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Author Archives: Athene Donald
In Praise of Technicians
I was a very ham-fisted PhD student. I repeatedly broke a delicate and crucial piece of apparatus during the early months of my research, to the extent that I almost quit the whole endeavour and withdrew from the labs for … Continue reading
Posted in careers, Gatsby Foundation, Science Culture, Skills White Paper, TALENT, UKRI
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A Throwback to Years Gone By from the Government
Back in 2019 the Committee of Advertising Practice and the Advertising Standards Authority published new guidelines about the problems of gender stereotyping in advertising. The guidelines are clear: ‘These rules state that ads ‘must not include gender stereotypes that are likely … Continue reading
Posted in covid19, Dominic Cummings, Equality, Fawcett Society
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DfE Deluge
As has been noted by many this week, there has been a deluge of output from the Department for Education (DfE), covering many matters that have been in the offing for months if not years. That the response to the … Continue reading
Posted in Augar Review, BEIS, education, Equality, Further Education, Level 4/5
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Are Journal Editors Biased?
Last week a paper by Squazzoni et al appeared, which had analysed submissions to 145 scholarly journals to look for gender bias in acceptances and across the whole editorial process. They claimed not to find it. When I saw the … Continue reading
Posted in publications, referees, Research, Royal Society of Chemistry, Science Culture, Squazzoni, Women in science
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Rethinking Qualifications? It’s About Time
For the second year running our school assessment system is up in the air, for totally understandable reasons. A Levels were explicitly cancelled but the Government seemed incapable of giving a clear answer about this month’s BTec’s, the vocational equivalent. … Continue reading
Posted in A levels, BTec, Charles Clarke, David Goodhart, David Sainsbury, education, skills
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A Playlist for Troubled Times
During the recent weeks and months of staring at a screen, when there is little variety of scenery or (physical) company, I have found music a comforting companion. When I say music, I mean classical music which has been a … Continue reading
Posted in Desert Island Discs, Music, pandemic
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That Was the Year That Was
2020 is a year we are all likely to want to forget, and yet it is likely to be unforgettable. Some can make a little joke about that Does it bother anyone else that next year is pronounced “2020 won” … Continue reading
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Memories of Trains
What a rubbish year this has been, on different fronts. We are in a far worse state than could conceivably have been imagined this time last year and, the start of vaccinations apart, there is little light visible to cheer … Continue reading
Posted in Glenfinnan, health and safety, London, travel
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Why Unicorns Aren’t the Answer
I’ve railed against pinkification, and the ‘gift of pink’ in the past – especially at this time of year when presents, notably toys and clothes, are to the fore for Christmas purchase. I hadn’t realised that books, too, come with … Continue reading
Posted in Books, education, Equality, Fawcett Society, gender stereotypes
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The Need for Bounce
What would you feel if someone described you as a ‘demoralised pile of pulp’? I was distinctly taken aback by this extreme phrase, describing myself – by myself. It referred to the ‘me’ I had been a year previous to … Continue reading
Posted in failure, pandemic, Research, resilience, Science Culture
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