Category Archives: book review

The Need to Join the Dots

Last week, I attended an event organised by The Productivity Institute and, more locally, the Bennett Institute for Public Policy, as part of National Productivity Week. The meeting’s theme was Innovation and Infrastructure in the East. Note, despite the recent … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in academia, appraisal, ASSET 2010, Athena Forum, Austrian science, book review, careers, education, Equality, Evelyn Fox Keller, Further Education, gender, growth, natural history, NEETs, Opportunity Mission, Oxford-Cambridge Corridor, People, professional training, promotion, Women's Issues | Comments Off on The Need to Join the Dots

Books of 2024 – a disappointing year

With a handful of notable exceptions, my book reading in the past year has not been an altogether happy experience. I worked my way through 18 titles in all, work being the operative verb in many cases. That low tally … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in book review | Comments Off on Books of 2024 – a disappointing year

Invest in Women: Venture Capitalists and Female Entrepreneurs

Back in 2019, The Alison Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship was published, spelling out just how bad the environment was for would-be female entrepreneurs. She was blunt in the opening words of her introduction “I firmly believe that the disparity … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in academia, Alison Rose, appraisal, ASSET 2010, Athena Forum, Austrian science, book review, careers, Equality, Evelyn Fox Keller, femtech, gender, History of Science, innovation, Invest in Women Taskforce, professional training, promotion, Science Funding, Women's Issues | Comments Off on Invest in Women: Venture Capitalists and Female Entrepreneurs

Bookshelf

Recovery You’re reading again. my brother remarked, last fall. You said you couldn’t read before. I jolted. It was true. When I am depressed I lose the ability to read books. This is one of the worst symptoms. Staring at … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in book review, book reviews, discernment, Faith, Life, Vocation | Comments Off on Bookshelf

Books of 2023

A combination of life’s distractions, ill discipline and slow reading mean that I have only managed to finish 11 books this year. I am almost embarrassed to admit to such a paltry tally. There are people who can rip through … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in book review | Comments Off on Books of 2023

Brief Book Review: Lessons in Chemistry–a novel by Bonnie Garmus

I can hardly keep up with the reading pace of some of my Occam’s Typewriter colleagues (looking at you, Dr. Gee—and I loved the Richard Osman recommendations!), but I have had the pleasure of reading a number of really good … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Bonnie Garmus, book review, inequality, Lessons in Chemistry, misogyny, Research, reviews, science, Women in science | Comments Off on Brief Book Review: Lessons in Chemistry–a novel by Bonnie Garmus

Books of the Year

One final look back before I turn to face 2022. Following a practice started last year, I have maintained a thread of tweet-sized reviews of the books that I read in 2021 – all of them. There are only eighteen in … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in book review | Comments Off on Books of the Year

Books of 2020

I made what I think was a smart move at the beginning of 2020. Instead of waiting until the year’s end and then struggling to recall what I thought of the books I had read, I created a Twitter thread of … Continue reading

Posted in book review | Comments Off on Books of 2020

Books read in 2019

In a kinder, happier age, when I used to write regularly for the Guardian’s science blog network, I would post summaries of the books I had read at the end of each year. Since the network closed in 2018 I … Continue reading

Posted in book review | Comments Off on Books read in 2019

Important Takeaways from “The Discovery of Insulin” for Today’s Scientists

Back in 2013 I visited the University of Toronto for a seminar and was given a very special gift by my gracious hosts: a copy of “The Discovery of Insulin” by Michael Bliss, which tells the fascinating story of the … Continue reading

Posted in Banting, basic science, Best, book review, Collip, discovery, insulin, Macleod, Michael Bliss, pancreas, Research, reviews, science, takeaway, Toronto | Comments Off on Important Takeaways from “The Discovery of Insulin” for Today’s Scientists