Howard Chen

In just a few short weeks, I will be starting my dream job as a professor of physics, planetary, and space sciences when only a year ago I wasn't even sure if I could finish my PhD. This doesn't feel real.

@TheCosmiChemist Welcome to Asia, the civilized part of the world! Come visit Taiwan when your schedule allows; we'd be happy to host you at ASIAA 😀

I am excited to announce my appointment as Chair Professor at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), effective this summer. I will also hold a part-time, two-month appointment at a major university in Japan, with terms to be finalized. At HKU, I will join a vibrant team of scientists who have established the university as a leader in geology, geotechnics, geochemistry, geophysics, climate science, and planetary exploration. I will lead a new initiative focused on advancing planetary science and the study of terrestrial and extraterrestrial materials, with four core research directions: 1. Stable and radiogenic isotopic variations by LA-MC-ICPMS 2. Noble gas and nitrogen isotopic geochemistry and cosmochemistry 3.First-principles approaches to Earth and planetary processes 4.Experimental cosmochemistry and geochemistry I look forward to working across institutional and national boundaries to foster scientific exchange and collaboration. This new role will allow me to build on existing partnerships and develop new ones across East Asia and beyond. I warmly invite students and researchers interested in joining this effort to get in touch. Finally, I extend my sincere thanks to my colleagues at the University of Chicago for their enduring support and many enriching discussions over the years. @HKUniversity @hku_science @OriginsLab

@ArtCandee Americans and their guns. This won't stop happening

The 20 year-old Florida State University alleged school shooter, Phoenix Ikner, the son of a Leon County Sheriff's deputy whose gun he used, is a Republican who quotes the Bible and made fun of anti-Trump protesters. Not trans. Not an illegal immigrant. Is anyone...anyone at all...shocked it was a white MAGA?

@linminkai @epo_asiaa Awesome! Hope to see you at ASROC this May 😀

Six incoming postdocs to #ASIAA this year. Nice! @epo_asiaa

It's always a good time at Market Day. 🐾😎

Oppenheimer lied to you. He wasn't the hero who saved the Manhattan Project. When his reactor was failing, he needed a Chinese woman to prevent nuclear disaster––that he later erased from history. Here's the true story of physics' greatest cover-up:

Florida Tech’s Ortega Observatory is joining forces with Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex (@ExploreSpaceKSC) to bring enhanced astronomy programs to the Space Coast community through a new portable robotic observatory!

@HappyYugina We're right next to Orlando!!!

I will be in Orlando from Tuesday evening through Saturday morning next week for the 2024 NACE Convention @ Full Sail If anyone is around, I'd love to steal time to learn more about your programs and plans for the upcoming school year!

@sethajacobson I feel bad for all the trainees in the field right now! Getting that first thing funded is the hardest

In a world where many ROSES proposals are now powered by soft-money teams of PhD researchers that can for the same price out compete the proposed objectives of a faculty-student team, the FINESST program has become an even more critical element to supporting NASA's workforce.

Voting for a President in America be like "choose one"

@PetePuleo Congrats!!

So excited to share that I will be starting as an assistant professor in the Department of Geography, Geology, and Environmental Science at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater this fall! Looking forward to teaching and starting up some local paleoclimate research.

@aussiastronomer Congrats!! 🥳🥳 I still remember your talk at ExSS V in NZ, which was definitely one of the highlights!

@kbatygin Just submitted my first ever paper with a student to Icarus!

@IEecologist Any tips on submitting to NSF grants/fellowships!?

@cornerof_thesky @UMDAstronomy @UofMaryland Congrats!! 🥳🥳

Some more exciting news: I will be joining the faculty at University of Maryland’s Department of Astronomy starting Fall 2025! @UMDAstronomy @UofMaryland Tbh I had to google what a terrapin was but I’m so excited to have this cute little guy as a mascot. 😄

@VoltarCH Which journal? This is insane.

Got the worst referee report I ever received. Statements like "A simple look at Figure X does not indicate ... at all, it does not pass a simple sniff test." while we applied a peer-reviewed method to quantify that.

@_astrofaith I'm sorry this is happening to you. I know that your papers are fantastic. In 2020-2021, I was rejected entirely by all the places I applied for PDs and I had delay my defense and try a second round. Keep at it!

i mean this is the phd-student-who-doesn't-yet-have-a-postdoc experience

@miquai Something that should be done daily. We tend to miss the wonders right in front of us =)

My favorite moment was when everyone put everything down and we just applauded the universe 🖤

@AstroThayne @jazztronomy Okay, but my point was that people may believe whatever they want despite overwhelming evidence for the flip side.

@SkepticalBlver @jazztronomy I think a more appropriate analogy here is "you can't convince a core Al Qaeda member that flying planes into buildings full of people is a bad thing"

Matt is being too kind. In addition to being reprehensible, @jazztronomy 's comment is nearing 9/11 truther territory. I swear these people would have cheered on bin Laden after 9/11

@Yoav_Rotman There are also Holocaust deniers and flat Earthers everywhere. It's difficult to have everyone hold the same viewpoint, especially the evidence can support either side. Very sad indeed.

(3/3) I don't expect every organization to output a statement about every tragedy. I do, however, hold my fellow astronomers to a standard of not denying atrocities and supporting rape as a tool of war, which is a litmus multiple people on astro-twitter continue to fail openly.

I personally think this is a great statement, and it brings to light a lot of beautiful things about the astronomical community in Gaza, that I'd personally love to see flourish. (1/3)