Category Archives: committee work

When Should You Say Yes?

Posted on 29 January 2018 by Athene Donald

I am prompted to ask this question by a whole slew of different events and stories this past week. The question is in part a general one about what is good for careers, and in part it reflects gender issues … Continue reading →

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Just Say No (but How?)

Posted on 6 December 2015 by Athene Donald

One of those persistent stereotypes-by-gender is that women are less good at saying no than men. Whether or not you believe that to be true, there is no doubt that many of us – myself included – are less than … Continue reading →

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10 Things to Make You a Better Committee Member

Posted on 13 March 2015 by Athene Donald

I seem to have been sitting through a lot of committee meetings recently, of diverse kinds. Every committee meeting has its own dynamic – a grant-awarding meeting is very different in form from that of some sort of a departmental … Continue reading →

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What’s the point of talking to yourself?

Posted on 1 February 2013 by Athene Donald

Some time ago I had the curious experience of being an observer at a series of decision-making meetings covering different disciplines.  As a mere observer I didn’t have to do any preparation myself, none of this producing scores for the … Continue reading →

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Christmas Letters and Acronym Soup

Posted on 21 December 2012 by Athene Donald

It’s the time of year for writing those Chrismassy round robin letters – or rather it’s a week or two past it, but I am late as usual. I never write simply a single letter and copy it, but try … Continue reading →

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Mentors, Friends and Saying No

Posted on 8 April 2012 by Athene Donald

Who needs mentors? It is clear that when setting out on a career, having supportive mentors can be immensely helpful: people who you can turn to for advice when decision crunch-time comes, or who provide pointers about things you should … Continue reading →

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Progress at MIT

Posted on 27 March 2011 by Athene Donald

This week saw the publication of a report from MIT entitled: A Report on the Status of Women Faculty in the Schools of Science and Engineering at MIT, 2011. This is a follow up report to an earlier ground-breaking report … Continue reading →

Posted in committee work, Equality, mentor, MIT, positive discrimination, stereotyping, women, Women in science | Comments Off on Progress at MIT

Read the Question

Posted on 28 February 2011 by Athene Donald

One of the first things we tell children as they start to do exams is ‘read the question’. As they get more sophisticated we go further, and say think about what the examiners want and how to express key points … Continue reading →

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