Author Archives: Athene Donald

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

Are Things Getting Better for Postdocs in Cambridge?

Posted on 16 July 2017 by Athene Donald

As a recent article in Nature pointed out, housing costs in Cambridge are a significant issue for new recruits to the university. As a city it suffers both from its proximity to London – well within commuter belt, as the … Continue reading →

Posted in accommodation, North West Cambridge, Office for Postdoctoral Affairs, Research, Science Culture | Comments Off on Are Things Getting Better for Postdocs in Cambridge?

The Importance of Finding Nothing Out

Posted on 12 July 2017 by Athene Donald

‘Melts in the mouth, not in the hand’: so said a chocolate advertisement from my youth for the predecessor of Minstrels (a discontinued brand called Treets). Melting temperature is of course an important consideration when it comes to the elegance … Continue reading →

Posted in Andrew Cohen, chocolate, Hannah Devlin, Industrial Strategy Commission, Research, Science Culture | Comments Off on The Importance of Finding Nothing Out

Inching Forward

Posted on 7 July 2017 by Athene Donald

This week Cambridge University held its annual Diversity event, hosted by the Vice Chancellor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, always known as Borys. He has been an outstanding leader on this, as on so many fronts, but he is retiring as VC … Continue reading →

Posted in double standards, Equality, Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, The Meaning of Success, University of Cambridge, Women in science | Comments Off on Inching Forward

Visiting the Roots of the Industrial Revolution

Posted on 4 July 2017 by Athene Donald

I managed to sneak in a few days break in Derbyshire between two major College activities. It was good to escape to a less flat landscape than Cambridgeshire can manage and stretch my muscles up the steep hills that the … Continue reading →

Posted in History of Science, quarries, Richard Arkwright, Wirksworth | Comments Off on Visiting the Roots of the Industrial Revolution

The Challenge of Taking Time Out

Posted on 23 June 2017 by Athene Donald

I have been marking exams. However much students may and do hate taking the exams themselves, marking is also a very stressful period for those of us who have to do it. We wish to do it with the utmost … Continue reading →

Posted in exams, grieving, Pressure, Science Culture | Comments Off on The Challenge of Taking Time Out

The Patronising Colleague

Posted on 18 June 2017 by Athene Donald

Patronising and mansplaining are both irredeemably etymologically male. I cannot think of female equivalents. That isn’t to say that women can never be patronising or indulge in mansplaining, but I suspect the frequency with which they go in for such … Continue reading →

Posted in frustration, mansplaining, Science Culture, sponsorship, Women in science | Comments Off on The Patronising Colleague