Author Archives: Athene Donald

The Summer is Over

Posted on 8 September 2017 by Athene Donald

I have recently returned (so yes, I feel the summer is over) from a few days holiday in places far less flat than Cambridge which provided enough time to sink into the unusual bliss of uninterrupted reading. So, rather than … Continue reading →

Posted in biography, book review, Jan Henrik Schön, migraine, Robert McCrum, Science Culture, William Armstrong | Comments Off on The Summer is Over

Admissions in Balance

Posted on 1 September 2017 by Athene Donald

Last October when I sat at the undergraduate Matriculation Dinner and looked across Churchill College’s large Hall, I was dismayed to see that the proportion of Freshers was very far from a 50:50 mix of men and women. I am … Continue reading →

Posted in Churchill College, education, Equality, matriculation, women | Comments Off on Admissions in Balance

References from the Past

Posted on 27 August 2017 by Athene Donald

It is a standard part of our job and our responsibilities to write letters of reference for students and postdocs, past and present. But I sometimes get very frustrated by those who ask me to write a letter of support … Continue reading →

Posted in CV, letters of reference, Science Culture, students | Comments Off on References from the Past

Laying Ghosts to Rest

Posted on 21 August 2017 by Athene Donald

Many years ago I was invited to give one of the keynote talks at a conference in the USA. I was  young and I was flattered. It was a Conference on Polymer Physics held on the east coast of America. … Continue reading →

Posted in conferences, Equality, Science Culture, self-confidence, sexism | Comments Off on Laying Ghosts to Rest

Choice not Dogma

Posted on 16 August 2017 by Athene Donald

Last week a writer for the Financial Times joined the club of those journalists who seem to think there is some awful plot out there to force young girls to study science. Not so long ago it was Cristina Odone, … Continue reading →

Posted in Angela Saini, Cristina Odone, education, journalism, stereotyping, Women in science | Comments Off on Choice not Dogma

On a Short Fuse

Posted on 10 August 2017 by Athene Donald

I am frequently astonished by the chutzpah some people possess: the willingness brazenly to ask someone else essentially to do their own work so that they, the asker, can make cash. An email that smacked of this landed in my … Continue reading →

Posted in Equality, Mary Beard, name-calling, Philip Hampton | Comments Off on On a Short Fuse

The Sound of Silence

Posted on 5 August 2017 by Athene Donald

There is the blissful silence away from email because you are lounging on a warm beach somewhere (or up a cold and wet mountain, according to taste) with your smart phone resolutely turned off. But the silence only lasts as … Continue reading →

Posted in email, jerks, power games, Science Culture | Comments Off on The Sound of Silence

What Genre Do You Write In?

Posted on 31 July 2017 by Athene Donald

I’ve been reading a surprising amount about conehead crickets recently. An insect I had never previously encountered but which crossed my path, metaphorically, twice in one day due to my bad habit of reading multiple books simultaneously. On my Kindle … Continue reading →

Posted in bumblebees, Communicating Science, Dave Goulson, mark cocker, Science Culture, Writing | Comments Off on What Genre Do You Write In?

You’re Crazy, It’s Impossible

Posted on 27 July 2017 by Athene Donald

Many people get told messages like this.  You’ll never manage this, you’re insane to try that, don’t even think about starting the other…..every reader will have their own particular bête noire version of these phrases thrown at them as a … Continue reading →

Posted in #Ididitanyway, Bernhard Schrefler, Science Culture, Womanthology, Women in science | Comments Off on You’re Crazy, It’s Impossible

Transparency and the Gender Pay Gap

Posted on 21 July 2017 by Athene Donald

The gender pay gap has been much in the news with the revelations about the pay of the BBC’s superstars. Whatever you may feel about the level of remuneration for Chris Evans compared with Andrew Marr, whether you believe one … Continue reading →

Posted in BBC, Equal Pay Review, Equality, Glynis Breakwell | Comments Off on Transparency and the Gender Pay Gap