Author Archives: Sylvia McLain

About Sylvia McLain

Girl, Interrupting aka Dr. Sylvia McLain used to be an academic, but now is trying to figure out what's next. She is also a proto-science writer, armchair philosopher, amateur plumber and wanna-be film-critic. You can follow her on Twitter @DrSylviaMcLain and Instagram @sylviaellenmclain

Documentaries – improving and diverting (a wee review)

Posted on 20 August 2015 by Sylvia McLain

I am enamored with Netflix. I am still stuck in my infatuation phase with Netflix and have sadly I have reverted to a teenager (OMG I can watch Netflix whenever I want to!). The existence of Netflix is far more … Continue reading →

Posted in documentaries, Netflix | Comments Off on Documentaries – improving and diverting (a wee review)

That dumb flag – It’s time to let it go

Posted on 21 June 2015 by Sylvia McLain

I miss my home town. I miss the sound of cicadids on a summer evening. I miss the construction of a fine, Southern sentence. I miss running around in bare feet.

Posted in Confederacy, Confederate flag, Dylann Roof, Heritage not hate, racism | Comments Off on That dumb flag – It’s time to let it go

Cry, cry, cry (for backwards Nobel Laureates)

Posted on 9 June 2015 by Sylvia McLain

So this happened – at The World Conference of Science Journalism, at a lunch sponsored by Korean female scientists and engineers – just yesterday. So as a human being, I am not sure I particularly care what Professor Tim Hunt, … Continue reading →

Posted in Royal Society, Tim Hunt, WCSJ, Women in science | Comments Off on Cry, cry, cry (for backwards Nobel Laureates)

We’ve all got troubles (including the Open Science Framework)

Posted on 16 May 2015 by Sylvia McLain

Surprisingly to some and not-so-surprisingly to others, we scientists have our own fair share of troubles in the way we perform our day job – bias, fraud, irreproducibility, lost results, bad data management, difficulty in publishing non-conclusive results. We also … Continue reading →

Posted in bias, Open Science Network, scientific publishing, The Trouble with Scientists | Comments Off on We’ve all got troubles (including the Open Science Framework)

Women and Minorities have got it good, if they are fictional of course.

Posted on 4 May 2015 by Sylvia McLain

As all y’all know, because I am constantly reminding everyone, I am from Tennessee. I like to think I am not racist and I really sincerely hope I am not racist, but the culture I grew up in has a … Continue reading →

Posted in racism, Sexism in STEM, Women in science | Comments Off on Women and Minorities have got it good, if they are fictional of course.

“To generalize is to be an idiot” (William Blake)

Posted on 11 January 2015 by Sylvia McLain

In the 1990s, there was a serial bomber in the USA named Eric Rudolph. Rudolph bombed abortion clinics, gay bars and even the 1996 summer Olympics. To escape the law, Rudolph took to the woods of North Carolina where he … Continue reading →

Posted in Charlie Hebdo, freedom of speech | Comments Off on “To generalize is to be an idiot” (William Blake)

The implications of religion among scientists

Posted on 6 October 2014 by Sylvia McLain

I recently attended a meeting in London – ‘Exploring the implications of religion among scientists in the UK and India’, which is a subset of a larger investigation by Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public policy headed up by Prof. … Continue reading →

Posted in Atheism, implications of religion among scientists, religion, stereotypes in science | Comments Off on The implications of religion among scientists

Good bye my old friend

Posted on 20 August 2014 by Sylvia McLain

I met Rick Bigbee, like many people met Rick Bigbee, in Long Creek, South Carolina. He was the head guide for Wildwater, Ltd on the Chattooga River, I was a new guide, intimidated and more than a tiny bit scared. … Continue reading →

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My rights are bigger than your rights

Posted on 2 July 2014 by Sylvia McLain

or why corporations are now individuals This past Monday, the US Supreme Court made a decision on Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc..

Posted in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Hobby Lobby, Inc., US Supreme Court | Comments Off on My rights are bigger than your rights

Under the microscope

Posted on 21 May 2014 by Sylvia McLain

This week I attended ‘Circling the Square’ – a conference on science, science communication and science policy at the University of Nottingham (lovely Campus – well worth a visit). I certainly felt in the minority being a physical scientist rather … Continue reading →

Posted in Circling the square, science and the media, science communication, Science policy | Comments Off on Under the microscope