Author Archives: Athene Donald

Appraising the Future

Posted on 11 December 2011 by Athene Donald

Back in those distant days of the Thatcher Government, various changes to the way academics worked were introduced, whose details are rather lost in the mists of time (or at least lost in the mists of my memory). One consequence … Continue reading →

Posted in advice, appraisal, ASSET2010, CV, mentoring, Science Culture, Women in science | Comments Off on Appraising the Future

All Human Life is There (Happy 1st Birthday OccamT)

Posted on 9 December 2011 by Athene Donald

The first part of this statement was once the proud motto of the now deceased and unlamented News of the World. In a friendlier vein, compared with many of the ignorant witch hunts they pursued and the dirt they used … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogging, Occam's Typewriter, Science Culture | Comments Off on All Human Life is There (Happy 1st Birthday OccamT)

Lecture Theatre Habits

Posted on 4 December 2011 by Athene Donald

Last week I attended Anniversary Day at the Royal Society, during which there was a discussion meeting for Fellows, as well as the President’s Annual Address given in an open forum. This venerable body is 351 years old now, and … Continue reading →

Posted in bad habits, education, questionnaires, undergraduate | Comments Off on Lecture Theatre Habits

The Greatest Engineer?

Posted on 1 December 2011 by Athene Donald

Isambard Kingdom Brunel may only have been trumped by Winston Churchill when the BBC prepared its list of top 100 Great Britons, based on a public vote, but I wonder if most people’s perceptions were as hazy as mine were … Continue reading →

Posted in Clifton Bridge, Great Western railway, History of Science, IK Brunel, LTC Rolt, SS Great Britain | Comments Off on The Greatest Engineer?

Cultural Differences?

Posted on 26 November 2011 by Athene Donald

How does the French academic environment differ from the British, particularly for women? Each year a group of us convene at ESPCI  (the École Supérieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles de la Ville de Paris in France) in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Equality, ESPCI, France, Science Culture, Women in science | Comments Off on Cultural Differences?

On Lechery and Other Failings

Posted on 20 November 2011 by Athene Donald

Recently there has been some discussion about ‘what do professors do?’ in the press, with comments from fellow OT blogger Stephen Curry (and on my own blog here), with a major emphasis on leadership, mentoring, teaching and the desirability of … Continue reading →

Posted in recommendations, references, Science Culture, Unconscious bias, Women in science | Comments Off on On Lechery and Other Failings

Seminars that Bomb

Posted on 16 November 2011 by Athene Donald

It’s a strange thing how giving essentially the same talk at different venues/to different audiences can lead to such variable responses. The reasons for this are many and complex, and not always under one’s control; sometimes it is far from … Continue reading →

Posted in audience, Interdisciplinary Science, public speaking, Research, Science Culture, students | Comments Off on Seminars that Bomb

Training for Professors?

Posted on 11 November 2011 by Athene Donald

Recently I was asked to describe what professors do day-by-day in 200 words. I declined; I felt it was an impossible task. Some days are spent being ground down by committees of the sort that sap all one’s energy and … Continue reading →

Posted in careers, education, multi-tasking, science, Science Culture, skills, training | Comments Off on Training for Professors?

Innovating with Sex and Gender in Mind

Posted on 6 November 2011 by Athene Donald

If you are designing seat-belts, who do you design them for? Or if teaching aspiring doctors the symptoms of heart disease and the presentation of heart attacks, whose symptoms do you describe? Clearly the correct answer to both questions should … Continue reading →

Posted in design, gender, Londa Schiebinger, Research, Science Culture, seatbelts, sex | Comments Off on Innovating with Sex and Gender in Mind

Levelling the Playing Field

Posted on 2 November 2011 by Athene Donald

This article has been published in the November issue of Physics World. The Research Assessment Exercise (RAE),which has been used to measure the quality of UK research for more than 20 years, has now morphed into the equally clunky sounding … Continue reading →

Posted in consultation, Equality, HEFCE, maternity leave, outputs, REF, Research, Women in science | Comments Off on Levelling the Playing Field