Category Archives: Science Culture

Pecking Orders Aren’t All They Seem

Posted on June 11, 2023 by Athene Donald

The term, pecking order, may have been coined in relation to poultry, the office boy kicking the cat clearly fits more into the domain of offices, but we all recognize the tendency to know one’s place in a hierarchy and … Continue reading →

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Not Letting the Bad Guys Win

Posted on May 28, 2023 by Athene Donald

An editorial in Nature this week highlighted the widespread failure of academic institutions to deal with reports of wrongdoing and its consequences, published alongside an extensive set of articles about the problems associated with poor mental health in research labs … Continue reading →

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Anxious Times

Posted on May 21, 2023 by Athene Donald

I can still remember anxiously waiting for my first paper to appear. It must have been in 1976, because I know I had submitted the paper under my married name, although at the time the wedding was still some weeks … Continue reading →

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On Being Unnerved – Get out your Velcro

Posted on April 29, 2023 by Athene Donald

Not infrequently I find myself having to give after dinner speeches in my College: to alumni as well as to different parts of the student body. The first time I had to talk to the Freshers, I suspect I was … Continue reading →

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What does the Raab episode tell us about Academia?

Posted on April 22, 2023 by Athene Donald

The resignation of Dominic Raab in the latest Government bullying scandal, and the manner of it, demonstrates many of the challenges surrounding accusations of bullying in any sphere. Bullying is hard to define precisely; one person’s robust retort is another’s … Continue reading →

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