Category Archives: Science Culture

Stupid Chemists (perhaps)

Posted on May 5, 2024 by Athene Donald

I’ve recently returned from my annual visit to the High Polymer Research Group Conference, held at the picturesquely named village of Pott Shrigley at the Western edge of the Peak District. This is a conference about which I have written … Continue reading →

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Moving On from a Victorian Ideal

Posted on April 28, 2024 by Athene Donald

I’ve recently been reading How the Victorians took us to the Moon by Iwan Rhys Morus. It’s an interesting book, but what particularly struck me was the Epilogue, which has reflections on how the Victorian way of doing science in … Continue reading →

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The (Damaging) Power of Silence

Posted on March 1, 2024 by Athene Donald

There are many strategies for dealing with an overfull inbox, not all of which are helpful to the person who sent the email. I have weeks where I feel more or less on top of things and other weeks where … Continue reading →

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New Year, New You

Posted on January 14, 2024 by Athene Donald

We all know New Year’s resolutions tend to last no longer than the first week or two, but it does no harm to reflect at this time of year what might improve body and soul as well as output and … Continue reading →

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Being Exceptional

Posted on January 3, 2024 by Athene Donald

One of the books I read over Christmas was the 2023 book by Kate Zernike, The Exceptions. It is a story about that committed band of sixteen female scientists at MIT, led by Nancy Hopkins, who built up the evidence … Continue reading →

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