A Call for Bio-Inspired Technologies

Climate crises will require partnership with new technologies

We cannot use the tools that we used to create the crisis

Check out this team of #Transdisciplinary scholars
Join #ManufacturedEcosystems 🧪

www.mdpi.com/2313-7673/10...
Screenshot of the article: A Call for Bio-Inspired Technologies: Promises and Challenges for Ecosystem Service Replacement
September 2, 2025 at 1:48 PM
shoshanahjacobs.bsky.social
Teaching a #HigherEd course this semester?

Consider sending a welcome email to all your students and hosting a pre-semester drop-in session.
I teach first year. A bit of outreach and kindness goes a very long way.
Already, the replies are delightful and community-building.

Here's mine👇
Welcome to BIOL*1500! I'm really excited to welcome you. Most of you are starting university for the first time. Some of you are joining us a bit later in your education journey. It's going to be a terrific mix of folks! Many students taking this course wonder if they have the biology background needed to keep up. The answer is: yes. No matter what your background, we gotcha. The course will be structured as follows: We'll have twice-weekly synchronous virtual sessions lasting 1 hour and 20 minutes. There will be readings to do from a private website that we've set up. Then, you'll have assignments to complete and hand in for grading. A real person will do all grading. With the current level of teaching assistant support, which has been reduced since previous years, we'll be able to grade 6 assignments. Each assignment is worth 15%, and we'll drop the lowest grade in the final calculation so that, if you're sick or unable to complete one, it won't count against you. This is a universal design approach for accommodation. Use it if you need it, and you don't have to write to us for accommodation. For the remaining 10%, we'll ask you to complete a time management plan for this semester. We want you to make a study plan and do your best to stick to it. Then, we'll grade it based on either how well you stuck to it or how well you reflected on the reasons for not sticking to it. Either way, you'll have a chance to get your 10%. Please see the course outline for details. If you would like to meet me and check out our virtual classroom before classes begin, you can join me here: https://zoom.us/j/92686477938 on Tuesday, September 2, between 2.30PM and 3.30PM. I'll be there to answer questions, help with any tech challenges, and show you around the courselink site. This is entirely optional. Please check out the Reading for week 1 (<-- LINK IS THERE) before you come to class on Thursday, the 4th. The readings are designed to be done before the week's classes, but …
August 30, 2025 at 12:35 PM
shoshanahjacobs.bsky.social
I married well
#AcademicLife
Screenshot of a text message conversation that says no suggestions. It’s much better than a pie chart. And then the reply is keep talking dirty to me! And the response to that is the haha emoji
August 23, 2025 at 8:21 PM
shoshanahjacobs.bsky.social
📣Working on tech that supports, enhances, or replaces failing ecosystem services? 🌱 Submit your work to our upcoming special issue.

#Biomimetics #Ecosystems #Biomimicry #NatureInspiredSolutions #ManufacturedEcosystems

🔄 Please share to help us reach more innovators 🧪
Poster describing the special issue: Bio-Inspired Technologies for ecosystem service support, enhancement, or replacement The journal is called Biomimetics and Kristina Wanieck and Shoshanah Jacobs are the editors. The deadline is Feb 15, 2026
August 13, 2025 at 1:10 PM
shoshanahjacobs.bsky.social
📣Education in #Ontario is a public good and a human right. Everyone deserves access and representation.

Article: Addressing Gaps in Ontario’s Sexual Health Education: Supporting Healthy Sexual Lives in Young Adults with Disabilities

doi.org/10.3390/sexe...

#DisabilityResearch 🧪
Screenshot of title and abstract: Addressing Gaps in Ontario’s Sexual Health Education: Supporting Healthy Sexual Lives in Young Adults with Disabilities This study examines how Ontario’s Health and Physical Education curriculum addresses the needs of young adults with disabilities. A total of 54 individuals aged 18–35 years old with developmental, learning, or physical disabilities who had completed secondary school in Ontario participated in a cross-sectional mixed-methods survey. Participants were recruited through disability-focused community networks and a university psychology participant pool. They completed the Sex Education subscale of the Sexual Knowledge, Experience, Feelings and Needs Scale, a 35-item sexual knowledge questionnaire, and open-ended questions. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and independent samples t-tests; qualitative responses were examined using thematic analysis. Participants reported limited factual knowledge, minimal classroom representation, and heavy reliance on independent learning. Barriers included inaccessible materials, teacher discomfort, and the absence of disability narratives in sexuality units. Findings point to three priorities: revising curriculum content, expanding educator training, and creat- ing disability-affirming resources. These measures will help ensure comprehensive and rights-based sexuality education that supports the autonomy and well-being of students with disabilities.
August 5, 2025 at 1:52 PM
shoshanahjacobs.bsky.social
A dog walker stopped me on my morning walk:
“Nice shirt! Any stories behind it?”

I smiled and said,
“I work at a university. I’ve got lots of stories.”

#HigherEd
Selfie with a T-shirt that says underestimate me that’ll be fun
July 20, 2025 at 5:19 PM
shoshanahjacobs.bsky.social
📢We all belong in our shared future

#ManufacturedEcosystems is inviting #2SLGBTQIA+ people on the #Autism spectrum to participate in a study in #Guelph

Please repost 🧪

Details below 👇
Manufactured Ecosystems presents… Collaborative Futures Artmaking for Climate Hope Queer Neurodivergent Futures Workshop July 28, 2025, or August 5, 2025 2 pm – 4 pm Zavitz Hall, University of Guelph Do you have climate stress? Looking for a positive outlet? Looking to connect with other people on the queer and autism spectrums. 2SLGBTQIA+ Participants (18-29) on the Autism Spectrum (medically or self-diagnosed) are needed for a study on queer justice, climate justice, and queer ecology. This study will involve: - One art/sci exhibition tour (45 minutes) of climate futures objects, and - One focus group, which is a co-creation art workshop ideating and prototyping new objects of the future. Your focus group worksheet data will be anonymized, and only de-identified research notes will be captured. Financial incentive of a $50 gift card for the focus group will be provided. Funding for this research is provided by the Government of Canada’s New Frontiers in Research Fund. Dr. Mark Lipton’s salary and Dave Dowhaniuk’s salary are being paid for by Dr. Shoshanah Jacobs’ research funds. The Department of Integrated Biology and the School of Theatre, English, and Creative Writing at the University of Guelph are conducting this study. The Research Ethics Board has reviewed it for compliance with federal guidelines and for research involving human participants (REB-1493). Questions or concerns? - To find out more about the study, please contact Dave at ddowhani@uoguelph.ca
July 15, 2025 at 1:37 PM
shoshanahjacobs.bsky.social
Table for one, please
A very small wiener dog peering over our kitchen table
July 13, 2025 at 1:44 AM
shoshanahjacobs.bsky.social
"We have been altering ecosystems for millennia"
@melaniebarnett.bsky.social

Shelterbelts have rich biodiversity that is in stark contrast to the monoculture around them

Visit Melanie's 'shelterbelt' in Zavitz [email protected]
www.manufacturedecosystems.com/press-release
A screenshot of Melanie's shelterbelt
July 10, 2025 at 6:38 PM