I am still looking for a
#postdoc
to join the project. Request folks to please share with their network - need your help to get the word out. Will be extending the deadline for the postdoctoral position. They can email/DM me for details.
1/3 Love plants? Intrigued by traits? Want to delve deeper into plant community dynamics? Come work with us!
The Community and Functional Ecology Lab at the Laboratory for Conservation of Endangered Species (CCMB, Hyderabad) is hiring (see media + next tweet).
Please RT.
Looking for a
#postdoc
position? Keen on plants? Excited about
#traits
and community
#ecology
. Let's talk...the CaFE lab is hiring. See attached. Please RT. 1/3
1/3 Love plants? Intrigued by traits? Want to delve deeper into plant community dynamics? Come work with us!
The Community and Functional Ecology Lab at the Laboratory for Conservation of Endangered Species (CCMB, Hyderabad) is hiring (see media + next tweet).
Please RT.
So, I am going to take this opportunity to shout out a big yay! to all my students and others in field ecology. You are generating data under conditions that many students from countries with impressive publications records will just never survive.
On the 75th year of a hard-won independence, let us hope to live up to the ideals that define(d?) us - let secularism triumph over extremism, pluralism over prejudice, tolerance over bigotry, reason over rabidity, truth over symbolism.
#IndiaAt75
Giving a talk today about the ecology of trees. Aimed at high-school students but all are welcome. Thanks to
@NCBS_Bangalore
and
@BLiSC_India
Complete event details:
Registration:
Live stream:
How interactions between neighbouring plants vary with rainfall might explain patterns of plant diversity and predict responses to global environmental change. Learn more in a super N&V by
@MeghnaSrishti
@csir_ccmb
A lucid and informative article by the excellent
@MenonBioPhysics
about the possible trajectory of COVID-19 in India.
Are We Finally Seeing a Light at the End of India’s COVID-19 Tunnel? via
@TheWireScience
Spent the good part of last month out in the field, setting up a new project. Totally forgot twitter, even after being back for two weeks. Feels so good to disappear :)
Thrilled to be a part of this exciting network looking underground! Along with collaborators Dr. Yadugiri (from
@kreauniversity
), Dr. Sreejith K (from
@kscste_kfri
), and Shubham (PhD student
@ccmb_csir
)...
Congratulations to our newest Underground Explorers! This cohort adds 33 new Explorers working to sample belowground fungal biodiversity across the planet’s underexplored regions.
Please join us in congratulating these talented scientists.
Very nice! We certainly need a space for natural history information that cannot otherwise go into a statistical framework for a paper. For all nature observers out there...please consider contributing.
Love
#plants
? Curious about global change? This
#PhD
opportunity may be for you! Eager to begin our collaborative project on how functional traits mediate seedling performance along light and water gradients in human-modified forests.
#PleaseRT
#PhDposition
I totally relate to this! I had a recent conversation with a journal that decided to go the 'pay-to-publish' way and outlined why a $2000 fee puts this journal out of reach for many of us. I feel my options shrinking...and it has nothing to do with quality of science.
As a researcher from a developing country, I struggle A LOT MORE with publication fees (for open access), than with accessing papers to read (pay wall)
A "fair" journal with a fee of $400 dollars is a huge barrier for me
Complex and important topic!
This is not just in the COVID-19 situation. PhD students are the backbone of the research community. They help a lab grow, they bring in fresh ideas, they chart new directions for research, and help researchers do more than they ever could on their own.
PhD students in India are often ridiculed for their choices, by their own families or by trolls who think of them as ‘parasites’. But these scholars also make up the majority of the workforce in India's response to COVID-19. |
@joelpalpath
Our paper is out in
@JEcology
. Thanks to co-author, cool collaborator, and awesome theoretical ecologist Simon Stump, who recently finished his postdoc from
@Yale
(EEB &
@YaleEnvironment
.
Wonderful to see such spirit! Should make us introspect on the severe ageism in Indian academia...the baseless notion that only those who manage to do it all by 35 have done anything worthwhile. Let's make some space for passion.
Fieldwork with a twist!
When the Ecuador RAINFOR team went to measure the tree they found this beautiful Bothrops bilineatus ("loro machaco") - a highly venomous Amazon pit viper.
But but but...not traveling to
#ESA2022
because it's too far, too expensive and I am so tired of all the hoops to jump through for a visa. Anyone else feel that the whole visa deal is just absurdly unfair?
For grad students in
#India
looking at a career in
#ecology
: take note. However, do keep in mind that even the most complex model cannot rescue a badly designed study :)
Check out
@ecomodeler
analyzing 10+ years of ecology job adds. Demand for programming skills has doubled & steadily increased over time now approaching 50% but 80% of students have no formal training in computing/informatics
#ESA2020
#DataScience
@BBCS_UA
Much needed perspective on restoring landscapes. We have to understand the ecology of different systems to plan for restoration, not merely plant trees all around. Must read.
These days everyone seems to thinks that "planting trees" is an important solution to the climate crisis. They're mostly wrong, and in this paper we explain why. Instead of planting trees, we need to talk about people managing landscapes. 1/x
We conducted an experiment using insecticide and fungicide to suppress the insect and fungal activity at different distances from the forest edge. We compared treatments to control plots to check whether the seedlings recruitment varied in relation to species traits.
The origins of Raksha Bandhan and popular depictions of the brother-sister relationship stereotype women as damsels who need protection and brothers as their protectors. Anahita Sachdev talks about changing how we celebrate the festival.
Societal forces of push-pull. As some remove the theory of
#evolution
from textbooks, others open avenues to disseminate science. Not saying this will make up for lack of good science education in schools, but nice to see newspapers doing this.
Evolution removed from textbooks by India's governmental education body. Sad times.
And the poor picture choice by India Today demonstrates exactly why more people need to be taught evolution.
Alt text for the pic: Statues of apes becoming human
👇A reminder to plant-people in India looking for
#postdoc
positions...A chance to delve deeper into ecological strategies of tree seedlings. Reach out if you want more details.
Looking for a
#postdoc
position? Keen on plants? Excited about
#traits
and community
#ecology
. Let's talk...the CaFE lab is hiring. See attached. Please RT. 1/3
Couldn't agree more. I am always urging my students to write more, write mindfully, and learn to tap to the rhythms of words synced. And yes, that can happen in academic publishing.
If I could give one piece of advice to my younger self, it is to start practicing scientific writing early, write often, and embrace (& enjoy) the process because it is the yin to the yang of life in science ☯️ Students, check out this writing contest-
As a forest ecologist, I enjoyed reading this compilation of the science on how global change may affect the Amazon.
The Amazon might not have a 'tipping point.' But it's still in trouble
Finally, all of this are most detrimental to students and their learning. Students (and postdocs) have to overcome a huge challenges to simply work in field conditions to generate ecological data.
We are so far from cycle friendly cities. Not just in terms of safety, but pollution being an even bigger issue. I love bicycling, but not at the cost of soaking my lungs in noxious pollutants. One of those discussions that may have many knock-on benefits emerge.
I've been off Twitter and on to way more interesting things the past month. More on that soon, but first...check out the Community and Functional Ecology (CaFE) lab research collection @
#ATBC2023
. Talks and posters by a bunch of folks (not all of them on Twitter).
Many tree-planting campaigns are based on flawed science: planting in grasslands & non-forest areas and planting invasive species,
@MongabayIndia
reports.
This really hits home with field biology. I have seen the infrastructure and support for field projects elsewhere compared to what we work with in India (plant ecology for sure). No way we can generate data at the same level. This is not an excuse, but a fact.
@vishuguttal
@joelpalpath
@DivyaKumar182
@ShilpySharma14
Great article. Totally agree that financial insecurity is a huge, REAL problem that keeps smart and passionate people away from science. Also a reason for disparity in who gets to do science: those who can afford not to get stipends for a year+
Hi all. The search for the postdoc continue. Do share the word. Indian nationals only, unfortunately!
Please apply on the CCMB website via the link in the thread below.
I am still looking for a
#postdoc
to join the project. Request folks to please share with their network - need your help to get the word out. Will be extending the deadline for the postdoctoral position. They can email/DM me for details.
@bahudari
@MnshaP
Strange that to question what someone does is to be considered 'anti' them. I hear this far too often, especially in politics. Indicates a fundamental flaw in our perspective of how democracy works. Expecting accountability is not a matter of taking sides.
We are thrilled to announce Aprotim Mazumdar,
@KaushikLab
, Meghna Krishnadas, Rohit Naniwadekar &
@vvrobin
+their teams as the 1st IndiaBioscience Outreach Grants
#IOG
Awardees. Congratulations, we eagerly await the outreach efforts.
Stay tuned here to hear more from the awardees.
Points that apply generally. Time to consider ecology of the area we live in into plans for land-use and land management.
Why Kerala Urgently Needs a Roadmap to Ecological Security via
@TheWireScience
It was a pleasure to conduct this event on "Iconic women scientists of India". Targeted at high school students as part of outreach for Women in Scientific Domain (WiSDom) by
@INYAS_INSA
.
The largest bat colony in the world is at Bracken Cave near San Antonio, Texas. It’s hard to describe the spectacle of watching 8-10 million
#MexicanFreeTailedBats
emerging from the cave - making this one of the largest concentration of mammals on Earth.
@BatConIntl
#Texas
#Bats
I am going to get carpal tunnel syndrome doing all the likes at
#ATBC2023
from all the folks I know and all the exciting work I will see. So, here is a giant overarching👍🏽for the days ahead. Cheers to
#tropicalecolo
, cool science, and student-led work. Thanks to
@theATBC
#365IndianWomxnInSTEM
Meghna Agarwala is an ecologist and remote sensing expert at
@AshokaUniv
exploring dry deciduous forests. She's also involved in forest management policy debates. An interview:
PhD students are the future of science. We need to ensure the right environment for their growth. We need to listen more and include them in the decisions that affect their lives and careers.
@pallavabagla
@Ashutos61
@nakulparashar
No doubt we need more such efforts. But, please change the name. "Life of Science" has been around for 4+ years now.
@labhopping
and others have already pointed this out. Surely another combination of equally catchy words can be thought?
Trouble is, science is often seen and taught as a tool towards development, advancement etc. But doing science is to inculcate a way of thinking, cultivate a temper for logic, reason, and evidence. Understand limits to knowledge and gain comfort with uncertainty...
New paper from our work:
Edge effects alter the role of fungi and insects in mediating functional composition and diversity of seedling recruits in a fragmented tropical forest
Calling all plant and soil people! Check out the call for a special issue in the American Journal of Botany
#AJB
that I will be co-editing with
@gauravsk_
and
@adri_corrales33
. We look forward to your contributions!
Details here:
I will have the pleasure to be an editor of this special issue with two amazing colleagues
@MeghnaSrishti
and
@gauravsk_
. Reach out if you have questions!
Add to this a bureaucratic structure and environment that does not 'permit' most kinds of research in Indian ecosystems and the possibilities for questions we can ask shrink rapidly.
Check out
@vishuguttal
's Theoretical Ecology and Evolution lab at
@iiscbangalore
by clicking on this link
He will be giving a very interesting talk on 11th March at 3:00 PM IST as a part of
@CBiologue
monthly lecture. Tune in!
Yes, this is such a wonderful effort! Please share widely... (I am sure that's happening already with something so good 😀). Big thanks to
@IndiaBioscience
Shout-out to
@IndiaBioscience
for compiling the first-of-its-kind compendium of funding opportunities for
#PhD
and
#postdoc
in India. A fantastic resource indeed!
The usual attempts at air brushing. The vaccine issue should never have devolved to a centre vs. state narrative, let alone being used fallaciously to justify a colossal failure of planning.
The States, in their enthusiasm to gain popularity, when things were fine, jumped in and announced free vaccines. But they had neither budgeted for it nor had the expertise to deal with vaccine innovators. Fell flat.
Now centre will procure and provide it to States free of cost.
If you are looking for a
#postdoc
position, check out DBT RA call. Happy to work on collaborative ideas for community ecology, conceptually matched to questions we tackle in the CaFE lab. Doesn't have to be plants only! DM or email me to discuss. Limited to Indian nationals.
Call for applications under
@DBTIndia
Research Associateship Program (Call -I) are open for pursuing post-doctoral research in Biotechnology and Life Science at any university/ institutions across
#India
. For more information, please visit:
@unescorcb
New paper accepted
@ESAEcology
!
Do plant–soil feedbacks promote coexistence in a sagebrush steppe? I dug 600 holes a year for 2 years to find out😂
Thanks to
@NSF
for funding this experiment as a small grant!
#OpenAccess
#NSFFunded
About time. This is an encouraging development in moving away from typical forest-centric views that prevail. Hope to see appreciation for a diversity of systems often labelled as "degraded", e.g., savannas.
Thankfully, the standing committee of Wildlife board had a discussion on disappearing
#grasslands
. They are neither recorded or protected but support key species. Panel to take call on how to conserve grasslands
#biodiversity
#greatindianbustard
Front-line staff. Can't thank them enough. Many of them do their duties without adequate pay and social securities. Need better workforce policy for them.
Today is world
#Rangers
day. A day as a tribute to
#forest
frontline staff who are working in remote corners for
#conservation
. Facing poachers, loneliness, mining mafia & diseases. Away from limelight.
Do you know
#India
is considered as deadliest country for forest rangers.
Check out our amazing Metabolomics facility funded entirely by
@DBTIndia
and available for plant biologists use from India and internationally
@NIPGRsocial
"The eight highest-ranked institutions in the India National Institutional Research Framework 2022 rankings had fewer female faculty members than average, with a median of around 10%."
Thank you for the feature
@dyanilewis
!
#ATBC2023
Day 1, with an engaging workshop on Nature journaling!! We just sketched, noticing every detail of a leaf, a seed pod etc. for straight two hours :)
Pic 1: showing off my sketch of a seed pod
The dramas on nature's stage: eat (bat) and not be eaten (katydid), stand out to get mates (single katydid) but blend in to stay alive (many katydids). Nice one
@_harish_prakash
'Academics around the world have applauded what many hope is the start of a rebellion against the huge profit margins in academic publishing, which outstrip those made by Apple, Google and Amazon.'
Reminds me of field days in Nagarahole and Bhadra. Entire stretch of the road, for kilometers, lit up in waves as we drove by. In Bhadra, a grassland of several hectares, looking like a starry sky (maybe prettier).
#nature
#memories
#nostalgia
#fieldwork
#firefly
Front-line workers: the life-blood of all systems, including public health. Words fall short to express our full gratitude to these dedicated people for their unstinting service. Why are we not investing tax-payer money in giving them deserving pay and more secure jobs?
"I'm at a loss for words to describe their loyalty," says National Health Mission director about
#ASHAs
working during floods in
#Assam
+
#Covid_19
.
There can never be proportionate thanks, but they can sure be paid more than 2000 per month & treated as employees, not volunteers
That's just one way of thinking. Diversity is as important for a healthy society/state/nation. Let's not paint everything in a West vs East colour. BTW... Who's fighting? Many of us perfectly okay with multilingual state and culture
India needs a national language. We can't just keep on fighting over languages. Commonality unifies people. In order for us to completely come out of the clutches of Western thinking it's important to establish all discipline in our own language
Much enjoyed chatting with
@srijanapiya17
about the science that motivates the Community and Functional Ecology lab. Thanks for the interest, for listening and for sharing our fascination for the ecological stories of plants!
@ccmb_csir
Getting tired of words used without basis. Education and knowledge is not about politics. At least for some people.
‘Propaganda’: Minister defends removal of Darwin’s theory of evolution from school textbooks via
@scroll_in
TCPD (
@TPCD_Ashoka
) bringing clarity to the understanding of Indian politics through data. A great and uniquely Ashoka initiative by
@gilkumar
and collaborators.
@mnwsth
Totally agree. But, in doing so, I have faced much acrimony, overt or covert. As an early career scientist, I have been told to first establish myself and not be a 'problem individual'.