Latest posts

Celebrating Success (Even if Progress is Slow)

Posted on 16 May 2012 by Athene Donald

Last week (the lack of) women in science actually made it onto BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, when Lesley Yellowlees – President-elect of the Royal Society of Chemistry – spoke out about the lack of women in her own and other scientific disciplines. She got much coverage in the media in general that day, in advance of her keynote speech at Science Continue reading →

Posted in Athena Swan awards. Leeds University, Equality, Lesley Yellowlees, Royal Society, Science Culture, Women in science | Leave a comment

Playoff Pool & Bracket Results, Round 2

Posted on 16 May 2012 by Cath@VWXYNot?

I suppose I still have to show the results from the second round of the NHL Playoff pool, even though my picks didn’t register and I only got points from the few players I picked in the first round whose teams actually made it through to the second. BAH HUMBUG even though it was my fault (I forgot to answer the tie-breaker and didn’t sp Continue reading →

Posted in hockey pool | Leave a comment

‘The death of british science’? Really ?

Posted on 15 May 2012 by Sylvia McLain

I almost don’t feel I can comment -but of course I am going to anyway.

Today I watched, or rather half-watched via twitter and other media outlets, the protest about
‘the death of British science’.

The protesters, about 100 strong, according to the BBC website, are objecting to the the priority they feel has been given to ind Continue reading →

Posted in Death of British Science, Death to British Science, Science Funding, Science Is Vital, Science policy | Leave a comment

It Has Not Escaped Our Notice #796

Posted on 15 May 2012 by cromercrox

This peculiar notice in Santiago de Chile is reported by our erumpent egregious intrepid correspondent Dr A. C. of that fine city.
Strange situation

Posted in Apparitions, misdirection, Santiago, Silliness | Leave a comment

Thinking about science–what do I look for in a graduate student?

Posted on 15 May 2012 by Steve Caplan

One of the questions that I was asked recently is “What do you look for in a graduate student?”

Just as an aside, that vaguely reminds me of a film I saw some time ago where one character asks another “Have you found Jesus?” The answer, of course, was “I didn’t know he was missing…”

But back to the se Continue reading →

Posted in 24/7, determination, engaged in science, graduate student, Research, science, success, workaholic | Leave a comment

I come from a land down under? Apparently?

Posted on 14 May 2012 by Cath@VWXYNot?

auscan

I’m not sure I’d trust this app to help me navigate around a foreign country…

Posted in idiocy, screenshots, Silliness, technology, travel | Leave a comment

Manifest Sense

Posted on 13 May 2012 by Stephen

Mark Henderson’s The Geek Manifesto is a remarkable book. Though many of its themes are not new, it is difficult to imagine such a book being published as recently as five years ago.

The Geek Manifesto provides a timely analysis of the power that different groups of geeks have levered from the growing sophistication of the of the internet. It Continue reading →

Posted in geeks, Politics, Science & Politics, skeptics | Leave a comment

Art and Science–take 2

Posted on 13 May 2012 by Steve Caplan

Last evening I had a wonderfully unique opportunity to sample a complex mixture of art, science and creativity at the elegant Orpheum Theatre in Omaha (circa 1927)–in the form of modern dance!

If you can spare just a few moments for a few highlights of the performance, please have a look at this video of the Momix Botanica modern dance group:

Continue reading →
Posted in art, author, Books, creativity, in the news, Momix Botanica, Occam's Typewriter, Orpheum Theatre Omaha, science | Leave a comment

To Confront or Not to Confront

Posted on 12 May 2012 by Athene Donald

Just over a year ago I pressed the ‘publish’ button on a post with some trepidation. I felt I was exposing some inner anxieties that maybe were better not exposed. Your collective response to the post in question ‘I can hear you’re getting emotional’ amazed me. I realised the power of speaking out about situations that made me feel very uncomfortab Continue reading →

Posted in complaints, Equality, inappropriate behaviour, misogyny, Women in science | Leave a comment

UPDATED Linked into Vancouver science

Posted on 12 May 2012 by Cath@VWXYNot?

As I’ve mentioned in a few recent posts, the interconnectedness of the (small and young but growing nicely) Vancouver science sector continues to amaze me. At most large work-related meetings and at every sciency social event I attend, I run into a few former colleagues and a much larger number of second- and third-degree contacts – at Continue reading →

Posted in blog buddies, Canada, career, communication, personal, science, technology, Vancouver | Leave a comment

It Has Not Escaped Our Notice Special Double Issue

Posted on 11 May 2012 by cromercrox

Dr R. W. of Toronto sends this image, with the rider “I’m sure there’s a joke in this photo somewhere. I’m equally sure that I don’t know what it is.”
wintlepic
And in other news, Canis Primus Croxorum found this sign on the North Norfolk Coast Path, recently. Continue reading →

Posted in Apparitions, big boots would have been better than crox, Blog Norfolk!, canis croxorum, oy veh my poor feet, rpg couldn't fight his way out of a wet paper bag, Silliness, stiffkey toronto ricardipus | Leave a comment

The (author)shipping news

Posted on 10 May 2012 by Cath@VWXYNot?

(please excuse the rampant self-promotion that follows)

Well well well, what do we have here?

Pathol Rev Pubmed

But wait! Continue reading →

Posted in career, original research, personal, publishing, science, screenshots | Leave a comment

In which we fail to adhere

Posted on 8 May 2012 by Jennifer Rohn

I’m trundling along here in my new lab, still trying to get everything up and running. On the tissue culture front, things have been fraught for some time, what with delays installing the carbon dioxide and nitrogen tanks, with learning how to live in harmony with the experimental prokaryotes sharing the same air space – all while finis Continue reading →

Posted in The profession of science | Leave a comment

To equate or not to equate

Posted on 7 May 2012 by Sylvia McLain

maths

One of our jobs, working in academia, is giving talks. I don’t mean teaching, but rather presenting research. Lately I have had a spate of talks to give, largely as a result of being new in my Department.

Continue reading →
Posted in Maths, science communication | Leave a comment

Collini and Science

Posted on 6 May 2012 by Athene Donald

A couple of months ago Stefan Collini published his book ‘What are Universities for?’ to much interest. This book was reviewed in many places including here on OT by Erika Cule, although overall the reviews were pretty mixed. Peter Conrad for one, was less than enthusiastic in the Observer, concluding

What universities are emphatically not for is t Continue reading →

Posted in book review, education, Research, scholarship, Stefan Collini, Universities | Leave a comment