Drew Steen

@drewsteen.bsky.social

1344 Followers 1211 Following

I do science about the ocean, organic carbon, weird microbes and their enzymes. Associate Prof, Marine and Environmental Biology, USC. He/him.

Two black necked stilts in the LA River. Their legs go *all* the way to the ground.
A common wood dove on a stone wall with a truly vapid expression on its face.
Jamie Farr as Corporal Klinger in a elegant but functional pink frock, accessorized with white purse with red bow, earrings, and M1 Garand rifle
Newspaper article from the 70’s with all-caps headline “biologists, ecologists argue”
Sign saying “free fun” with an arrow pointing forward and no further explanation
Screenshot of Merriam Webster game where you take a screenshot of a quickly changing gif to determine your word of 2026. Mine is “preeminent”
Cover of Dire Straits’ perfect 1991 album On Every Street
Tshirt with the text “keep your country nice and clean” depicting a cartoon figure throwing a swastika in the trash
Tshirt with the text “keep your country nice and clean” depicting a cartoon figure throwing a swastika in the trash
A tabby cat sitting on a table with its legs splayed out in ridiculous fashion
Dear Dr. Paxson, As an alumnus (Sc.B. '00), I am disappointed to read of Brown's recent settlement with the Federal government. In my opinion, this agreement represents an unacceptable capitulation to a campaign of harassment by the Trump administration. The terms of the agreement may be defensible, taken out of context. But the context here is important: the Trump administration is trying to bully elite Universities, often using illegal or questionably-legal tactics, as part of its campaign to assume unconstitutional, authoritarian power. As many scholars at Brown could tell you - and many formerly bullied kids will agree - giving in to authoritarians doesn't protect an institution, any more than giving a bully your lunch money today protects you from having your money taken tomorrow. The Trump administration fundamentally does not respect contracts or agreements, and giving away concessions to such an administration does not protect the administration from tomorrow's shakedown. I assume that the Trump administration could destroy Brown University. But it is also possible that Brown University could destroy itself by ceding its autonomy to an authoritarian president. I owe a great deal to Brown, and I would hate to see it destroyed. But I would much rather we go down swinging, defending values that I thought were central to Brown's institutional culture, than to crumple in the face of an authoritarian government. Sincerely, Andrew D. Steen '00
I’m on a small stage on the bow of a ship, giving a graduation speech
A student waves to the adoring crowd after receiving her “diploma” on the bow of a ship
“After inventing calculus, actuarial tables, the mechanical calculator, and coining the phrase “the best of all possible worlds “, Gottfried Liebnitz still felt his life’s work was incomplete.
A screenshot of a Google "People also ask" widget, including the question "Are there 52 atoms in the universe?"
Parked Mitsubishi MiEV, a tiny electric city car. Wikipedia tells me it was the first commercially available, highway capable electric car.
A sign that says “Raven 1”, topped with a steel stylized likeness of a raven, with a real raven perched on top.
A 9 year old girl with an inflatable guitar, in the photo booth of a Knoxville music venue, rocking the fuck out
Banner advertising “Quantim Clinic, A Spa Treatment for your DNA”
Baleful looking black dog wearing a sombrero
Photo of the Village People with Randy Jones, the cowboy, circled
A photo of the University of Otago, which appears to have been stolen from Wikimedia
Cat sleeping face down like a doofus
A small boat with a fisher in silhouette on the Amazon River (or maybe Tapajós) at sunset