Alex Huffman
(bio)aerosol scientist & professor in Chemistry Dept at Univ. Denver; he/him
Artist formerly known as @HuffmanLabDU on the other place.
huffmangroupdu.com
orcid.org/0000-0002-5363-9516
- Reposted by Alex HuffmanI really love that change, so I updated all of my course materials to call them RICE tables. I was telling my 14 yo daughter about this and she said, "well that was a missed opportunity. You should've called them F-ICE tables (Formula, Initial, Change, Reaction) #chemsky
- Reposted by Alex HuffmanDuring the chemical equilibria section in gen chem, students learn to construct ICE tables (Initial, Change, Equilibria) to predict the extent of a reversible chemical reaction. With everything happening, a student suggested we call them RICE tables instead (Reaction, Initial, Change, Equilibria).
- Reposted by Alex Huffman"Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) spoke against the NCAR amendment."
- Update: A bid to safeguard the National Center for Atmospheric Research failed Thursday after the Senate passed a spending package without an amendment to save the center's funding. eos.org/research-and...
- Reposted by Alex HuffmanThe effort to explicitly protect NCAR during the appropriations process has, unfortunately, been unsuccessful. For now, NCAR is still operating as usual. While the future remains uncertain, and disappointingly entwined with partisan political retribution, the broader fight continues.
- Update: A bid to safeguard the National Center for Atmospheric Research failed Thursday after the Senate passed a spending package without an amendment to save the center's funding. eos.org/research-and...
- Reposted by Alex HuffmanDuring the interwar period (c. 1918-1939) universities were in economic crisis, rising authoritarianism, ideological polarization & global instability. Sound familiar? What did successful academic leaders do? 🧵⬇️
- Reposted by Alex HuffmanI spoke with @carlzimmer.com about our terminated grant on wildfire smoke and homes:
- The @nytimes.com Lost Science series continues. Here's my Q&A with a scientist who was studying how wildfire smoke threatens human health when the EPA decided that her research was no longer a funding priority. Gift link: nyti.ms/4jhpw14
- Reposted by Alex HuffmanWith the strong outpouring for #SaveNCAR, @joeneguse.bsky.social has extended the deadline for members of Congress to sign on to a letter voicing support for #NCAR to Monday. For more info ➡️➡️ eos.org/research-and... And to share your support with your reps ➡️➡️ agu.quorum.us/campaign/151...
- Reposted by Alex HuffmanNCAR’s Mesa Lab is literally a science castle dedicated to understanding our planet in an open and collaborative way, and leading the world in that effort. We cannot let this happen.
- Efforts to dissolve the @ncar-ucar.bsky.social, including closing the center’s headquarters in Boulder, will begin immediately, an official told @usatoday.com 🧪 eos.org/research-and...
- Reposted by Alex HuffmanIt’s simply not possible to overstate how important NCAR is to US and world science. We need to fight this with everything we’ve got.
- Reposted by Alex HuffmanHere's our reporting on the proposed dismantling of the jewel of US atmospheric science, @ncar-ucar.bsky.social. The plan is to break NCAR apart and disburse some parts to other locations (like the research aircraft fleet) and eliminate others. www.nature.com/articles/d41... 🧪 #AGU25 #climate
- Reposted by Alex HuffmanYou can do this right now: Think of a person who wrote a paper you love, whose work influenced or helped you, or has made your professional life better. Search up their email address. Shoot them a quick email of thanks. It means so, so much. This is a rough time of year, share some joy.
- Reposted by Alex HuffmanProud to have contributed to this new book about #bioaerosols 🦠 "Biological Highways in the Sky". In chapter 7, we present a summary on the "Release of primary biological aerosol particles from surface waters". Check it out (it's open access!) 👉🏼 www.quae-open.com/product/346/...
- Reposted by Alex Huffman[This post could not be retrieved]
- Colorado Front Range had the fewest number of air quality alerts in 15 yrs, per RAQC. Mostly driven by an overall cooler summer, but citizen choices are making a difference too. “Gas blower use for an hour is equivalent to driving a gas car from Denver to Los Angeles!” www.9news.com/article/weat...
- Reposted by Alex Huffman💥Congratulations💥 to @kprather.bsky.social for receiving the Women in Chemistry Trailblazer Award by the Women Chemists Committee of the San Diego Local Section of @acs.org.
- Reposted by Alex HuffmanThe momentum for clean indoor air continues to build. I attended the inaugural High-Level Side Event on indoor air quality at the UN General Assembly yesterday. Short remarks by Lidia Morawska @joeallenjoe.bsky.social @isiaq.bsky.social Pres. Kerry Kinney, ASHRAE, WHO, UNEP, many others.
- Reposted by Alex Huffman[This post could not be retrieved]
- Wonderful that San Diego has recognized @kprather.bsky.social for such important work showing the source of disgusting water & air pollution. The story of their investigation is fascinating like a crime novel, tho also tragic & maddening. today.ucsd.edu/story/tijuan... Congrats on the named day! 🎉
- Today, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors proclaimed September 9, 2025, to be “Dr. Kimberly Prather and Dr. Paula Stigler Granados Day” in the County of San Diego. Supervisor and Scripps alumna Paloma Aguirre authored the proclamation. Congrats to @kprather.bsky.social and Paula!
- Reposted by Alex HuffmanJust watched the powerful new PBS documentary “Clearing the Air: the War on Smog”. My colleague Ellie Browne acted as Science Advisor. Very proud of her! www.pbs.org/wgbh/america...
- I’m teaching an undergrad #AerosolScience course & highlighting real-world #careers. Looking for people who work in a job that heavily involves #aerosols in any broadly defined way for students to interview. Could be any aspect of aerosols: industry, engineering, medicine, etc. Want to help? DM me!
- It’s always interesting to see the effect of fireworks on urban air quality. This is a simple snapshot of the #PurpleAir maps in U.S. and Europe tonight, with a bonus of the Colorado Front Range thrown in for good measure. Serious PM concentrations, as always on the 4th of July. Stay healthy!
- Also worth noting this was already very late (11:15 pm Mountain time), so many fireworks were long since launched, but the residual aerosol hung heavy over all the metro areas for hours.
- Reposted by Alex HuffmanWe, as beneficiaries of federal funding should be informed about the history and accomplishments of the NSF. A really good thread. #standupforscience 🧵🧪🧬
- If you’re looking for ways to fight back against the attacks on science & innovation, consider opportunities like today’s #1Day4DU campaign to support funding bridges that help researchers at @UofDenver.bsky.social keep working despite federal grant cancellations. www.givecampus.com/schools/Univ...
- Reposted by Alex Huffman"Take the time you would have spent complaining about politics online, and use it to write a comment opposing the proposed Office of Personnel Management rule to politicize public services. You can do it in 5 minutes. Deadline is May 23rd!"
- New from me: Everything feels overwhelming. But here is a tangible thing you can do: write a comment to oppose Trump's plan to convert 50,000 career civil servants into political appointees. Deadline is May 23. Please share! donmoynihan.substack.com/p/here-is-a-...
- Reposted by Alex Huffman90% US people rely on federal science in their daily lives but don't realize it. Only 10% worry cutting science funding affects their access to this information. Science has a marketing problem!
- Reposted by Alex HuffmanTHE entire NIOSH engineering group has been fired among most ALL of NIOSH. It is devastating. www.cbsnews.com/news/worker-...
- Reposted by Alex HuffmanThis administration plans to eliminate NOAA Research, which costs every American citizen less than a cup of coffee a year. Do you like knowing the weather forecast? Being warned of hurricanes, wildfires, tsunamis? It will all go away if the public does not act. www.ametsoc.org/ams/about-am...
- Reposted by Alex HuffmanBefore humans began mining fossil fuels, CO2 was 280 ppm. Today at Mauna Loa, CO2 is 428. When I was born, it was 315. 3/4 of the fossil fuels that have ever been burned were mined post my birth. We need to stop burning stuff. We need @NOAA to keep these records so we will know whether we have.
- Reposted by Alex HuffmanIf you are interested in any aspects of research in aerosol particles: air quality, climate, health, atmospheric chemistry, airborne bacteria/viruses, I recommend following @americanaerosol.bsky.social This is a premier society for aerosol science in America!
- Reposted by Alex Huffman[This post could not be retrieved]
- Reposted by Alex HuffmanAAAR is on Bluesky!! @americanaerosol.bsky.social
- Reposted by Alex Huffman'Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics' is looking for new editors. Consider applying to support top scientific quality and interactive publishing with public peer review. - Share the link with interested, suitable colleagues. @egu.eu www.atmospheric-chemistry-and-physics.net/about/news_a...
- Reposted by Alex HuffmanThis is what many cities in the U.S. looked like before the EPA. Why the heck would anyone celebrate deregulating it?
- Reposted by Alex HuffmanTransatlantic slave routes—View the Movement of 31,041 Slave Ships. Never forget.
- Reposted by Alex HuffmanHere is a sign-on letter for individual scientists and other experts to speak out and protect NOAA. I signed it and I encourage you to sign it as well. secure.ucsusa.org/a/2025-prote... 🌎🧪🦑🐠
- Reposted by Alex HuffmanDiversity is our greatest asset, even if the government disagrees… They not like us! POC in STEM are here to stay. They tried to rig the game but you can’t fake influence! Mustard on the [Be][At] bro. Happy Black History Month!
- Reposted by Alex HuffmanIf the words didn't matter, they wouldn't be trying to stop us writing them. If the pictures didn't matter, they wouldn't be taking them down. If the ideas didn't matter, they wouldn't be trying to stop funding. All of this matters for who we are and we should not remove things in anticipation.
- Reposted by Alex Huffman[This post could not be retrieved]
- Reposted by Alex HuffmanCan you explain your doctoral research through interpretive dance? The 17th annual #DanceYourPhD competition is open! Submit by 28 March for a chance to win $2000: scim.ag/4gKMnz9
- Reposted by Alex Huffman@nautil.us magazine interviewed me about AIR-BORNE, and the strangely twisted history of aerobiology nautil.us/life-in-an-a...
- My time at a Max Planck Institute was unique and wonderful. Leading a team at one can be an amazing opportunity, and these fellowships are great entry points for female scientists. www.mpg.de/lise-meitner...
- Would you like to work at Max Planck Society tenured? A new round of the Lise Meitner Excellence Program for #tenuretrack group leaders opened today - pls consider applying! The program aims to recruit and promote exceptionally qualified female scientists. mpg.de/lise-meitner-e… #LiseMeitnerGroups
- Reposted by Alex HuffmanAs a journalist who covers extremism at the local level, I think it’s a mistake to view Trump’s Napoleonic statement as solely about presidential power. Consider if it’s interpreted as a wink and a nod for any extremist to act outside the law to “save” the country as they see fit
- A nice intro into what federal grant indirect costs are used for and why it matters to the economic prosperity of the avg state and the nation. This is a small clip, but she goes into more explanation and examples in the linked article. #KeepScienceFullyFunded
- Well written article by our Vice Chancellor for Research. The Trump Orders are serious and affecting the entire scientific enterprise! Wake up folks! www.unc.edu/posts/2025/0...
- Reposted by Alex Huffman@cwiedinm.bsky.social has co-authored a fantastic conversation article on the massive effort that underpins weather forecasting ☁️🌀🌧️⛅❄️⚡ theconversation.com/noaas-vast-p...
- Reposted by Alex Huffman** Almost all of the actions Trump has taken over the last three weeks map directly onto those steps. ** Applebaum in her 2020 book "Twilight of Democracy" warns that democracies become incredibly fragile once their elites abandon democratic norms... 4/9
- Reposted by Alex Huffman
- Government efficiency? How about $575 M investment by NIH for a $1,560 M return (in Colorado alone). I’d like to see any DOGE efforts get anywhere close to a 170% increase on the investment. #NIHinYourState #KeepScienceFullyFunded www.unitedformedicalresearch.org/nih-in-your-...
- Reposted by Alex HuffmanUS military budget: $850 billion US National Institutes of Health indirect costs: $9 billion That they are so focused on cutting the budget of the latter says everything.
- Reposted by Alex HuffmanThe NIH overhead cut doesn't just hurt universities. It's deadly to the US economy. The US is a world leader in tech due to the ecosystem that NIH and NSF propel. It drives innovation for tech transfer, creates a highly-skilled sci/tech workforce, and fosters academic/industry crossfertilization.
- Reposted by Alex HuffmanWorth a read ⬇️
- Reposted by Alex Huffman"A long-time official at Denver Federal Center, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said they're concerned the entire campus — the largest concentration of federal agencies outside DC — would be sold to help the federal gov't meet its cost-reduction target." by @nbminor.bsky.social
- Interesting overview charts of the breakdown of financial support from NIH and NSF to Colorado universities and other institutions:
- Proud to see that the American Assoc for Aerosol Research states unequivocally that #diversity of background and thought adds fundamental value to our work and to society. These values are consistent with what I’ve long witnessed #AAAR works hard to see come to reality. 👏
- A Message from the AAAR Executive Committee www.aaar.org/about-aaar/a...
- Reposted by Alex HuffmanThe recording of last Friday's webinar about the environmental impact of LA fires is now up on YouTube: youtu.be/VBg7wBCoSW8?...
- Reposted by Alex HuffmanGreat summary of concerning new findings about microplastics in the brain. Exposure? "Human exposure to MP through dust ingestion, inhalation of air and food/drinks consumption revealed that indoor air and drinking waters were the main sources of MP." www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... /1
- A new paper on microplastics accumulating in the brain was just published in Nature Medicine. I've reviewed the background and main findings in a new Ground Truths post erictopol.substack.com/p/the-microp...
- In solidarity with our community, my family is supporting #adaywithoutimmigrants by committing not to purchase anything or eat out today, Feb 3. 👇 Immigrants are beloved and an important lifeblood of both our nation and our neighborhood. We pledge our support immigrants & others who are vulnerable.
- Reposted by Alex HuffmanEarly-career atmospheric chemistry colleagues! Click on the link below to learn more about applying to attend the Atmospheric Chemistry Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) and the GRC that follows. www.grc.org/atmospheric-...
- Reposted by Alex HuffmanNEW: Buckley Space Force Base (Aurora, CO) says it is now functioning as an ICE holding and processing facility #copolitics
- Reposted by Alex HuffmanBREAKING: The Department of Education will open an investigation into Denver Public Schools for “discriminating against its female students” by creating an all-gender bathroom at East High School, the agency announced Tuesday.
- Reposted by Alex HuffmanIt's #LegoDay, which reminds us of when the toymaker released a set designed by a geoscientist and featuring women scientists working in astronomy, paleontology, and chemistry. ❤️ eos.org/articles/leg...
- Reposted by Alex HuffmanThis so unbelievably unjust. Unabashedly inhumane. Colorado nonprofit offering immigrant legal aid ordered to stop work by feds @ColoradoSun coloradosun.com/2025/01/28/i...
