Author Archives: Jennifer Rohn

About Jennifer Rohn

Scientist, novelist, rock chick

In which I ponder the power of perspective

Whenever you stick your head above the parapet and express a strong opinion in a high-profile venue, it’s almost inevitable that you’ll receive a large number of emails in response. Most of the follow-up I receive tends to be from … Continue reading

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In which I confront a domestic mystery

Some late nights in the lab, that vending machine chocolate bar just can’t fill the snack hole that only a truly grueling experiment can induce. You need something hot, salty and preferably dripping with fat. It’s no surprise, then, that … Continue reading

Posted in Domestic bliss, Nostalgia, Scientific method, Silliness | Comments Off on In which I confront a domestic mystery

In which I set my sights

Even the darkest tunnels tend to have lights at the end of them. In the past fortnight, not only have I submitted my big screen paper – the culmination of four years of work – to a very reputable cell … Continue reading

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In which I look ahead

Wishing something will not make it real. But its opposite is a very powerful force: if you decide something is out of your reach, it’s never going to happen. I am not ascribing some New-Age prophecy or supernatural barrier here: … Continue reading

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In which we rev up again

It’s been a long, cold winter. Science Is Vital has been in hibernation, but now we’re back. After half a year since the government’s Autumn Spending Review, the implications of the science budget’s cash freeze are starting to kick in. … Continue reading

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In which I go native

We scientists are an itinerant bunch, wafting from job to job, city to city and – frequently – country to country, in search of that elusive permanent position. Because of that, our sense of ‘home’ – a place where we … Continue reading

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In which I lose my temper

Late last year I blogged about the new health and safety rule handed down on high from the research council that funds our institute: all staff must wear safety glasses at all times while in the laboratory – regardless of … Continue reading

Posted in Health and safety gone mad | Comments Off on In which I lose my temper

In which I assert my right of interpretation

In doing research for my previous World View piece for Nature about the lack of female science pundits, I came across the notion that women might be discouraged from expressing their views in public in part because they didn’t want … Continue reading

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In which I do my bit

For me, one of the highlights of Science Online 2011 was meeting @HistoryGeek – Holly Tucker, an Associate Professor at Vanderbilt University who teaches French and the history of medicine, and whose upcoming book Blood Work, a tale of murder … Continue reading

Posted in Lablit, Writing | Comments Off on In which I do my bit

In which I ask my due

When has good writing become such a cheap commodity that people seem reluctant to pay for it? I still remember the first piece of proper science writing I ever did. The year was 2003, the place was Amsterdam, and my … Continue reading

Posted in Nostalgia, Writing | Comments Off on In which I ask my due