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Author Archives: Athene Donald
Bin the Past
My last post talked about binning a word, ‘boffin’, but currently I’m literally binning my past. As my former home of the Cavendish Laboratory prepares to move into its shiny new buildings, the Dolby Centre, I need to clear out … Continue reading Continue reading
Bin the Boffin
Speaking personally, I hate the label ‘boffin’. Maybe once upon a time it was seen as a positive, but not any more. The Institute of Physics is running a ‘Ban the Boffin’ campaign, as part of their Limit Less campaign … Continue reading Continue reading
Posted in institute of physics, lumpy custard, media, Science Culture, Stereotypes, Women in science
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Nerves? We (Nearly) All Have Them
Recently I had occasion to watch a young adult preparing to make a presentation. They were incredibly nervous, but when it came to standing in front of the audience little of that was evident. Just a small amount of self-deprecating … Continue reading Continue reading
Posted in Communicating Science, lectures, questions, Science Culture, seminars, timing
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Innovation: New ideas and New people
Earlier this week I had the pleasure of delivering a public lecture with the above title in the beautiful interior of Hereford Cathedral. This unusual venue, a wonderful testament to the ingenuity of medieval builders, was chosen by the Engineering … Continue reading Continue reading
Posted in Engineering Professors Council, Hereford, innovation, Not just for the boys, Science Culture, skills, Women in science
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Pecking Orders Aren’t All They Seem
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 Continue reading
Posted in Cambridge, Dorothy Byrne, heads of house, intimidation, Laurie Bristow, Roger Mosey, Science Culture, Simon McDonald
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What Should I Say to my Kids?
As well as attending the Hay Literary Festival, I’ve been involved with a number of interviews and podcasts over the last couple of weeks relating to the publication of my book Not Just for the Boys: Why we need more … Continue reading Continue reading
Posted in education, Equality, Hay Festival, Maths, parents, School, Women in science
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Anxious Times
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 Continue reading
Posted in bookshops, Communicating Science, criticism, Not just for the boys, reviews, Science Culture
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On Being Unnerved – Get out your Velcro
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 Continue reading
Posted in after-dinner speech, criticism, experience, Impostor syndrome, Science Culture
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