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Author Archives: Athene Donald
Transferable Skills and Career Paths
I am honoured to have been invited to give the Gareth Roberts Lecture in Durham next month (in the Physics Department), following a long line of distinguished speakers. To be honest, I did not know that he had been associated … Continue reading Continue reading
Posted in careers, Civil Service, Policy, Sir Gareth Roberts, Transferable skills
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New Year, New You
We all know New Year’s resolutions tend to last no longer than the first week or two, but it does no harm to reflect at this time of year what might improve body and soul as well as output and … Continue reading Continue reading
Posted in Churchill College, exercise, muscles, Science Culture
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Being Exceptional
One of the books I read over Christmas was the 2023 book by Kate Zernike, The Exceptions. It is a story about that committed band of sixteen female scientists at MIT, led by Nancy Hopkins, who built up the evidence … Continue reading Continue reading
Posted in Kate Zernike, MIT, Nancy Hopkins, Science Culture, Women in science
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Not Being in the In-Crowd
Recently I was preparing a talk about work scientists may do that is not simply research and it has provoked me to think about when I fell into doing policy work, or at least moving out of the lab itself. … Continue reading Continue reading
Posted in Food Physics, grant panels, maternity leave, Research, Science Culture, Women in science
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Skills and Post-16 Education
In his Anniversary Day address to the Royal Society’s Fellowship last week, the President, Adrian Smith, drew attention to the state of our education system, recognizing that the Prime Minister’s intent to “reform the education system to include some form … Continue reading Continue reading
Posted in Augar Review, Dave Phoenix, education, Further Education, Kelly Vere, T Levels
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Conversations in Amazing Libraries
Remarkably, I have been in three magnificent rooms of books in the last week, starting off with the Wren Library in Cambridge’s Trinity College. The first photo (which I admit I have taken from Diane Coyle’s Bluesky feed) gives an … Continue reading Continue reading
Posted in Communicating Science, Diane Coyle, Mary Somerville, Royal Institution, Tabitha Goldstaub, Women in science, Wren Library
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Talking to Strangers
I was struck by an article in the Guardian written by Catherine Carr about the pleasure she derives from talking to strangers, which forms the basis of her podcast ‘Where are you going?’ (disclaimer, I’ve never listened to it or, … Continue reading Continue reading
Posted in advice, Greyhound bus, Ithaca, Science Culture, therapy, Women in science
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The Things You Don’t Know You Know
It is very easy, at any stage in a career, to look at your peers and think they have everything solved while you are wandering around in the dark. This is, of course, an illusion. They will be looking at … Continue reading Continue reading
Posted in experts, Science Culture, Simon McDonald
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Being Festive about Women in STEM
Last week I attended an event at Murray Edwards College, a Women in STEM Festival. Dorothy Byrne, their President though not herself a scientist (she studied Philosophy at Manchester), had done a fantastic job in bringing together a wide range … Continue reading Continue reading
Posted in Chi Onwurah, Dorothy Byrne, Jocelyn Bell Burnell, Murray Edwards College, Women in science
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Voice: Finding Yours
Last week I was the protagonist in the curious ritual called a ‘post-prandial’ talk at my College (Churchill). In other words, after the whole Fellowship had met for the formal governance activity known as ‘Governing Body’, and after dinner (prandium … Continue reading Continue reading
Posted in authenticity, Carol Gilligan, Communicating Science, giving talks, Maggie Thatcher, Women in science
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