Spencer LaVere Smith
Prof. @ucsantabarbara.bsky.social - Runs a lab slslab.org - Works on computation, neuroscience, behavior, vision, optics, imaging, 2p / multiphoton, optical computing, machine learning / AI - Blogs at labrigger.com - Founded @pacificoptica.bsky.social
- The 2000 Superbowl saw ads from 21 hot dot-coms. Only 4 survived to 2003. In 2020, Quibi splashed out on a Superbowl ad. They were dead by October. In 2022, FTX splashed out on a Superbowl ad. They were bankrupt 9 months later, CEO Sam Bankman-Fried convicted and imprisoned. Good luck.
- Reposted by Spencer LaVere SmithNews from central Jersey: I'm running to represent New Jersey's 12th Congressional District. By entering the fray, I hope to bring ideas of repairing our frayed republic. Not only to defend it in 2026, but to build something stronger, for generations to come! samwang.substack.com/p/entering-t...
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- Nope. There is some strong private philanthropy. Especially for medical research. But the US gov't spends on a huge scale: over $70 Billion (NIH, NSF, DOE) on research. There are only about 18 people in the US with that kind of net worth, and the US is spending this EVERY YEAR. (1/3)
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- "in all but a handful of cases, those judges have ruled that the Trump administration violated the law, sometimes flagrantly." @kyledcheney.bsky.social reporting www.politico.com/news/2026/01...
- How To Help if You are Outside Minnesota by N.K. naomikritzer.com/2026/01/21/h...
- Reposted by Spencer LaVere SmithMy sister-in-law's dad died last week, in hospice in the VA hospital in Minneapolis. I just learned Alex Pretti was part of his care team. They shot Alex less than 1/2 mile from my niece's house while doing the same observation work that my niece is doing. These are real people. Step up folks!
- About formatting with the new NIH biosketch system. The systems supports html codes. If you need to force a new line or vertical space: <br><br> If you need bold: <b>bold</b> etc... That formatting makes it to the PDF it renders. (But also counts against the character count.)
- All university rankings are all problematic, but some are useful. For example, @ucsantabarbara.bsky.social is (a) free from any medical stuff (like Caltech, UC Berkeley), (b) a top tier research university -- with more "top 1%" publications per publication than many other places (1/2)
- Cytoarchitecture matters. Brodmann was right. I made a quick post about it: labrigger.com/blog/2026/01... and here's a quick summary thread of the quick post. (1/4)
- 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻? "High-resolution activity maps of PFC did NOT align with cytoarchitecturally defined subregions." Key tenet in neuroscience is that cytoarchitectonic boundaries correspond to functional ones. NB: study in the mouse #neuroskyence doi.org/10.1038/s415...
- “The challenge was filed by the American Federation of Teachers.” aft.org They stood on principle and won.
- There is a ton of energy and mobilization out there in the US. Good discipline and communication too. If some political leader took all of that and focused it on specific policy goals, stayed on message, and stayed on camera, something might actually happen.
- Comparing multiphoton (2p/3p) imaging systems is often done poorly. labrigger.com/blog/2026/01... E.g., PSFs can be measured differently by different labs, staining quality is by far the biggest determinate on how multiphoton images will look at depth, and so forth. (1/3)
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- What to do? The simplest thing people can do is to stand on principle. Don’t compromise values thinking that will buy comfort. Those that hoped for that lost both. It’s actually more comfortable to stand on principle. More people want that. You’ve got good company.
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- It's not Snell's law. It's Snel's law. And actually, it's really Sahl's law. labrigger.com/blog/2026/01...
- When you’re going through hell, keep going.
- Reposted by Spencer LaVere SmithSome people were confused by my ICE post. This should clear it up.
- Trust in scientists is somewhat high, but there are people pushing against it. We need to engage and reach out when we can. Discuss evidence, uncertainty, rigor with non-scientists when you have a chance to do so.
- Full survey results show American public have high levels of confidence in scientists while revealing some partisan differences (including on how to fund science), but statements asserting lost trust should be read instead as intentional efforts to degrade trust. www.pewresearch.org/science/2026...
- This is good wording. It's plain. Science is about evidence that convinces experts. Experts are people who have made contributions to a field that colleagues find valuable. Stand on principles. Stand up against political pressure and intimidation.
- Ah! There we go. Some more fractals. bsky.app/profile/rica...
- Go for it, Head-Foot fans!!
- Less than two weeks left to apply for the Cephalopod Neuroscience Gordon Conference! An exciting lineup of speakers and posters, and financial aid is available upon request. 🐙🦑 www.grc.org/cephalopod-n...
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- True. It is also true that some are standing on principle, and it could be helpful to recognize that. @aguscipolicy.bsky.social McKnight Foundation too. www.mcknight.org/news-ideas/m... What are some other foundations, institutions, and societies that are standing on principles?
