Monthly Archives: September 2012

Booked

Posted on 17 September 2012 by Stephen

Everyone of a certain pretension likes to think they have a book inside them. I know I do. But I’ve looked and I can’t find it. Maybe it’s in there somewhere but at too early a stage of germination to … Continue reading →

Posted in book review, Open Laboratory | Comments Off on Booked

Urban Heat Islands and Climate Change

Posted on 17 September 2012 by KristiV

A recent story on NPR’s Morning Edition piqued my interest in the urban heat island (UHI) phenomenon, which has been recognized since the late 1980s. In the radio piece, the rather startling claim was made that cities are heating up … Continue reading →

Posted in cities, climate change, London, urban landscape, urban_heat_island | Comments Off on Urban Heat Islands and Climate Change

Is it Ever Safe to Shed the L-plates?

Posted on 16 September 2012 by Athene Donald

I well remember that moment of transition when moving from undergraduate to postgraduate; that moment when my tutor asked me to call them by their first name (perhaps a rite of passage no longer so exciting, since first names are … Continue reading →

Posted in confidence, fear, life skills, Science Culture | Comments Off on Is it Ever Safe to Shed the L-plates?

Most people don’t worry this much…

Posted on 15 September 2012 by Sylvia McLain

is what one of my collaborators told me this week. She was talking about my science, not about my over-arching propensity to worry about everything (although I have that too). I am running a series of experiments, mostly focused on … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic dishonesty, Philosophy of Science, scientific fraud, scientific publishing | Comments Off on Most people don’t worry this much…

On common denominators between scientists and journalists: integrity in dealing with complex matters

Posted on 15 September 2012 by Steve Caplan

Since my recent experience in posting a first blog entitled “Academic Boycotts, Science and Hypocrisy“ on Occam’s Corner at The Guardian’s science blogsite, I have spent a good deal of time thinking about the parallels between good scientists and good … Continue reading →

Posted in academic boycott, conflict, hypocrisy, integrity, Israel, journalism, Middle East, Occam's Corner, Palestinians, propaganda, Research, science | Comments Off on On common denominators between scientists and journalists: integrity in dealing with complex matters

Not quite a book prize

Posted on 14 September 2012 by Frank Norman

It is the season for scientific prizes – this month already we have had the K. J. Zülch Prize, the Perkin medal, the Keio medical science prize, the Balzan prizes, the Golden Goose awards and the Lasker prizes. Science writing … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Lasker, Maniatis, Prizes | Comments Off on Not quite a book prize

Another way to measure your research impact

Posted on 14 September 2012 by Frank Norman

The h-index attempts to reduce a researcher’s output to a single number: your h-index is the number of papers you’ve published, N, that have been cited at least N times. It seems like a broader measure than pure citation counts but is … Continue reading →

Posted in Bibliometrics etc | Comments Off on Another way to measure your research impact

The joy(ride) of delayed gratification

Posted on 14 September 2012 by Cath@VWXYNot?

The first music I loved was my parents’ music – The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, all that. The first music I loved that was my own was, embarrassingly enough, Stock Aitken Waterman pap. In my late teens came Nirvana, Blur, … Continue reading →

Posted in embarrassing fan girl, family, Music, personal, videos | Comments Off on The joy(ride) of delayed gratification

Falling Down the Cracks: The Challenge for Interdisciplinary Science

Posted on 12 September 2012 by Athene Donald

Let’s hear it for interdisciplinary science. Everyone says what a good idea it is. The research councils strategic plans tend to laud it. And yet, and yet….Do they mean it?

Posted in BBSRC, Biological Physics, EPSRC, Interdisciplinary Science, refereeing | Comments Off on Falling Down the Cracks: The Challenge for Interdisciplinary Science

The timers they are a-changin’

Posted on 12 September 2012 by Cath@VWXYNot?

When my parents were visiting earlier this year, my Mum asked me why I don’t wear a watch any more. “I just use my iPhone”, I explained. “But don’t you miss having a watch?

Posted in career, grant wrangling, personal, science, Silliness, technology | Comments Off on The timers they are a-changin’