Author Archives: Athene Donald

Talking to Strangers

I was struck by an article in the Guardian written by Catherine Carr about the pleasure she derives from talking to strangers, which forms the basis of her podcast ‘Where are you going?’ (disclaimer, I’ve never listened to it or, … Continue reading

Posted in Science Culture, Women in Science | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Talking to Strangers

The Things You Don’t Know You Know

It is very easy, at any stage in a career, to look at your peers and think they have everything solved while you are wandering around in the dark. This is, of course, an illusion. They will be looking at … Continue reading

Posted in Science Culture | Tagged , | Comments Off on The Things You Don’t Know You Know

Being Festive about Women in STEM

Last week I attended an event at Murray Edwards College, a Women in STEM Festival. Dorothy Byrne, their President though not herself a scientist (she studied Philosophy at Manchester), had done a fantastic job in bringing together a wide range … Continue reading

Posted in Women in Science | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Being Festive about Women in STEM

Voice: Finding Yours

Last week I was the protagonist in the curious ritual called a ‘post-prandial’ talk at my College (Churchill). In other words, after the whole Fellowship had met for the formal governance activity known as ‘Governing Body’, and after dinner (prandium … Continue reading

Posted in Communicating Science, Women in Science | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Voice: Finding Yours

Beyond the Comfort Zone

Last week started off in unfamiliar ways. I’ve written before about the challenges of doing something for the first time, and this week I had two consecutive days of things that felt stressful and unusual to me. These issues of … Continue reading

Posted in Communicating Science, Science Funding | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Beyond the Comfort Zone