Tami Plein

"Semi-retired" STEM Consultant

[CNN @CNN]

The Trump administration has announced it will dismantle a $368 million deep-ocean monitoring system that provides critical data on the world’s oceans. The decision is sparking alarm among experts that US is taking eyes off the oceans at a dangerous time. https://t.co/VcifYxiYcR

[No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen @NoLieWithBTC]

Scott Pelley issues new statement after being fired by CBS for opposing their pro-MAGA bias:

“New management has instructed me to inject falsehoods and bias into a politically sensitive story. I’ve been told to include assertions that are unverified. To date, in every case, I have managed to ignore these instructions or refuse them.

Recently, politicians have been invited to choose correspondents for interviews on the broadcast. Giving politicians control over 60 Minutes interviews is not how this is done.

Finally, incompetence and unprofessionalism in the new management have wreaked havoc. In a case involving one of my stories, the entire program came within 19 minutes of not getting on the air at all.”

[SAMHSA @samhsagov]

Kids now spend as much or more time on screens than they do sleeping or in school—and what they experience online can impact their mental health. #MHAM2026

@Surgeon_General recently released a toolkit on the harms of excessive screen use. Learn more: https://t.co/XKa2quZBgo

[Captain Mark Kelly @CaptMarkKelly]

Thinking of Sally Ride on her birthday today. Sally’s passion for science and exploration led her to become the first American woman in space. Sally was a talented astronaut and an inspiration for so many young women across the world.

[Rob Sand @RobSandIA]

Privatizing Medicaid hurt Iowans. Costs went up, care got harder to access, and more Iowans were denied the coverage they paid for and depended on. As governor, I'll reverse the privatization of Medicaid so Iowans can get the care they need, when they need it, without breaking the bank. https://t.co/5a57eABcnX

[Texas Instruments Education @TICalculators]

Math teachers, raise your hands ✋ ✋ and cross your fingers 🤞 🤞

You could win the TI-84 Evo! Hurry, sweepstakes ends May 10. ⏰ https://t.co/4lNfSqPcBa

[Barack Obama @BarackObama]

Today’s Supreme Court decision effectively guts a key pillar of the Voting Rights Act, freeing state legislatures to gerrymander legislative districts to systematically dilute and weaken the voting power of racial minorities - so long as they do it under the guise of “partisanship” rather than explicit “racial bias.” And it serves as just one more example of how a majority of the current Court seems intent on abandoning its vital role in ensuring equal participation in our democracy and protecting the rights of minority groups against majority overreach.

The good news is that such setbacks can be overcome. But that will only happen if citizens across the country who cherish our democratic ideals continue to mobilize and vote in record numbers - not just in the upcoming midterms or in high profile races, but in every election and every level.

[Massimo @Rainmaker1973]

Recent studies in neuroscience and psychology are reframing ADHD not merely as a set of cognitive hurdles but as a powerful driver of breakthrough creativity and innovation.

Long stereotyped for difficulties with focus, attention, and impulse control, individuals with ADHD traits often exhibit superior divergent thinking—the capacity to generate a wide array of novel ideas by connecting distant or unrelated concepts. This stems from reduced adherence to rigid mental frameworks, enabling freer conceptual expansion and the production of more original, unconventional solutions than neurotypical counterparts. Heightened mind-wandering, especially when deliberate (purposefully allowing thoughts to drift), acts as a fertile source for this creativity, bypassing conventional boundaries to yield abundant "outside-the-box" insights.

Complementing this cognitive flexibility is a neurological drive for novelty rooted in lower baseline dopamine signaling. This creates a chronic need for stimulation, translating into exploratory, risk-tolerant behavior and a propensity for adventure—qualities that can disrupt routine settings but prove invaluable in dynamic fields. Impulsivity, often reframed as rapid action initiation, becomes a catalyst for pursuing bold ideas and seizing opportunities in high-stakes environments.

These traits align closely with the profiles of many successful entrepreneurs, inventors, and pioneers. In fast-evolving creative and innovative economies, the ADHD brain's wiring for quick associative leaps, tolerance of uncertainty, and motivation through novelty-seeking provides a distinct edge, turning potential challenges into engines of originality and progress.

Emerging evidence from 2025–2026 research reinforces this view: studies link stronger ADHD traits to elevated creative achievements via mediated mind-wandering, intuitive insight-driven problem-solving, and higher real-world inventive output, highlighting neurodiversity's role in fueling societal advancement.

[Maisano, H., et al. (2026). ADHD Symptoms Predict Distinct Creative Problem-Solving Styles and Superior Solving Ability. Personality and Individual Differences (February 2026)]

[Rep. Ted Lieu @RepTedLieu]

Republican leaders rushed a 2 AM vote to let the government spy on Americans without a warrant.

It’s good they failed.

Americans are rightfully afraid of government overreach. We need to prioritize protecting their personal data & not force bills through in the dark of night.

[ABC News @ABC]

Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen said the bipartisan Senate bill would have funded TSA and other DHS agencies “while we continue to negotiate reforms to ICE,” but Speaker Mike Johnson “refused to even have a vote on that in the House and went home.” https://t.co/2OCWPnSIGu

[Massimo @Rainmaker1973]

Richard Feynman's Lectures on Physics are timeless: their main strength is in demonstrating how to reason about physics.

You may not know that all the lectures are completely online:

Vol 1: https://t.co/yDpyRViG61
Vol 2: https://t.co/oEctaDhy2X
Vol 3: https://t.co/eXS03nu9fE

[Kay Schmalen @schma3]

From space to code-breaking, women have shaped STEM. 🚀

Space: Pioneers like Svetlana Savitskaya & Mae Jemison.

Invention: Sybilla Masters held the 1st US patent.

Tech: Ada Lovelace was the 1st programmer.

Science: Marie Curie, 2x Nobel winner.

[Green Eggs and Ham PE @Eileenstrong925]

@AFallsPETeach @MAPEC_Members @SHAPEAmerica Adapted PE Week reminder: today a mostly non-verbal student looked at me during play and said, “I do.”

Two small words. Huge moment.

Movement can unlock confidence, connection, and communication.

Moments like this are why we teach.

[𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐝 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐧 @DrBradJohnson]

We don’t have a classroom management problem.
We have an emotional regulation crisis that teachers are being asked to handle.
Somehow, “classroom management” has turned into:
• de-escalating trauma
• supporting anxiety and depression
• calming panic attacks
• being the counselor, social worker, and crisis team
• carrying emotional loads no one sees
And then we remove the very things that help like
recess, movement, art, play, connection.
Teachers aren’t trained for that.
They shouldn’t have to be.
Classroom management is about relationships, structure, routines, and connection.
It was never meant to replace what families, communities, and systems failed to provide.
And until we stop offloading every societal failure onto schools,
teachers will keep drowning under expectations no human can meet.

[Tami Plein @TamiPlein]

Awesome engagement with ⁦@TICalculators⁩ ⁦@EllenSBrowne⁩ #T3IC

[Rob Sand @RobSandIA]

This is not enough. We’re spending $350M on an unaccountable private school voucher program while constitutionally underfunding our public schools. Iowa kids deserve better. Accountability and transparency now. https://t.co/hyESMfzDw0

[Captain Mark Kelly @CaptMarkKelly]

Big, profitable corporations often pay a lower tax rate than ordinary people like teachers and firefighters. Small businesses are paying more while massive corporations use loopholes to pay nothing.

Let’s close those loopholes and make corporations pay their fair share.

[Iowa Safe Schools @iowasafeschools]

🧵
🚨UPDATE🚨
HF 2121 has now advanced out of subcommittee and is moving quickly to the full House Education Committee, with a committee meeting scheduled the same day as the subcommittee hearing...

[PASCO scientific @pascoscientific]

Implementing OpenSciEd with PASCO
📅 Feb 25 | ⏰ 1:00–1:30 PM PT
Register here👉https://t.co/eSFcizO9Lf
Learn how PASCO supports OpenSciEd with integrated sensors, certified training, LMS connections, and PASCO Portal.
Recording provided.