Don't Expect Me to be Interesting.

Maggie. 21. California Summers. New York Winters. Random musings. Pretty pictures. Interesting things. Incomplete sentences.

[enigmatictelemarketer]

Some thoughts on #OscarsSoWhite

This is what I’m doing instead of writing my thesis apparently, wordsplurging on tumblr at midnight in response to frustrating things I’ve been seeing on facebook. Maybe I’ll clean it up and actually share it there at some point. 

[sennkestra]

The multiracial population, now a small subset of the nation, is growing at three times the rate of the general population, according to a report from the Pew Research Center released Thursday. And...

This post, as well as the Pew summary and full report linked, are some really interesting reading about being multiracial in america.

It’s also a great insight into how the experience of being mixed can vary a lot depending on the particular makeup of each persons racial background.

[enigmatictelemarketer]

Science in Paris.

[rubyetc]

the guy is probably wearing matchy matchy too, we will never know 

[boredpanda]

[flashlights-n-traintimes]

National Geographic photographers are metal as fuck

[teesadutta]

Gokul Venkatachalam and Vanya Shivashankar are National Spelling Bee co-champions.

[fishingboatproceeds]

DROP THE MIC, GOKUL! 

In all the years I’ve been watching the spelling bee, I’ve never seen such a badass moment: With everything on the line, Gokul didn’t need the language or origin or the part of speech; he was just like NUNATAK N-U-N-A-T-A-K NUNATAK GIVE ME MY TROPHY.

I MEAN WATCH THE VIDEO AND TELL ME YOU HAVE EVER SEEN A MORE BADASS MOMENT IN ANY COMPETITION. 

Huge congratulations to Vanya as well, whom never seemed even vaguely in danger of misspelling a word. She is such an amazing speller and person. TWO BRILLIANT CHAMPIONS GOD I LOVE THE SPELLING BEE.

[lapluckyheroine]

sigynrising:

But remember that time Ireland was so done with the Eurovision that we entered a turkey-shaped puppet who just screamed GIVE IRELAND TWELVE POINTS to a bass line

I MIGHT CRY

I THOUGHT THIS WAS A JOKE

IT’S NOT A JOKE

[enigmatictelemarketer]

I may be thoroughly unprepared for the fact that I am about to live abroad for the entire summer but at least I know that there are Chipotles in France. 

[enigmatictelemarketer]

The value of undergraduate research experiences

Some of the students in my lab: Bethany, Gabby, Maggie, and Nina When I was an undergraduate student, I had an amazing experience doing research with a terrific professor. I'd spend late nights in the lab looking at white blood cells under the microscope. Along with a team of graduate and...

Check out all these ladies doing science! And support our project while you’re at it.

[enigmatictelemarketer]

A Year in the Life of Bacteria

A Winogradsky panel is really just a very thin plexiglas box full of mud, and bacteria in the mud grow on different parts of it. Bacteria grow, and die, and new bacteria come up to replace them or the old ones grow back. This time lapse video shows over a year of that change. But what drives the changes? What causes some bacteria to grow quickly? What causes some to die off? If the conditions change, how does the community change? One possibility is that viruses help drive some of those changes by infecting and killing certain bacteria, allowing others to grow.

We hope to explore that possibility in future research. To see the full time lapse video, learn more, and help us make that research happen, check out our project: https://experiment.com/projects/the-dirt-on-viruses-discovering-the-role-of-viruses-in-soil

[enigmatictelemarketer]

A question we've been getting a lot since launching this project: Why crowdsourcing? We actually answered some of this for articles that were just published by the Miscellany News and Vassar Alumna/e Hub (Check it out! Internet, a new frontier for research funding and A professor and his...

Check out this piece I wrote about why we’re crowdsourcing for science! 

You can check out the project itself here - we’re trying to learn more about the role viruses play in soil microbial communities. Yeah, there are viruses in the soil - there are viruses everywhere! And we need to learn more about them. 

I’m really excited about this project, but we’re getting down to the wire, so we need your help! I would really appreciate it if you guys would check out the project, spread the word, maybe even donate! Signal boosts are greatly appreciated. 

[crimesagainsthughsmanatees]

[enigmatictelemarketer]

Want to get some mud on your hands and do a science project? Winogradsky columns are easy to make at home, and fun for the kids, who are already playing in the mud anyway. What you'll need: Mud, hard boiled egg, newspaper or dried leaves, clear container (like a plastic soda bottle, or tennis...

Want to try your hand at some of the science behind the campaign I’m working on through lets-experiment-blog? Make your own Winogradsky column! 

[enigmatictelemarketer]

"Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope!" We made an appropriate hologram in physics lab tonight. May the fourth be with you!

[enigmatictelemarketer]

The Dirt on Viruses: Discovering the Role of Viruses in Soil

I’m doing a thing! for science! 

I'm super excited about this project I've been working on, using the platform Experiment to crowdsource funding for science! This project is important both because of the science behind it (viruses are everywhere - so we need to learn more about them!) and because of the implications of this type of platform for the future of scientific research. Crowdsourcing methods have been used successfully to fund projects and innovations in many creative and entrepreneurial fields already, while traditional sources of research funding have become less and less accessible, particularly to young scientists. This platform gives us the opportunity to change the way scientific projects are funded, encouraging greater involvement by individuals and communities, rather than institutions alone.

But now we need your help! Use this link to learn more about the project, donate, or help us spread the word. We will be sharing reports of progress in real-time, and donors will be recognized when the results are published in an open-access format, so this is truly a community effort. Thank you for your support!

[enigmatictelemarketer]

I miss this. 

Almost a year ago I gave up something I'd long loved in order to pursue other, newer loves and more urgent matters. I don't miss the long hours and late nights* and and stressful conflicts with other activities. I don't miss crying over skinned knees and bad races and slow times. 

But as I was reminded from a glimpse at an old teammates cover photo, I do miss this. I miss the team and the friendship and the camaraderie and the adrenaline rush. I miss being in the best shape of my life. I miss lacing up my bright pink spikes and leaving it all out on the track. 

I don't need this. I have circus and dance and my monkeys and new friends and new outlets for my energy. I'm not lost without track. Things may still be changing, and I may still be growing, but I have a direction. I'm not lost. 

Still, right now, I'd give anything to be back out there with them this spring break, sprinting on sand and lifting rocks with beautiful people in one of the most beautiful places in America. I'd even run some hills in the snow or 200s in the bays just to be back in it again. But I know its not my place anymore. 

So instead I'll stick it out on the treadmill till the snow melts, when I can finally get back on the track or the trails again. I'll lift to get my strength back while still dancing and growing as a performer. I'll eat healthy and get my shit together in the classroom. And this time I won't be doing it because my coaches told me to, I'll be doing it all for me. 

It's a bit late for a new years resolution, but maybe its just the right time for some spring cleaning. 

*even though, as I write this, I'm pulling an all nighter. because biochem. whoops

[momopuff]

Scarlett Johansson attends the 87th Academy Awards