Author Archives: Athene Donald

Is there a Point in Travel?

Posted on 31 March 2015 by Athene Donald

As my last post makes clear, I have been busy travelling recently. My trip encompassed visits to both New York and Boston, cities which in years past I have visited quite frequently. Boston is delightfully non-American: its streets are not … Continue reading →

Posted in airmiles, Boston, conferences, Hilda Geiringer, Science Culture, Women in science | Comments Off on Is there a Point in Travel?

Reminiscing On my Travels

Posted on 25 March 2015 by Athene Donald

I am often asked, what do College Masters do? Some people seem to think it is similar to being Warden of a Hall of Residence (i.e. sorting out broken light bulbs or disputes between neighbouring students), but it isn’t like … Continue reading →

Posted in alumni, Boston, Churchill College, Communicating Science, New York, Women in science | Comments Off on Reminiscing On my Travels

Words and Images

Posted on 20 March 2015 by Athene Donald

As my last post said, I have been sitting on a lot of committees recently and consequently reading a lot of references. I am pleased to observe that it has been the men round the table who have been complaining … Continue reading →

Posted in Alice Lee, Equality, GillianGehring, Hertha Ayrton, letters of reference, Women in science | Comments Off on Words and Images

10 Things to Make You a Better Committee Member

Posted on 13 March 2015 by Athene Donald

I seem to have been sitting through a lot of committee meetings recently, of diverse kinds. Every committee meeting has its own dynamic – a grant-awarding meeting is very different in form from that of some sort of a departmental … Continue reading →

Posted in committee work, paperwork, preparation, Science Culture | Comments Off on 10 Things to Make You a Better Committee Member

Choosing the Right Criteria

Posted on 6 March 2015 by Athene Donald

A year ago Cambridge University launched its book ‘The Meaning of Success’ and published a letter calling on the HE community to consider what the sector values and should be promoting, figuratively and, when it comes to people, literally. This … Continue reading →

Posted in career progression, Equality, International Woman's Day, Meaning of Success, mobility, promotion, Women in science | Comments Off on Choosing the Right Criteria

Why Can’t a Woman be more like a Man?

Posted on 27 February 2015 by Athene Donald

Last autumn there were some shocking figures released by the Royal Society regarding the new cohort of University Research Fellows (URFs): only two out of 43 were women. Many of us were very disappointed and depressed by these figures. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Equality, Paul Nurse, Royal Society, University Research Fellows, Women in science | Comments Off on Why Can’t a Woman be more like a Man?

Contemplating Education Matters

Posted on 22 February 2015 by Athene Donald

This past week it was announced that I would be assuming the Presidency of the British Science Association (the BSA, formerly simply the British Association or the BA). It is a great honour to be asked to follow in the … Continue reading →

Posted in British Science Association, DCMS, education, Vision for STEM education | Comments Off on Contemplating Education Matters

Music and Disease

Posted on 17 February 2015 by Athene Donald

When one is the parent of a small child it is well-known one catches every bug going, as their own uninitiated immune systems succumb to one cold after another which they can transmit, often with more serious diseases mixed in. … Continue reading →

Posted in academia, Camden School for Girls, LSSO, Micaela Comberti, viola | Comments Off on Music and Disease

I Wish I’d Known Then What I Know Now

Posted on 11 February 2015 by Athene Donald

There are many questions which are easily posed, to which I don’t find answers come easily. One of these is ‘who inspired you?’ (answer: no one very obviously); or ‘why did you decide you wanted to study physics?‘ to which … Continue reading →

Posted in Science Culture, self-confidence, skills | Comments Off on I Wish I’d Known Then What I Know Now

Style Matters

Posted on 5 February 2015 by Athene Donald

I was reading a reference recently and I noticed a sentence containing the word ‘responsible’ twice in the same sentence. I stopped reading and reached for the metaphorical red pen. It mattered not a whit in this context, but it … Continue reading →

Posted in Communicating Science, education, Research, style, Thesis, Writing | Comments Off on Style Matters