Author Archives: Athene Donald

Permission Given

Posted on 8 February 2016 by Athene Donald

This is a post about professional anxiety and what might be done to alleviate it. Consider who asks questions after departmental seminars or conference talks: too often it is the usual suspects (although my impression is that this is getting … Continue reading →

Posted in committees, Science Culture, seminars, speaking up, Women in science | Comments Off on Permission Given

Cambridge University, Widening Participation and the Government

Posted on 4 February 2016 by Athene Donald

What follows first appeared on the Times Higher Education blog platform on February 2nd 2016 (this is the unedited version). At the bottom I add a footnote about further developments since I first drafted this piece mainly regarding Cambridge admissions … Continue reading →

Posted in BAMEs, diversity, education, Oxbridge, widening participation | Comments Off on Cambridge University, Widening Participation and the Government

What’s the Extent of the Problem?

Posted on 30 January 2016 by Athene Donald

I don’t usually recycle my posts, but the time seems ripe to repost this particular one appended below. I wrote it just over three years ago. It asks ‘Just how bad is it?’ referring to the issue of sexual harassment. … Continue reading →

Posted in Astronomy, Geoff Marcy, sexism, sexual harassment, Women in science | Comments Off on What’s the Extent of the Problem?

Telling Stories

Posted on 24 January 2016 by Athene Donald

Last week I went to talk at an event designed to encourage young girls to stick with science post-GCSE organised for local schools at Brighton College. I was paired up with the remarkable Stemettes Founder Anne-Marie Imafidon. She was Red … Continue reading →

Posted in Careers advice, CV, education, GCSE, Women in science | Comments Off on Telling Stories

Confidence, Rebellion and Schools

Posted on 20 January 2016 by Athene Donald

‘A swot and a rebel’ was how Mary Beard described herself when I interviewed her last week for Churchill College (you can listen to the full interview here). She seemed to think this was a common pairing of terms but … Continue reading →

Posted in education, extrovert, faking it, Mary Beard, Science Culture, Sutton Trust | Comments Off on Confidence, Rebellion and Schools

Being Unexpectedly Provocative

Posted on 14 January 2016 by Athene Donald

I have recently returned from a trip to Santa Barbara, to the conference to honour my late mentor Professor Ed Kramer, and San Francisco, where I met up with various alumni and alumnae of my College and the University. In … Continue reading →

Posted in alumni, California, Communicating Science, Ed Kramer, Equality, Miss Triggs, Women in science | Comments Off on Being Unexpectedly Provocative

The Numbers Game

Posted on 9 January 2016 by Athene Donald

If you are the only boy in a ballet class or the only girl studying physics, it can feel uncomfortable. However much what you’re doing may be your passion, it may feel awkward. Quite likely you will adopt some adaptive … Continue reading →

Posted in communication, conference speakers, Equality, minority | Comments Off on The Numbers Game

Armchair Travel

Posted on 2 January 2016 by Athene Donald

One of the best things about the Christmas break is the ability to immerse oneself in books without the endless distracting ping of arriving emails or the intervention of interminable committee meetings (and accompanying papers to wade through). This year … Continue reading →

Posted in book review, Equality, Gloria Steinem, metaphor, Simon Armitage | Comments Off on Armchair Travel

The Season of Presents

Posted on 28 December 2015 by Athene Donald

I have written before of my desire to get my hands on a Pensieve, that wonderful, fantastical creation of JK Rowling characterised as the receptacle described here: One simply siphons the excess thoughts from one’s mind, pours them into the … Continue reading →

Posted in Ed Kramer, mentoring, Science Culture, support | Comments Off on The Season of Presents

The Metrics of Reaching Out

Posted on 22 December 2015 by Athene Donald

In my College we are pleased to see that we are doing well against a specific set of metrics associated with social mobility at admissions. This hasn’t happened by accident, but is down to years of hard work and careful … Continue reading →

Posted in Cambridge University, Churchill College, college admissions, education, Equality, widening participation | Comments Off on The Metrics of Reaching Out