Monthly Archives: March 2018

A complete curriculum outline. Almost.

Posted on 31 March 2018 by Nicola Spaldin

Having left you in suspense last month, I can now report that we have chosen the modernization option for our new curriculum! Materials Science at the ETH will no longer be taught according to the old materials categories but rather … Continue reading →

Posted in education, Materials Science | Comments Off on A complete curriculum outline. Almost.

Guilty of Rambling On

Posted on 29 March 2018 by Athene Donald

As a PhD student it is an exciting moment when you know you’re off to your first international conference. Whether or not you get to present (either orally or via a poster), there is still a thrill in just being … Continue reading →

Posted in Andrew Keller, conferences, Research, Science Culture, speakers | Comments Off on Guilty of Rambling On

The Potholes in Life

Posted on 25 March 2018 by Athene Donald

As regular readers of this blog will know, I rely on my bike to get me around to the myriad committee meetings I need to attend across Cambridge. It is my lifeline to get me speedily to the railway station … Continue reading →

Posted in alpha male, bicycle, obstacles, opportunities, Science Culture | Comments Off on The Potholes in Life

On quotas in Academia – do we need them?

Posted on 24 March 2018 by Sylvia McLain

As a graduate student I was asked to participate in a `women in science’ group. I refused. I was an old(er) grad student compared to my cohort, my goal was to get in and get out as fast as practically … Continue reading →

Posted in bias, Unconscious bias, Women in science | Comments Off on On quotas in Academia – do we need them?

Sold for a Mess of Potage

Posted on 17 March 2018 by Athene Donald

A couple of weeks back I undertook another trip to Europe. A trip that got extended by nearly a day due to snow which disrupted my travel plans, thereby making it impossible for me to get back to the UK … Continue reading →

Posted in EMBL, ERC, Frankfurt, Janet Thornton, Research, Science Culture, Science Funding | Comments Off on Sold for a Mess of Potage

On ‘lower impact’ publishing – it’s better than you might think.

Posted on 17 March 2018 by Sylvia McLain

Over the course of the last two or so years, I have had a number of personal issues to deal with. Family illnesses, the sudden death of my older brother and some other things (I will spare you the gory … Continue reading →

Posted in impact factor, scientific publishing | Comments Off on On ‘lower impact’ publishing – it’s better than you might think.

In which age is no impediment to scientific discourse

Posted on 13 March 2018 by Jennifer Rohn

Joshua has had quite a few vaccinations in his four-and-a-half years – the usual routine inoculations for standard childhood illnesses and a couple (chicken pox and meningitis B) that are not on the NHS menu. The last time I took … Continue reading →

Posted in Domestic bliss, Joshua, students, Teaching | Comments Off on In which age is no impediment to scientific discourse

What Can I Do? Press for Progress….

Posted on 8 March 2018 by Athene Donald

What follows is a lightly edited version of the address I gave at the joint Churchill/Murray Edwards Colleges ‘Humanist Happenings’ last Sunday, in advance of International Women’s Day today. Today is International Women’s Day, with its theme of Press for … Continue reading →

Posted in Amplification, Bystander, Equality, International Women's Day, Women in science, Women's Lib | Comments Off on What Can I Do? Press for Progress….