Kailey McCain (She/Her)

What does NEON(@NEON_sci) offer #organismal #biologists? read doi.org/10.1093/iob/ob… by @ben_dantzer , Mabry , Bernhardt, Cox , Francis @CGhalambor, Hoke, Jha, Ketterson , Levis ,McCain,Patricelli , Paull, Pinter-Wollman, Safran, Schwartz, Throop, Zaman, Martin #science

In our most recent episode we talk with Bill Zamer and Sam Scheiner, two former BIO program officers at the NSF, about the recently proposed 56% budget cut to the NSF. 🎙️Listen now: bigbiology.substack.com/p/savensf-epis… #scicomm #science #sciencecommunication #SaveNSF #NSF

Looking for a new postdoc in my lab @usfcoph. Join a collaboration between John Orrock and me on Lyme disease ecology here in beautiful Tampa. Job #40278 at USF Careers website. Please R/T or email me with questions.

Science’s secret weapon is that it cannot be subject to authority. There is no hierarchy when making discoveries which only happens when scientists treat each other as intellectual peers. #standupforscience

“To write for impact means to keep it as simple as possible.” Good read and very insightful. nature.com/articles/s4158…

Please share far and wide. And thanks to Holden (no longer on X) for making time

When asked to draw a scientist, school-age kids in the United States are increasingly sketching women, according to a study from 2018. Read more on #WomenInScienceDay: scim.ag/3WWWoSD

The ASN Student Research Awards are open to application by March 14! See more info at: bit.ly/asn_grant_25

My first lead-author paper is officially out in #BiologyLetters! 🐦 📄 Microbial Surveillance Versus Cytokine Responsiveness in Native and Non-Native House Sparrows Check it out here: royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rs… Huge thanks to my co-authors for their collaboration! 🎉

What separates the best scientists from the rest? There is no secret, other than that the best scientists are simply reaching for the big discoveries. This means taking risks, which is really what's behind the joy of discovery. @kryamamoto youtu.be/3-aHs_F_Jqk?si…

New preprint out! We tested the association between "epigenetic potential" and dispersal in wild pied flycatchers, with the hypothesis that⏫epigenetic potential may facilitate successfull settlement in novel environments through ⏫ phenotypic plasticity biorxiv.org/content/10.110…

What would Plato say about systems biology? In his Allegory of the Cave, prisoners can only see shadows on a wall and so they have a distorted reality. Also our measurements of genes, RNAs, proteins & metabolites are the shadows, not the reality of the complex biological systems.

Stop writing academic papers like a robot. Tell stories instead. Most academic writing puts people to sleep. But it doesn't have to. Academic storytelling changes everything. Here's why it works:

Kierkegaard in PhD advisor mode

🔬🐦Opportunity Alert! 🐭🧬 #USF undergrads, get ready to dive into the world of #DiseaseEcology at the @MartinlabUSF! We're looking for passionate students to explore the relations among immunity & the environment with house sparrows & white-footed mice bit.ly/48rXKZt

Out today in @NatureBiotech! PhD students & postdocs: there's a trick – overlooked and underused – for having new ideas in the creative process. Talk science 1 on 1 with a science buddy that you trust and think of it as an improvisation. nature.com/articles/s4158…… @MartinJLercher

En route to my first SICB meeting. Keen on learning about enemy release and the modulation of inflammation in non-native species? Tune in to my talk on Thurs @ 11:45-12pm!! #SICB2024

It feels amazing to be back at the Monastery for #CNWW23! The longest darkest nights of Winter are coming soon, but we have warm and bright people to make it through!

Fear

What do a flame and an organism have in common? More than you think - both are incredibly dynamic and need change! Our chat with @NicholsonHPBio about organisms and the importance of metaphor just cracked our top 10 episodes all time 🎉 Listen here: buff.ly/3OlOCML