Doug Jerolmack
#SoftEarthGeophysics is the future
- It is happening!!!!!
- Welcome to the Soft Earth Geophysics program at KITP! January 5 - March 26, 2026 Learn more: buff.ly/b5WkU3A #softearth26
- 🧪Today we begin releasing the #SoftEarthGeophysics Chalk Talks, INFORMAL lectures laying out how to think of Earth's surface as a soft matter landscape. This labor of love started w/ a @kitp-ucsb.bsky.social blackboard talk, and grew with support across @sas.upenn.edu @pennengineering.bsky.social
- Each lecture has a theme that links concepts in soft matter to problems in geophysics. Target audience is geoscientists and physicists looking for new approaches and problems, but hopefully is accessible to anyone passionate about science learning.
- If you wanna find out why soil is creepy, why rocks are soft, why the world is a sandpile, why earth is made of cubes, why details don't matter until they very much do, and why i'm the Nas of geophysics...then dive in!
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View full threadJamming, glass transitions, yielding and percolation are key concepts in soft matter that we connect to geophysics problems: soil creep, debris flows, river channel networks, and earthquakes. I also discuss the centrality of randomness and disorder in universality. This lecture pairs with Lecture 8.
- In a study led by my colleague Hugo Ulloa, we reveal a surprising new mechanism for erosion by raindrops. Sandballs form when rolling drops mop up sand, even reaching a jammed state! #SoftEarthGeophysics
- Raindrops can bounce and then roll down a slope, picking up sand as they go. The sand-covered balls transport up to 100 times more sediment downhill than drops that don’t roll, a fact that could help make more realistic computer models of soil erosion and land change. scim.ag/4p7ghBE
- I am beyond honored to be recognized by @apsphysics.bsky.social ! Being an "adult learner" in physics is hard, but the community has been so supportive! More important, to me, is the recognition of #SoftEarthGeophysics and its home in APS.
- Congratulations to Prof. Douglas Jerolmack on being named as a 2025 American Physical Society (APS) fellow! Jerolmack, an experimental geophysicist, has dual appointments in Penn Arts & Sciences and @pennengineering.bsky.social. @dougjerolmack.bsky.social
- Building momentum for our @kitp-ucsb.bsky.social conference "Hard problems in soft Earth geophysics" this January. Sign up, and bring your friends! www.kitp.ucsb.edu/activities/s...
- Reposted by Doug JerolmackRecently, NASA announced that samples from an ancient dry riverbed on Mars may contain potential biosignatures, possible evidence of ancient microbial life. On CBS News, @dougjerolmack.bsky.social of the Department of Earth and Environmental Science discussed the exciting news.
- On the "seminar circuit" I keep finding people who didn't know about our #SoftEarthGeophysics conference at @kitp-ucsb.bsky.social and that want to come. Please share with your colleagues and research groups. Details below.
- Check out the @kitp-ucsb.bsky.social conference we're (Vashan Wright, Sujit Datta, Nathalie Vriend) organizing: www.kitp.ucsb.edu/activities/s... for THIS JANUARY 6-9! Geoscientists, physicists and engineers: are you intellectually adventurous and been wondering "is this all there is?" 🧪
- Check me out on @cbsnews.com talking about Mars rocks and using landscape patterns to search for life on other planets. #SoftEarthGeophysics @upenn.edu www.cbsnews.com/video/the-si...
- If there was ever a time where deep and original thinking in science is needed. Thanks @davidjonfurbish.bsky.social
- eBook Preview Statistical Physics of Rarefied Sediment Particle Motions and Transport: Applications to Hillslopes and Rivers Posting this preview of material from my next (unfinished) book might be a mistake. But eh… what the hell. 1/n cdn.vanderbilt.edu/t2-my/my-prd...
- Reposted by Doug JerolmackCan forests damp earthquake waves and thus limit co-seismic landslides? What does this mean for Critical Zone development? Postdoctoral position with Will Struble and a multi-disciplinary team (including me🌲🌲🌊🌳). Position is open until filled. willstruble.com #CZScience #Postdoc
- Check out the @kitp-ucsb.bsky.social conference we're (Vashan Wright, Sujit Datta, Nathalie Vriend) organizing: www.kitp.ucsb.edu/activities/s... for THIS JANUARY 6-9! Geoscientists, physicists and engineers: are you intellectually adventurous and been wondering "is this all there is?" 🧪
- There will be lively, long and luxurious poster sessions -- with great interactions and snacks. There will be surf lessons! We will be building the community of #SoftEarthGeophysics and defining problems TOGETHER, that will feed a 3-month program to follow. CHECK OUT INCREDIBLE CONFIRMED SPEAKERS:
- Paulo Arratia, Penn Mahesh Bandi, OIST Katie Barnhardt, USGS Cacey Bester, Swarthmore Justin Burton, Emory Karen Daniels, NC State Emanuela Del Gado, Georgetown Itai Einav, U. Sydney Ahmed Elbanna, USC
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View full threadKITP conferences are special. Early career researchers will find ample opportunities to interact and build new relationships, and more senior scientists will find themselves rejuvenated. Hit me up if you have questions, and please SPREAD THE WORD!
- 🧪 idea for 1 way to address federal cuts to science funding: if the big dumb bill passes and >middle class people get tax breaks they don't need, can we organize a system to divert these to private foundations that already fund science? I'm serious. Anybody got ideas on if and how to do this?
- Reposted by Doug JerolmackCheck out PCSSM postdoc @asinclair.bsky.social's latest paper with collaborators in @nathumbehav.nature.com on their SCIMaP project that visualizes cuts to NIH funding & how that impacts economy and employment nationwide. And check out the map here: scienceimpacts.org @michaelemann.bsky.social
- Out now in @nathumbehav.nature.com: Cuts to NIH funding will impact the economy and employment nationwide. We visualize these losses and advocate for a theory-driven approach to communicating local, self-relevant impact. w/ @joshuasweitz.bsky.social + SCIMaP team: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
- Reposted by Doug JerolmackI think most people don't understand exactly what universities do or how they are funded. It's worth reading this and then talking with folks you know about it.🧪 www.npr.org/2025/04/25/n...
- Reposted by Doug JerolmackOver 90% of Americans rely on federally funded science, But only 10% are worried about losing access to it. That’s a dangerous disconnect. Help us close the gap. Join our #SummerFightForScience and help spread the word about how essential science is to everyday lives. www.npr.org/2025/05/06/n...
- Reposted by Doug JerolmackSeen on @cnn.com @andersoncooper360.bsky.social this evening, courtesy of my #ScienceUnderSiege co-author @peterhotezmdphd.bsky.social
- Reposted by Doug Jerolmack🧪 YASSSSS!!! 👏👏👏 Sooo excited to see this. Time *for us* to flood the zone! I'm especially excited to hear about the formation of Stand Up For Science **LOCAL**. Who will lead each local chapter? Could be you. We're the leaders we've all been waiting for to #StandUpForScience.
- In panel discussion at Penn "How did we get here and what do we do?", I answered that generations of increasing competition for funding has narrowed our communication to very small numbers of other scientists... And that an era of direct communication with the pubic is needed. Let's do it!!!
- Reposted by Doug Jerolmack☀️THE SUMMER FIGHT FOR SCIENCE☀️ 🫵 WHO: You + all our friends 🧪 WHAT: Share science with your neighbors and tell them about the impact of proposed budget cuts. 🇺🇸 WHERE: Your local community 🏖️ WHEN: Now to Sept 30th 🔬 WHY: The 9/30 budget vote will determine the future of science in America.
- Reposted by Doug JerolmackTo get an idea of what the 37 existing divisions of NSF do, and what is likely to be lost, see the current NSF web site www.nsf.gov/about/direct... But hurry, since this list is apt to disappear at any time.
- If you don't know how NSF works, read this
- Join, or Die. If the Big 10 can create a "mutual defense pact", why can't the Ivy League? As Trump takes away all federal money for research, they have less leverage over us. We have nothing to lose by joining Harvard and saying "No compromise. Bring it".
- Opinion: Within science higher education, senior scientists are well-positioned to raise their voices to influence institutional actions and support vulnerable colleagues, writes @profmoldwin.bsky.social. eos.org/opinions/sen...
- Reposted by Doug JerolmackDorks, it’s time to throw sand in the gears. They want us to stop teaching, we will teach in the streets. They want us to stop our research, we will use archival data. They want to send us back to the dark ages, we will be a light. We will not lay down and take this.
- www.reuters.com/world/us/tru... It is time to "Join, or Die". Founding father of the USA, and Penn, recognized the unorganized colonies had to unite for common cause or face destruction. This is where American Universities are now. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Join,_o...
- The drawing features 8 of the colonies that Franklin considered to share common values. There are 8 Ivy League universities, that supposedly share common values and histories. I don't care about the Ivy League per se, but if that title means anything to the universities they must join Harvard.
- Australia and Canada in one week!! Trump may have single handedly reversed a global political trend. I wish my country wasn't sacrificed in the process...
- Open letter from NSF Union: www.savensf.com/_files/ugd/e... 🧪 They are trying to destroy American science. They can't without our permission. Science without funding sucks, but science without truth isn't science at all.
- Reposted by Doug JerolmackGOOD EVENING, DORKS. Did you know you can call your senators and house rep and ask for specific grants to be restored? You can ask for specific jobs to be restored. You can ask for data to be restored. You can ask for teams tracking food safety to be restored. Do what you want with this info!
- Reposted by Doug Jerolmack⬆️New research from @dougjerolmack.bsky.social @upenn.bsky.social, Gábor Domokos at Budapest University of Technology and Economics, & others; comments from Lucas Goehring at Nottingham Trent University and Nina Lanza at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
- Reposted by Doug Jerolmack📣 GET IN, DORKS! We are going protesting...AGAIN! 📣 This time we are standing up for our core value of academic freedom and asking university leadership to STAND UP WITH US against Trump's attack on higher ed ✊ #StandUpWithUS Register/find an event: actionnetwork.org/event_campai...
- Reposted by Doug JerolmackWe're excited to be a cohost for the Climate Storytellers' Summit on 4/10 with High Meadows Environmental Institute, @yaleclimatecomm.bsky.social, and My Climate Story! Register now at the link below for this online event moderated by @michaelemann.bsky.social. web.sas.upenn.edu/pcssm/calend...
- A letter from many of us STEMM faculty at Penn, led by Andrea Liu, with a simple message: our values aren't for sale, and preserving science funding by giving up our rights is simply not worth it. 🧪 www.thedp.com/article/2025...
- Reposted by Doug JerolmackThe institution of Science in America is a public good that equalizes. It brings safety, advancement, protection, answers, cures, and economic benefit. The NIH, alone, turns out $2.46 for every $1 invested. HANDS OFF OUR SCIENCE! April 5th, 2025 #scienceforall #handsoffourscience
- We are excited to announce our official partnership with @indivisible.org for the National Day of Action on April 5th! Stand Up for Science says: HANDS OFF OUR SCIENCE! #standupforscience #handsoffourscience Find and register for an event near you: handsoff2025.com?utm_source=s...
- Amen Let's GO!
- Don’t ask us what’s next! Ask yourself what’s next, and then go do it!!! @standupforscience.bsky.social
- Reposted by Doug Jerolmack"Crowds Stand Up for Science Across the United States" by Kimberly M. S. Cartier, Emily Dieckman, Jennifer Schmidt and Grace van Deelen for @americangeo.bsky.social #Eos: eos.org/articles/cro...
- Philly TURNED UP for science!! #standupforscience2025
- It feels crappy to "brag" about a new paper while science is being dismantled. But in the spirit of #standupforscience i guess it's good for us to remember what we're doing this for.
- PhD student Sophie Silver's first paper shows that crack geometry betrays presence of water on other planets! www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... There's a nice write up in Penn Today here: penntoday.upenn.edu/news/penn-ca...
- Philly people it's time to TURN UP at #standupforscience2025 at City Hall 11am tomorrow March 7: www.eventbrite.com/e/stand-up-f...
- Great to see my colleague representing us on the national stage. I'll be joining my department in marching to our local rally in Philadelphia
- STAND UP FOR SCIENCE SPEAKER ANNOUNCEMENT! ☀️ Dr. Michael Mann will be speaking at Stand Up for Science in D.C. on March 7th! @michaelemann.bsky.social More speaker announcements coming soon, stay tuned! 👀☀️
- Reposted by Doug JerolmackYou heard the man! @hankgreen.bsky.social
- Yall better be both sharing the Stand up for Science posts /and/ figuring out how to get your butt to one of them! @standupforscience.bsky.social
- Reposted by Doug JerolmackFriendly reminder: if you are waiting on something from a US-based scientist/reviewer/editor, please realize that we're barely making it through each day putting out non-stop fires and trying not to collapse into tears. We're trying our best, but things will take longer right now. Give grace.
- Reposted by Doug Jerolmack👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀 @standupforscience.bsky.social
- Reposted by Doug JerolmackWHERE WILL YOU BE ON MARCH 7TH!? Head to www.standupforscience2025.org/local-event-information/ or the link in our bio to find your closest event—or add one if you're hosting one! #standupforscience2025
- Reposted by Doug JerolmackThis. Is. The. Purge. It's here. It's not hyperbole. It's happening.
- Time to stand up
- "… it is the words and actions of all members of the scientific community … that form the collective voice of science …," writes @holdenthorp.bsky.social in a new #ScienceEditorial. scim.ag/4hR6ux0
- Reposted by Doug JerolmackWant to go visit the national parks this year? Sorry. The reservation system is shut down, EMT personnel are gone, so don't get hurt or lost. No one can clean the bathrooms or cabins, so they'll be closed. Rangers are fired. www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti...
- Reposted by Doug JerolmackMore and more scientists are joining the ranks of fired federal workers—and fighting back through protests, appeals, and legal challenges.
- Reposted by Doug Jerolmack#ICYMI: ProPublica has confirmed the names and roles of more than 30 Musk-affiliated staffers who are helping the world’s richest man dismantle or downsize federal agencies one by one.
- REPOST. All day every day until March 7
- A great convo with @scitalkofficial.bsky.social @ittefaq.bsky.social about @standupforscience.bsky.social and our nationwide protest! #standupforscience2025 #scienceforall
