Monthly Archives: August 2017

You only got it ’cause you’re a girl

Posted on 30 August 2017 by Sylvia McLain

This week there was a fabulous article, by Alison Coil, on the bias against women in the sciences and why men don’t believe it exists. For ‘men’ you could just as well read ‘the establishment’ because we know not all … Continue reading →

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In which I present my third lab lit novel, Cat Zero – out soon!

Posted on 29 August 2017 by Jennifer Rohn

Placeholder cover art…with thanks to Sergei, the neighbour’s photogenic felineI’m pleased to announce the imminent publication of my third lab lit novel, Cat Zero, with Bitingduck Press, a science-friendly indie imprint out of Altadena, California. I have always wanted to … Continue reading →

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Nostalgia

Posted on 27 August 2017 by Erika Cule

Erika, undergraduate edition, with a fellow student. I do love how I used to be as an undergraduate. During a clear out, I found an academic diary from the first year of my undergraduate studies.

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References from the Past

Posted on 27 August 2017 by Athene Donald

It is a standard part of our job and our responsibilities to write letters of reference for students and postdocs, past and present. But I sometimes get very frustrated by those who ask me to write a letter of support … Continue reading →

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Laying Ghosts to Rest

Posted on 21 August 2017 by Athene Donald

Many years ago I was invited to give one of the keynote talks at a conference in the USA. I was  young and I was flattered. It was a Conference on Polymer Physics held on the east coast of America. … Continue reading →

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Stop re-writing Confederate History : this includes you Simon Jenkins

Posted on 17 August 2017 by Sylvia McLain

Simon Jenkins published an opinion piece yesterday in The Guardian entitled With every sneer, liberals just make Trump stronger. Jenkins derides those who deride Trump and his supporters and he thinks that Trump missed a trick in criticising the left: … Continue reading →

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Choice not Dogma

Posted on 16 August 2017 by Athene Donald

Last week a writer for the Financial Times joined the club of those journalists who seem to think there is some awful plot out there to force young girls to study science. Not so long ago it was Cristina Odone, … Continue reading →

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We the people have to keep striving for equality and justice for all

Posted on 14 August 2017 by Sylvia McLain

We the people of America, we have a problem with racism. Like many of you, I watched the events in Charlottesville, from the safety of my home, in horror, tears and blinding anger. Ostensibly, these folks are angry that a … Continue reading →

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On a Short Fuse

Posted on 10 August 2017 by Athene Donald

I am frequently astonished by the chutzpah some people possess: the willingness brazenly to ask someone else essentially to do their own work so that they, the asker, can make cash. An email that smacked of this landed in my … Continue reading →

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Beware of the monoculture (why diversity is good for crops and tech companies)

Posted on 8 August 2017 by Sylvia McLain

In the 1930’s, the USA along with a number of other countries, went through a massive economic depression. This was in no small part due to a lack of diversity. Those amber waves of grain, which had only been recently … Continue reading →

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