Monthly Archives: November 2011

Cultural Differences?

Posted on November 26, 2011 by Athene Donald

How does the French academic environment differ from the British, particularly for women? Each year a group of us convene at ESPCI  (the École Supérieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles de la Ville de Paris in France) in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Equality, Science Culture, Women in Science | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

On Lechery and Other Failings

Posted on November 20, 2011 by Athene Donald

Recently there has been some discussion about ‘what do professors do?’ in the press, with comments from fellow OT blogger Stephen Curry (and on my own blog here), with a major emphasis on leadership, mentoring, teaching and the desirability of … Continue reading →

Posted in Science Culture, Women in Science | Tagged , , | 14 Comments

Seminars that Bomb

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Athene Donald

It’s a strange thing how giving essentially the same talk at different venues/to different audiences can lead to such variable responses. The reasons for this are many and complex, and not always under one’s control; sometimes it is far from … Continue reading →

Posted in Interdisciplinary Science, Research, Science Culture | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Training for Professors?

Posted on November 11, 2011 by Athene Donald

Recently I was asked to describe what professors do day-by-day in 200 words. I declined; I felt it was an impossible task. Some days are spent being ground down by committees of the sort that sap all one’s energy and … Continue reading →

Posted in Careers, Education, Science Culture | Tagged , , , | 14 Comments

Innovating with Sex and Gender in Mind

Posted on November 6, 2011 by Athene Donald

If you are designing seat-belts, who do you design them for? Or if teaching aspiring doctors the symptoms of heart disease and the presentation of heart attacks, whose symptoms do you describe? Clearly the correct answer to both questions should … Continue reading →

Posted in Research, Science Culture | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments