Ben Rush

The @savetheacademy.bsky.social coalition needs a street team! Do you live in Philly, and are you able to hoof it around your neighborhood asking businesses to hang posters in their windows? Add posters to public bulletin boards? Join us! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

If you donated to Josh Turek without realizing he was running on a federally funded trans healthcare coverage ban, you can request a refund of your donation here: help.actblue.com/hc/en-us/art...

(and before one of you jabronis tells me that pumpkins are not an effective organizing strategy, please remember 1) Doing fun things is good for keeping up momentum 2) Sometimes people need a little excuse to make a post, and a dino pumpkin is a solid excuse)

We’re encouraging people to carve #SaveTheAcademy pumpkins and then post them tagging @acadnatsci.bsky.social and Drexel (who isn’t on here), to continue the point that we’re not giving up. Get some templates and take action at save-the-academy.org (scroll down to find templates).

We at Skype a Scientist are deeply troubled by the closure of the Academy of Natural Sciences. We urge you to contact Drexel University Leadership and Academy interim leader Trish Wellenbach to urge them to reopen the museum. President Merlo president@Drexel.edu Trish Wellenbach tw958@drexel.edu

Our coalition released a statement last night. If you want talking point inspiration please read save-the-academy.org/statement.html

Write a statement as a lab. Have your students sign it too. Science is eroding, public science ed. worst of all. If we shrug our shoulders & say “bummer”, nothing will improve. I know you’re tired. The slog of misery is exhausting. But I’m begging you to use your voice for the people of my city.

I cannot overemphasize that this is a fight we can win, but we need as many voices as possible here. The kids of Philly cannot afford to lose our flagship biodiversity museum. The Philly school district closed 17 schools this year. We need to turn this around for our kids and the culture of Philly.

Post them on social media. Tag Drexel in those posts. Send to President Merlo president@drexel.edu And Trish Wellenbach tw958@drexel.edu The pressure is working and we need to push it over the edge. It’s not enough, but it’s getting better. Please please take action this weekend, academics.

If you are part of an academic society or a professor of any kind, public statements that you do not condone Drexel cutting off the academy of natural sciences from the public of Philadelphia is very important right now. We need your voices. Urgently.

Hearing about the incredible career of Dr. Ruth Patrick at today's mid-Atlantic @freshwaterscience.bsky.social meeting made it even clearer that keeping ANS going is crucial.

Make that 4:30-6:30. Drexel board gets there at 5. Based on info we currently have.

🚨🚨Emergency protest🚨🚨 The Drexel board will be at the constitution center in Old City (525 Arch St, Philadelphia, PA 19106) from 5-6. We're asking Drexel to disaffiliate from the Academy of Nat Sci to allow them to negotiate what's best for them w/o Drexel interference. Be there.

Especially happy with how this panel turned out

Today was incredible. The fight to save the academy of natural sciences is far from Over

Yes it will be raining cats and dogs. Yes we are doing this anyway.

Anybody who would decide to close this museum does not have Philadelphia’s best interests at heart.

We’re not going down without a fight

Add an anecdote if you can, and finish with saying that you do not want the public facing museum to close. Send to tw958@drexel.edu We heard FROM HER that this is important. Now get typing!!

The Academy of Natural Sciences is based in Philly, of course, but its collections matter internationally. Make that clear to Drexel President Merlo. Be polite but firm. Phone: 215 895 2100 Again- they think this will blow over. We need to get louder. Make it clear that we won't accept this.

Can't make it this weekend? Contact Josh Shaprio's Office Phone:717-787-2500 And Mayor Parker's Office Phone Phone: (215) 686-2181 City council is with us. Drexel thinks we're going to give up. Leadership thinks this will just blow over and they can cash out. Do not let that happen.

So let’s lock in. Go to the website, make your daily calls and emails. We will have more updates and action items in the coming hours and days.🐚 This is doable. Together we can and will save this museum.🐢

6. This is the oldest natural history museum in the Americas. It’s survived the Civil War, countless economic crises, and both World Wars.🦈

5. We’re getting louder. Keep taking the actions on our website. Keep calling, emailing, and emphasizing to our leaders: “this CANNOT happen.”🌱

4. Philadelphia City Council has called for an investigation. Now it’s time to: - set the hearing, - open the books, - freeze the assets, and, - save the public museum🐝

3. This city does the impossible all the time. This city wins Super Bowls. This city has put together $68 million before to save one painting. This city poured hundreds of millions into controversially moving the Barnes.🦅

2. The Academy’s attendance has soared. Over 10,000 people each weekend. There is absolutely no reason why the funds from that could not keep the public museum open longer.🫎

1. Little money is being saved by closing the public museum, and it’s HUGELY unpopular. Even if they want to sell the building, moving the collections will take years.🦖

We have *six days* left until the Academy of Natural Sciences, North America's oldest Natural History museum, is scheduled to close it's doors. Here are *six reasons* why we cannot - and will not- let that happen.

Listen, folks, please stop sharing gen A.I. images even if you're making fun of them. Not just because you're still propagating it, but because I get really bad eye strain when I see A.I. images and it takes me out for half a day. My job is drawing comics, why would you hurt me like that???

I am so happy, my favorite Shamisen artists posted a video, they haven't been as prolific lately, so every post is a treasure www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLVR...

I'm taking a few minutes to enjoy some fried cheese. If'n y'all decide to burn down the capitalist empires… rock on, I'll be with you momentarily

“you still got my support, but you gotta do something” 🐆💀

Perspective.

So we want to livestream the rally tomorrow from the Save The Academy instagram account, but the accounts needs 1000 followers to allow livestreaming. Please please please can everyone go follow this instagram account? www.instagram.com/savetheacade...

We rely on a mix of merch and donations to do our work, it's about a 50/50 split. IF you can support us monthly, that would be incredible. If you can toss us $10 one time, that's also great! I refuse to let the lean times in science funding stop our work. givebutter.com/SupportSAS26

Snail Facts! Get your snail facts heeeeere! Scratch a shell a day for a fact about snails! There's been a lot of talk this week about university and government failure to fund critical institutions. Keep @skypeascientist.bsky.social afloat while having fun learning about snails 🐌 SquidFacts.net

Please repost! Drexel announced that it will close the Academy of Natural Sciences public museum- the oldest nat history museum in the US. There are 2 petitions to support the academy. Please sign both & come to our rally Tues. actionnetwork.org/petitions/pe... www.change.org/p/the-academ...

Attention Philadelphia! We're hosting a rally to demand that Drexel University maintain The Academy of Natural Sciences Museum open to the public. Join us on Tuesday morning at 10am in front of the academy. Please spread the word, we need all hands on deck! RSVP here: luma.com/1qwnrqz2

Post-war Japanese politics inhibit paleontological research, to Tokyo’s detriment

When I wake up tomorrow, I will be driving my oldest to their first year of college… This is stressful and weird They won't be a regular member of our home for the first time in 18 years. I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about that Wish us luck or best vibes or whatever is your jam

Every interview with an actor from the new Harry Potter series youtube.com/shorts/QVyIw...

It’s such a wonderful thing to love

I don't think we should mince words. Transphobia and hatred killed May Pollard. The Idaho legislature killed her as surely as if they'd pointed a gun at her head and pulled the trigger. Anti-trans laws were the gun. www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...

Oklahoma: DONE! Jersey: DONE! That brings us to the final 10 states. FL 66 NY 60 TX 47 GA 36 IL 29 VA 25 MI 21 CT 11 IN 8 SC 3 givebutter.com/USS2026