Author Archives: Athene Donald

Do You Recognize this Person?

Posted on August 3, 2011 by Athene Donald

Since it is the vacation, and few committee meetings are being held, I thought now might be a good moment to revisit the characteristics of Committee Chairs I promised a little while ago . Given the timing, my colleagues are … Continue reading →

Posted in Science Culture | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

An Influx of Visitors

Posted on July 30, 2011 by Athene Donald

This week I found myself standing on the platform at Ely, changing trains there on a day when the trains were actually behaving for once. It was a beautiful summer’s evening, and staring out at the green fields across from … Continue reading →

Posted in Cambridge life | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Interview Skills, Careers Advice and Social Mobility

Posted on July 26, 2011 by Athene Donald

Recently the Sutton Trust published an analysis of the relative successes different schools had in getting students into different universities: Oxbridge, the broader cohort of ‘top’ universities referred to as the Sutton 30, and universities overall.  One of the schools … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Equality | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Myers-Briggs Tests and the Scientist

Posted on July 21, 2011 by Athene Donald

In business, much more than in academia, personality tests are used at different stages of progression.  Additionally they can be used to identify what sort of career one is suited to. One common version is the Myers-Briggs test, which identifies … Continue reading →

Posted in Science Culture, Women in Science | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Mary Somerville

Posted on July 17, 2011 by Athene Donald

Somerville College in Oxford is much better known than the woman it was named after, Mary Somerville, an eminent scientist who had died 7 years before the founding of the college in 1879. Mary Somerville (1780-1872) was a polymath, an … Continue reading →

Posted in History of Science, Women in Science | Tagged , , | 6 Comments