Author Archives: Athene Donald

Men are Parents Too

Posted on 4 September 2014 by Athene Donald

Another shocking headline) graced the pages of the Daily Telegraph this week, albeit apparently only temporarily before removal. ‘Mother of 3 poised to lead the BBC’ it shrieked, a sentence curiously reminiscent of the way Dorothy Hodgkin’s Nobel Prize was … Continue reading →

Posted in Equality, headlines, Laura Bates, Rona Fairhead, tabpp | Comments Off on Men are Parents Too

Whose Responsbility? It’s too Easy to Say ‘Not Mine’

Posted on 27 August 2014 by Athene Donald

Despite the news being full of stories about how minorities are disadvantaged in larger or smaller ways, it is far from obvious that rapid progress is being made. The articles I read are full of appropriate shock at everything from … Continue reading →

Posted in diversity, Equality, faculty, leadership, support, Women in science | Comments Off on Whose Responsbility? It’s too Easy to Say ‘Not Mine’

Why Athletics Resembles Academia

Posted on 22 August 2014 by Athene Donald

Today it’s four years exactly since my first blogpost appeared. Four years of having fun writing about different sorts of things: academic life, committee work and membership, the issues facing women and the joys and frustrations of working at disciplinary … Continue reading →

Posted in academia, advice, careers, luck | Comments Off on Why Athletics Resembles Academia

On the Email Mountain

Posted on 16 August 2014 by Athene Donald

August is a quiet month on the email front. Few committee meetings are occurring to clog up the inbox with their multiple attachments of papers. Plus many people are away from their own computers during the school holidays and they … Continue reading →

Posted in August, inbox, language, Science Culture | Comments Off on On the Email Mountain

Transparency versus Diversity

Posted on 11 August 2014 by Athene Donald

Within the EU, Commissioner Neelie Kroes is leading the push to have a Commission with a female contingent that is at least beginning to be representative of the population. Her call for #TenOrMore women commissioners doesn’t sound unreasonable: it would … Continue reading →

Posted in committee membership, diversity, Equality, nomination, Science Culture, Women in science | Comments Off on Transparency versus Diversity

Mulling it Over

Posted on 6 August 2014 by Athene Donald

Writing. Putting finger to keyboard. Churning out the thesis (or paper or grant proposal). This week’s cartoon in the THE reflected on this challenge of thesis-writing, ending with the punchline ‘Writing: the most impossible short distance in the history of … Continue reading →

Posted in Communicating Science, PhD thesis, prose, Science Culture, Writing | Comments Off on Mulling it Over

It’s the Individual Who Makes a Difference

Posted on 31 July 2014 by Athene Donald

Mentors are often highlighted as being crucial to success. People who look out for you, advise you when you’re feeling confused or lost, who point you towards opportunities you might otherwise have missed and who are there to offer encouragement … Continue reading →

Posted in Lord (Jack) Lewis, mentoring, parenting, Science Culture | Comments Off on It’s the Individual Who Makes a Difference

Parental Leave and Sexism

Posted on 25 July 2014 by Athene Donald

Parental Leave and Sexism There’s been a bit of a twitterstorm about the story of a ‘techie mom’ who overheard a conversation between two presumed IBM executives on the subject of hiring women. Their view was, don’t do it: they … Continue reading →

Posted in Equality, maternityleave, misogyny, paternity leave, techie, Women in science | Comments Off on Parental Leave and Sexism

Llongyfarchiadau!

Posted on 20 July 2014 by Athene Donald

…or ‘Congratulations’ in English. Up and down the country this is the time of year for graduation ceremonies. Proud parents, wider family and friends go along to watch their loved ones briefly smile and shake the (Vice)Chancellor’s hand, or something … Continue reading →

Posted in graduation, Photography, Science Culture, Swansea University | Comments Off on Llongyfarchiadau!

Shuffling Forward in Education

Posted on 16 July 2014 by Athene Donald

This week has been full of surprises in Whitehall. The departure of David Willetts was foreseen. Indeed, it has been predicted just about every time there has been a ministerial reshuffle in the recent past. He will be missed by … Continue reading →

Posted in education, michael gove, ministers, Nick Gibb, reshuffle, Royal Society, Vision for STEM education | Comments Off on Shuffling Forward in Education