Author Archives: Athene Donald

Is this an Insoluble Problem?

Posted on 12 October 2011 by Athene Donald

Previous posts by fellow OT blogger Jenny Rohn (here and here) and me (here) about fellowship funding have sparked a lot of debate and interest. With the report that Science is Vital has just produced for David Willetts described in … Continue reading →

Posted in careers, David Willetts, fairness, fellowships, postdocs, Science Culture, Science Funding, Science Is Vital | Comments Off on Is this an Insoluble Problem?

To Whom I Give My Vote of Thanks

Posted on 7 October 2011 by Athene Donald

Today is Ada Lovelace Day, a day when we are asked to celebrate the women who have inspired us in our scientific lives.  I have to admit that ‘famous’ women such as Marie Curie or Rosalind Franklin have no part … Continue reading →

Posted in Ada Lovelace, Camden School for Girls, education, inspiration, physics, teachers, Women in science | Comments Off on To Whom I Give My Vote of Thanks

Balmy Beginnings, But What Comes Next?

Posted on 4 October 2011 by Athene Donald

Cambridge – like much of the country – was bathed in sunshine, hot sunshine this weekend. It was that weekend when our roads are cluttered up by cars full of suitcases, assorted bulging bags and guitar cases, and with bikes … Continue reading →

Posted in education, Freshers, HE White Paper, University Council, University of Cambridge | Comments Off on Balmy Beginnings, But What Comes Next?

Logic, What Logic?

Posted on 30 September 2011 by Athene Donald

This week I attended the Elizabeth Johnson lecture at the Institute of Physics, given by Mary Curnock Cook, chief executive of UCAS.  Her topic was Gender Maps in Higher Education, and it explored the differences between male and female progression … Continue reading →

Posted in education, Equality, gender pay gap, graduate premium, IOP, Mary Curnock Cook, Women in science | Comments Off on Logic, What Logic?

Nodes and Links

Posted on 25 September 2011 by Athene Donald

This week I was invited to talk at the annual conference organised by Postdocs at the Institute of Cancer Research; the Conference’s theme was Networking and I was asked to talk about how networking has influenced your career and any … Continue reading →

Posted in advice, mentoring, networking, Science Culture | Comments Off on Nodes and Links

Why Should She Do it All?

Posted on 19 September 2011 by Athene Donald

My recent article in the THE about cultural expectations being imposed on young girls (which also appeared as a post here) got a mixed reception in the online comments.  Several seemed to have failed to grasp the central point that … Continue reading →

Posted in Allison Pearson, children, Equality, maternity leave, Ottoline Leyser, Science Culture, Women in science | Comments Off on Why Should She Do it All?

How Do You Know How to Write a Thesis?

Posted on 15 September 2011 by Athene Donald

I wrote my PhD thesis so long ago it was typed for me by someone else based on my handwritten chapters; the diagrams were drawn laboriously and messily by me with a pen, ink and a fair number of smudges; … Continue reading →

Posted in Communicating Science, communication, examiners, PhD thesis, Research, Science Culture, viva | Comments Off on How Do You Know How to Write a Thesis?

Start of Year Shenanigans

Posted on 10 September 2011 by Athene Donald

Having returned from a few days of holiday, I am feeling frivolous. So here is a sketch representing the Start of the Academic Year at the Department of Paintballing The main characters in this sketch are described in a previous … Continue reading →

Posted in REF, Science Culture, staff meeting | Comments Off on Start of Year Shenanigans

Some Things Never Change

Posted on 5 September 2011 by Athene Donald

One of the enjoyable consequences of carrying out reading tasks for publishers, is that often one can be paid ‘in kind’ with a miscellaneous collection of books up to some market value considerably more than any cheque they might otherwise … Continue reading →

Posted in Adam Sedgwick, David Elliston Allen, History of Science, Life in Science, Science Culture, Thomas Huxley | Comments Off on Some Things Never Change

Knocking on Heaven’s Door

Posted on 1 September 2011 by Athene Donald

This book review first appeared in Times Higher Education on September 1st 2011. Knocking on Heaven’s Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate the Universe and the Modern World By Lisa Randall Bodley Head, 464pp, £20.00 ISBN 9781847920690 Published 1 … Continue reading →

Posted in Communicating Science, Higgs Particle, Large Hadron Collider, Lisa Randall, Research | Comments Off on Knocking on Heaven’s Door