Monthly Archives: December 2014

Hogma-Nay.

Posted on 31 December 2014 by Cath@VWXYNot?

When I still lived in the UK, New Year’s Eve was always a really big deal for my friends and me. We usually went up to Edinburgh for the huge Hogmanay street party, which involved being out on Princes Street … Continue reading →

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Impressions of Australia

Posted on 31 December 2014 by Stephen

I have been struggling to write something about my trip to Australia in August, my first visit to that great continent and undoubtedly a highlight of 2014. In my determination to get away from the rather banal what-I-did-on-my-lecture-tour-and-family-holiday trope, I ended … Continue reading →

Posted in Australia, science, travel | Comments Off on Impressions of Australia

Losing a Mentor

Posted on 29 December 2014 by Athene Donald

There are usually only a handful of people in anyone’s life who can honestly be said to have had a radical impact on how that life turns out. Yesterday I learned of the death of one of my key mentors, … Continue reading →

Posted in Ed Kramer, inspirational. mentor, polymer science, Research | Comments Off on Losing a Mentor

Empathy, stereotypes and Merry Christmas

Posted on 25 December 2014 by Steve Caplan

Around this time of year, I find myself in public places like grocery stores constantly be wished “Merry Christmas.” This, of course, does not at all bother me (although being Jewish I recognize the significance of the holiday, I do … Continue reading →

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Holiday Snaps (lazy blogging)

Posted on 23 December 2014 by Richard Wintle

In my usual way, with the Christmas break in full sway, I’ll more or less finish of the year with some lazy photo blogging. First up: Toronto’s Eaton Centre with the 1937 camera: And here’s Jill Barber, the mystery holiday … Continue reading →

Posted in Christmas, concerts, downtown, Film, Hobbies, holidays, Jill Barber, Photography, Toronto, travel, Vancouver | Comments Off on Holiday Snaps (lazy blogging)

A Professorial Guide (Updated)

Posted on 23 December 2014 by Athene Donald

In the run up to Christmas I feel I should be posting something light, frothy and cheerful. But somehow a diet of the REF, the Strategy and Innovation review which prompted my last post, as well as more domestic upheavals and … Continue reading →

Posted in departmental committees, professors, Science Culture | Comments Off on A Professorial Guide (Updated)

How to pass your PMP exam

Posted on 22 December 2014 by Cath@VWXYNot?

It’s been a while, eh? Today’s the first day since early September that I’ve woken up without a long list of specific things to accomplish, and it is blissful! I’m on my sister-in-law’s sofa with a big cup of tea, … Continue reading →

Posted in blog buddies, career, conferences, furry friends, personal, science, why I love the internet | Comments Off on How to pass your PMP exam

It’s All about Science Policy this Week: the Good and the Bad

Posted on 18 December 2014 by Athene Donald

There has been much activity on what could loosely be termed ‘Science Policy’ this week, including both the long-awaited/significantly delayed BIS Science and Innovation (S+I) Strategy document (entitled, optimistically ‘Our plan for growth’) and the outcome of the REF2014. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Phd student training, Science Funding, Sir Mark Walport, Sir Paul Nurse, Strategy and Innovation | Comments Off on It’s All about Science Policy this Week: the Good and the Bad

Vanity project

Posted on 15 December 2014 by Stephen

I haven’t written a book. And this is it. Well, I did write it of course.

Posted in Scientific Life | Comments Off on Vanity project

500 dead bumblebees – the chemical blitz of modern farming

Posted on 15 December 2014 by Philip Strange

Earlier this year, Sheila Horne was walking at Hacton Parkway, a public park and conservation area in Havering, East London. April is normally a good time to see insects in their prime so she was very surprised to find many … Continue reading →

Posted in buff-tailed bumblebee, buglife, bumblebees, common carder bee, conservation, epoxiconazole, flusilazole, fungicides, Guest posts, Hacton Parkway, imidacloprid, insecticides, neonicotinoids, pollinators, red-tailed bumblebee, thiamethoxam, tony gunton | Comments Off on 500 dead bumblebees – the chemical blitz of modern farming