I’ve got one of those, and 2 out of ~11 productive seminar meetings is a big chunk of the semester. But I’m stranded on the west coast till the airport is functional again, so asynchronous it is
A photo of the campus of Pomona College on a bright and sunny day with snow capped mountains is the background
A screenshot of the weather forecast where every day is in the 60s and sunny
On the one hand, it sucks that my flights keep getting cancelled and I’m now stranded by this storm for at least two extra days now. I would much rather be at home.
On the other hand, I guess I can think of worse places to be stuck right now
Image of a decal with a cartoon beaker containing a cheerful hedgehog and the number 6.022x10^23 (the number of particles in a mole)
Image of a sticker with a cartoon image of a splashing half a glass of water reading “Technically it’s always full” with the water labeled H2O and the air labeled O2
Thinking of buying this pack of science enthusiasm decals for the absurdist humor of being……almost there
It’s not a meaningful error, but it is repeated throughout, and it’s one I’ve never seen in 14 years working on it
Pronouncing it eee-trium now
BBC What are rare earth elements? Rare earth elements appear on the critical minerals lists of many countries. With important electrical and magnetic qualities, rare earths consist of 17 elements in the lanthanide group of the periodic table, plus scandium and yytrium. They are vital in microchips, which are crucial for almost every sector from defence to healthcare. Other uses include: Yytrium - laser technology used in communications and medical procedures Neodymium - permanent magnets for electric vehicles and renewable energy Lanthanum - rechargeable batteries With the explosion of AI and green energy the demand for these minerals has soared and is expected to increase, according to the International Energy Agency. However, despite their name, rare earth elements are not that rare. For example, neodymium is found at 20 parts per million in the Earth's crust, in comparison copper is at 27.
“yytrium”
Somewhat disorienting mix in my inbox this morning of being addressed as Professor by my students but as Ms. by various professors (despite my lengthy institutional email signature)
2026 HSS Dissertation Travel Grant Applications are Open We are excited to announce that applications for the new HSS Dissertation Travel Grant are now open. This grant supports dissertation research activities, with an emphasis on travel to sources, for PhD students in the history of science and technology working on their dissertation proposal or dissertation itself. Graduate student members from any university are eligible to apply. The application includes a two-page, single-spaced research proposal, two-page cv, a short budget detailing anticipated expenses, and a letter of support from a faculty member in the applicant's program. Individual grants may be up to US$2,500. Applications will be open until Tuesday, March 31.
HSS Dissertation Travel Grant to support travel to sources for PhD students in history of science and technology working on their dissertation. Grants may be up to US$2,500. Grad students from any university are eligible
Deadline Tuesday, March 31.
hssonline.org/page/dissert...
#HPS
A tabby and white cat on a blue sofa, showing his belly with paw curled
A tabby and white cat on a blue sofa, showing his belly with paw and foot curled
A tabby and white cat on a blue sofa, showing his belly with paw holding outstretched legs
A tabby and white cat on a blue sofa, showing his belly with legs outstretched and paw curled over his eyes
Gary
Pink blob cartoon person with arms up saying “oh no” (iconic final panel of most strips in the comic series Webcomic Name by Alex Norris)
The deadline for applying to be a Visiting Humanities Fellow at the @uconnhumanities.bsky.social is February 1. Its wonderful, interdisciplinary community.
humanities.uconn.edu/fellowships/...
Genuinely I’m happy not going to concerts anymore bc the summer that came out I saw Robyn and Kelis on the All Hearts Tour at the 9:30 club and nothing will *ever* come close
Applications for 2026-27 fellowships at @sciencehistory.org are still open until Jan 15, with recommendations due Jan 31! ⏰📚
Could your research benefit from time in our archives, rare books, instruments, and other collections? Find info about our fellowships and our guide for applicants here!
I hear you. I have a couple of pieces in the works on rare earths and Scandinavia and it feels gross just trying to keep the intros updated. Less than zero desire to spin off something public
It’s time to apply for fellowships at @scihistoryorg.bsky.social!
⏰ All apps are due January 15
⏰ Rec letters for research fellowships are due January 31
(No rec letters for curatorial fellowships)
Imagine if you were a sports fan but every year your team won the championship and you knew exactly when it would happen. #9LC
We always include a Christmas Day rebroadcast also!
Thank you for this btw!! Was not familiar but I’m definitely teaching JP and I love this for context
By a fluke of funding, I’ll be attending my first AHA in a few weeks. Event specific advice welcome!
Friends, let me know if you’ll be there! And if you’d like to perhaps get a coffee and learn more about SHI fellowships, collections, scholarly programs, and academic partnerships :)
Applications for 2026-27 fellowships at @sciencehistory.org are still open until Jan 15, with recommendations due Jan 31! ⏰📚
Could your research benefit from time in our archives, rare books, instruments, and other collections? Find info about our fellowships and our guide for applicants here!
Let me know if you’d like me to email the syllabus from my scientific instruments seminar you zoomed into in spring 22!
If I could ask, did you read Everland? And if so, do you think it would be good for discussing in an undergrad STS seminar looking at portrayals of science in fiction?
We have a wider variety of backgrounds in the room than most (www.sciencehistory.org/research/fel...) and it’s hugely generative! Something people really value, that in one meeting you’ll get comments from an art historian, an environmental historian, a rare books curator, a journalism professor…
We have fellows’ talks (20 min intro to your work, feel free to recycle a conf talk) and 90 min WIP workshops (articles, chapters, public writing, talks, outlines all welcome). Both are fantastic, presenter gets lots of great help and everyone brings their own thoughts on research to the table
So cool! Hearing him read The Lanyard on NPR back when he was poet laureate really changed how I thought about poetry
We are also currently hiring a curatorial fellow to work with the papers of Rosalind Franklin and others in the History of Molecular Biology Collection!
This is a 2-year staff position in the archive with a salary of $55k/year and full benefits:
www.sciencehistory.org/research/fel...
For those with a scholarly interest in Franklin, Watson, and other pioneering researchers in molecular biology, @sciencehistory.org has just opened our new landmark collection of their papers, and applications for research fellowships are currently open:
www.sciencehistory.org/hmbc
We are also currently hiring a curatorial fellow to work with the papers of Rosalind Franklin and others in the History of Molecular Biology Collection!
This is a 2-year staff position in the archive with a salary of $55k/year and full benefits:
www.sciencehistory.org/research/fel...
For those with a scholarly interest in Franklin, Watson, and other pioneering researchers in molecular biology, @sciencehistory.org has just opened our new landmark collection of their papers, and applications for research fellowships are currently open:
www.sciencehistory.org/hmbc
REMINDER: AIP's grant-in-aid program for research in history of the physical sciences has an application deadline coming up on November 15.
Awards are for up to $2,500, and we are able to offer up to $6,000 for oral histories with physicists in industry.
www.aip.org/aip/awards/h...
A photo of skyscrapers in Chicago with a little sunrise left in the sky colors
Good morning Chicago
