Author Archives: Athene Donald

Holiday Questions in Natural History

Posted on 13 July 2014 by Athene Donald

Last week I escaped to the Shropshire hills and blissfully allowed my brain to stop turning over matters concerning committee-work, exams, grants and other responsibilities past, present and future. Instead I have been exercising my limbs up and down the … Continue reading →

Posted in book review, neonicotinoids, ornithology, red kite, red kites, Science Culture | Comments Off on Holiday Questions in Natural History

Metrics, Fulfilment and Career Trajectories

Posted on 4 July 2014 by Athene Donald

“More effort should be done on understanding people paths. We are too much focused on processes and structures.” JP Bourguignon #esof2014 I was struck by this quote I saw on Twitter from the ERC President Jean-Pierre Bourguignon, because of course … Continue reading →

Posted in academia, careers, CV, DORA, impact factor | Comments Off on Metrics, Fulfilment and Career Trajectories

Moving on from Tokenism

Posted on 30 June 2014 by Athene Donald

Last week much was made of the fact that, finally, all the UK’s FTSE100 companies have at least one female Board member with Glencore, the last to make the grade, appointing the Canadian Patrice Merrin as a non-executive director. Vince … Continue reading →

Posted in Equality, EU Gender Summit, FTSE100, Gendered Innovations, Women in science | Comments Off on Moving on from Tokenism

Well-rounded Students – What does it Take?

Posted on 26 June 2014 by Athene Donald

WS Gilbert thought it was ‘comical…that every boy and every gal… is either a little Liberal or else a little Conservative’ in the words expressed by that bored sentry PC Willis. The politics would be different now, but we in … Continue reading →

Posted in A levels, British Academy, education, International Baccalaureate, Royal Society, Tessa Blackstone, Vision report | Comments Off on Well-rounded Students – What does it Take?

Leadership by Gravitas or Passion?

Posted on 21 June 2014 by Athene Donald

A couple of years ago I blogged about my feelings about leadership and role models. The difference is clear and whereas then I felt OK about being considered one of the latter I had issues with regarding myself as a … Continue reading →

Posted in committee meetings, innovation, leadership, Science Culture | Comments Off on Leadership by Gravitas or Passion?

Leadership by Gravitas or Passion?

Posted on 21 June 2014 by Athene Donald

A couple of years ago I blogged about my feelings about leadership and role models. The difference is clear and whereas then I felt OK about being considered one of the latter I had issues with regarding myself as a … Continue reading →

Posted in committee meetings, innovation, leadership, passion, Science Culture | Comments Off on Leadership by Gravitas or Passion?

An Education in Education (and Policy)

Posted on 15 June 2014 by Athene Donald

For the last three and a half years I have been chairing the Royal Society’s Education Committee. Under Secretary of State Michael Gove, education in England has been going through a tumultuous time (other parts of the UK have been … Continue reading →

Posted in education, michael gove, Royal Society, Science policy, SCORE | Comments Off on An Education in Education (and Policy)

Embedding the Gender Agenda

Posted on 10 June 2014 by Athene Donald

I feel as if I have been involved with gender issues forever, but this is just the bad habit one has of reimagining personal history. Probably acting wisely, in fact for most of my professional career I just got on … Continue reading →

Posted in committees, Equality, minorities, Unconscious bias, Women in science | Comments Off on Embedding the Gender Agenda

Student Satisfaction Good, Student Learning Better

Posted on 4 June 2014 by Athene Donald

Reading the responses from students to one’s teaching is all too often painful. Even for a course that has gone reasonably well you will probably get as many panning you for making it too simple as complaining it was impossibly … Continue reading →

Posted in education, evaluations, lectures, Unconscious bias | Comments Off on Student Satisfaction Good, Student Learning Better

Mood Music

Posted on 30 May 2014 by Athene Donald

‘Are you dead or just revising?’ was a telling question I remember seeing as graffiti on a wall in Cambridge many years ago. This is the time of year when that question seems particularly pertinent. Signs abound in college courts … Continue reading →

Posted in offices, revision, Science Culture, silence | Comments Off on Mood Music