Monthly Archives: October 2015

Beertown: anatomy of an American town

Posted on 25 October 2015 by Steve Caplan

Omaha may not be known as a Mecca of the arts, but for a mid-sized Midwestern US city, there is no shortage of good theater. No, it’s not Broadway – although we do get the occasional traveling Broadway show that … Continue reading →

Posted in actor, actors, arts, Beertown, democracy, omaha, Omaha Community Playhouse, playwright, Shelterbelt Theatre, The Motherhood Almanac | Comments Off on Beertown: anatomy of an American town

Asking the Right Questions

Posted on 25 October 2015 by Athene Donald

The quote from CP Scott, long-time editor of the (Manchester) Guardian, elegantly says ‘Comment is free, but facts are sacred.’ As a scientist I like gathering evidence, getting at the facts and so, when Paige Brown Jarreau asked me to … Continue reading →

Posted in careers, hypotheses, interviews, Science Culture | Comments Off on Asking the Right Questions

Voting didn’t feel like enough this time

Posted on 18 October 2015 by Cath@VWXYNot?

There’s a federal election in Canada tomorrow. I’ve always been very interested in politics, but this time around I feel more invested than ever before. Specifically, I want Harper out, with extreme prejudice. (If you don’t follow Canadian politics and … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, Politics, science | Comments Off on Voting didn’t feel like enough this time

Career Trajectories: Not Always Straight and Easy

Posted on 18 October 2015 by Athene Donald

It is all too easy to fall into the trap of thinking anyone who has reached the top of their particular tree has travelled in a straight line from their teenage years on and have had the cards always stacked … Continue reading →

Posted in career breaks, career paths, Carol Robinson, education, Janet Smith, Manchester | Comments Off on Career Trajectories: Not Always Straight and Easy

Gut feeling: colonoscopies are a marvel of modern medicine

Posted on 18 October 2015 by Steve Caplan

About 10 years ago, suffering from some stomach troubles, my family doctor recommended that I do a colonoscopy. I was barely 40 years old, and just the thought Not even ‘pixelated’ — my ‘gut feeling’ is that these images showing … Continue reading →

Posted in Colon, colonoscopy, doctor, gastroenterology, hypochondriac, laxative, Nu-Lytely, polyethyleneglycol, science | Comments Off on Gut feeling: colonoscopies are a marvel of modern medicine

Structural Biology: a beginner’s guide?

Posted on 17 October 2015 by Stephen

I got impatient waiting for my latest review article to come out, so here it is. The scheduled publication date has slipped twice now without the publisher getting in touch to explain why. The latest I’ve heard, after querying the … Continue reading →

Posted in cryo-em, nmr, Protein Crystallography, publishing, science, Structural Biology | Comments Off on Structural Biology: a beginner’s guide?

Looking After the Ada’s of the Future

Posted on 11 October 2015 by Athene Donald

Ada Lovelace Day (on Tuesday) is not just a day for celebrating one remarkable aristocratic woman who dared to break the mould the majority of her female colleagues were content to slot into, it is a day to look forward … Continue reading →

Posted in #Just1Action4WIS, Ada Lovelace, Equality, ERC, microinequities, stereotyping, Women in science | Comments Off on Looking After the Ada’s of the Future

Moving Beyond a Silo Mentality

Posted on 6 October 2015 by Athene Donald

Wherever I turn currently I seem to come up against the questions that assessing interdisciplinary research throws up. Nature recently had a special issue highlighting some of the challenges and rewards, but taking a very broad brush approach. Its editorial … Continue reading →

Posted in committee meetings, ERC, Interdisciplinary Science, refereeing, Research Councils, Science Funding | Comments Off on Moving Beyond a Silo Mentality

The Fresher’s Balancing Act

Posted on 1 October 2015 by Athene Donald

It’s the start of another academic year. For some universities, students have been in residence for some time; for others, such as Cambridge, freshers (undergraduates and graduates) are only now arriving. That of course goes for ‘Heads of House’ too, … Continue reading →

Posted in education, experience, sleep, undergraduate, university | Comments Off on The Fresher’s Balancing Act