Wesley Swingley

Associate prof in microbial ecology, board gamer, movie lover, coffee snob, & indentured cat servant. #astrobiology #microbiology #blacklivesmatter

[Wesley Swingley @WSwingley]

I am so happy to announce our postdoc opening is live! Check it out if you would like to join our @NSF Rules of Life interdisciplinary team studying the relationship between prairie plant roots and soil microbes!
@AndrewLHipp
@MeghanMidgley
@BarberEcology

https://t.co/ErD0SFeo36

[Wesley Swingley @WSwingley]

@HBerganRoller Ankle breakers unite!

[Wesley Swingley @WSwingley]

@DocHPJones @itatiVCS @HBerganRoller Since we're not doing exams, it's harder to talk specifically about studying, but we are emphasizing being engaged and involved and a part of the community. Hoping that will at least get them part of the way there!

[Wesley Swingley @WSwingley]

@HBerganRoller @YuvItescu @Ecol_Evol We definitely need more fun science games!

[Wesley Swingley @WSwingley]

@HBerganRoller @EricBrewe Yeah, it's been awesome, and I'm sure much of the info we teach applies: source types & biases, experimental design, and bringing in lots of speakers to talk about their life, research, and careers.

[Wesley Swingley @WSwingley]

@jmasterbell @megan_mitchem @Momademia @AcademicChatter @904custom Oh my Lord. I write very small, but that makes even me sweat.

[Wesley Swingley @WSwingley]

@jmasterbell @MeghanMidgley That was a fast thread! I must have missed it because I didn't realize @jmasterbell was in my lab. 😉

[Wesley Swingley @WSwingley]

That was a scary coring trifecta! But a great crew and quick work of quite a lot of sampling!!!

[Jennifer Bell @jmasterbell]

Another lovely day @Nachusa with @DocHPJones, @BarberEcology and @WSwingley. The Baptisia alba was looking particularly good in this field and I caught the rarely seen phenomenon of three corers in one quadrat.

[Jennifer Bell @jmasterbell]

It was a nice, but hot, day sampling @Nachusa with @BarberEcology, @WSwingley and @DocHPJones. Ready for more soil sampling tomorrow!

[Wesley Swingley @WSwingley]

@ErinGRowland @wild_ecology @HBerganRoller @meganbarkerase @DocHPJones 🤣🤣🤣

[Wesley Swingley @WSwingley]

@wild_ecology @HBerganRoller @meganbarkerase Optional to start, but we hope for mandatory down the road. And linking this with senior assessment should be cool. Tracking after college is very hard...

[Wesley Swingley @WSwingley]

Very much looking forward to it and terrified at doing things right!

[Jennifer Bell @jmasterbell]

Do you know any cool undergrads that want to come work on soil microbial communities with me this summer? Send them my way! @WSwingley #REU #Nachusa #MortonArb #NIU #SummerResearch

[Wesley Swingley @WSwingley]

@HBerganRoller 👍 very much so.

[Dr. Graham Lau @cosmobiologist]

Am.. Am I a gateway drug to astrobiology? 😀 Ha. It is such an honor and a pleasure to be able to speak with so many early career researchers and to hear about what motivates them and what intrigues them in astrobio. The future is so bright!

[Wesley Swingley @WSwingley]

@SarahTreadwel19 @cosmobiologist Yaaaaay! I'm so happy to be that too. @cosmobiologist is right, it's an awesome honor.

[Wesley Swingley @WSwingley]

@HBerganRoller Lol. So brutal.

[Wesley Swingley @WSwingley]

I'm so excited to bring another member onto the team! @BarberEcology is an amazing person to work with, so it's an easy decision, just apply!

[Nick Barber @BarberEcology]

I'm excited to hire a postdoc to study soil microbial communities in remnant and restored prairies!

Position starts as soon as January. See job ad and application info: https://t.co/9infb6BM5O

Come join our lab group! Or consider if you know someone who would be a great fit.

[Wesley Swingley @WSwingley]

@pia_sen26 A lot of my students get frustrated when faculty don't respond to their emails expressing interest in their lab. I say that's a good sign you don't want to work with that person.

As many have said, the PI and lab environment are by far the most important. Research is secondary.

[Wesley Swingley @WSwingley]

@bielleogy @DocHPJones @waterbarnes @NIUlive @PallaviSingh11 We by no means do things perfectly, but we're always trying to improve! Thanks for discussing a very important issue.

[Wesley Swingley @WSwingley]

@DocHPJones @bielleogy @waterbarnes @NIUlive @PallaviSingh11 Thanks @DocHPJones!!! Yes, our program tries to use holistic review metrics. As a former dubious GPA person myself, I know that there is no one path to success in graduate school.