About Jenny
By day: cell biologist at UCL. By night: novelist, broadcaster, science writer, sci-lit-art pundit, blogger and Editor of LabLit.com. I blog about my life in science, not the facts and figures.
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Author Archives: Jennifer Rohn
In which I am not a science cheerleader
There is something seductive about the scientific profession: it exerts a gravity so powerful that it can hoover all of the surrounding universe into its warped perspective. If you have your heart set on being a scientist, you set off … Continue reading
In which I prepare to be terminated – again
The afternoons are darkening, the leaves are scattering to the ground — and the usual seasonal missive from HR has arrived in my inbox. Actually, although I’m on rolling 3-monthly contracts, I haven’t received this kind of notice in writing … Continue reading
Posted in Careers, Staring into the abyss
16 Comments
In which I powder my nose
It’s rather disconcerting to enter a stall in a public lavatory, sit down – and see your own name staring back at you on the inner door advertising. Does this mean I’ve really hit the big-time? /Ducks in preparation for … Continue reading
Posted in LabLit, Silliness, Writing
5 Comments
In which we excavate the Tubes that Time Forgot
I’ve written before about “the churn”, which is a term established scientists tend to use when they want to make short-term lab contracts sound like a good thing – instead of the relentless waste of talent and reagents and constant … Continue reading
Posted in The profession of science
6 Comments
In which numbers lie – except when they flatter us
Bibliometrics have been making me cross recently. In the past month, I’ve stumbled across two instances where journal impact factors were being used in a grossly inappropriate way to assess the worth and quality of scientist colleagues. This exposure in … Continue reading
Posted in LabLit, Scientific papers, The profession of science, Writing
20 Comments
In which they don’t make authorship like they used to
I recently had the pleasure of helping to judge the Max Perutz Science Writing Prize competition, held by the Medical Research Council in collaboration with the London Metro newspaper. The brief for aspiring young writers was to explain why their … Continue reading
In which fantasy informs reality – and saves the planet
The discussion about what fiction can do for science is best encapsulated by the often heard, emblematic plea: Where’s my bloody jetpack, then? Okay, so the technorati may still be earthbound on Segways while they wait for the price of … Continue reading
Posted in LabLit, Science fiction, Writing
10 Comments
In which we say goodbye
Over the summer, our lab has been invaded by an exotic species with a dynamic life cycle and an all-too-brief half-life. No, I’m not talking about some new strain of uropathogenic E. coli or other variety of bad-assed bug. I’m … Continue reading
Posted in Students, The profession of science
7 Comments
In which a picture’s worth a thousand words
A significant part of the scientific process is documenting what you observe. This activity is not merely a formality for the record. In some cases, it’s not until we study and analyze our results that the experimental situation can start … Continue reading
In which we welcome a new friend
There is nothing like the joy of finally getting a piece of lab equipment that you desperately need. OK, so it was fun messing around with the Poor Man’s Shaking Incubator (see the exclusive video of the prototype in action … Continue reading
Posted in The profession of science
4 Comments
