Latest posts

Sanexit would make Brexit look like child’s play

Posted on 4 September 2016 by Steve Caplan

For months I have been avoiding a critical civic duty, and have abstained from writing about the political situation in the US. Not from a lack of conviction or interest in the situation. No, I find myself obsessed with the presidential race–so much so, that I check 8 different poll aggregates multiple times a day, to try to reassure myself. Continue reading →

Posted in Brexit, Clinton, conspiracy, Democrats, insults, president, presidential elections, Republicans, Sanexit, Trump, tweet, US elections | Comments Off on Sanexit would make Brexit look like child’s play

Flexible Working or Never Switched Off?

Posted on 3 September 2016 by Athene Donald

A number of years ago I noticed that the secretary to the committee I was chairing was regularly sending me emails late at night. Concerned the organisation was overloading the woman so that she could only catch up by working 10 or 12 hour days, I inquired gently what was going on. ‘It’s my choice’, she said, ‘I like having time at the end of the s Continue reading →

Posted in careers, email, part-time, Pressure, Science Culture | Comments Off on Flexible Working or Never Switched Off?

ICYMI No.7: a day in the life of a naked scientist

Posted on 2 September 2016 by Stephen

In case you missed it last week, I had a segment in the Naked Scientist’s 15th anniversary radio show. Or rather, three segments, based on a day-in-the-life-of-a-scientist piece that I wrote a few months back on the Guardian, that were woven into an hour-long programme devoted to (and titled) Scrutinizing Science.

If you have the time I’d recommend Continue reading →

Posted in communication, History of Science, ICYMI | Comments Off on ICYMI No.7: a day in the life of a naked scientist

Why Didn’t I Become a Biologist?

Posted on 27 August 2016 by Athene Donald

The question in the title is not a rhetorical question. I find it strange when I look back at my early years, why I ended up so convinced I wanted to be a physicist, particularly as there was no family member who could conceivably have talked to me about the joys of physical science.  As I sort through the contents of my late mother’s house, everyt Continue reading →

Posted in birdwatching, careers, education, Hampstead Heath, systematising | Comments Off on Why Didn’t I Become a Biologist?

Book sequences

Posted on 23 August 2016 by Frank Norman

You may have seen some of my #nimrlibrarybyebye tweets, showcasing books that we have been transferring to other libraries. I will write a proper post about them sometime soon. The ‘byebye’ in the hashtag is to signify that nearly the whole of the library stock is being disposed of.  Transferring books to other collections means that pa Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Collections, History, Research data | Comments Off on Book sequences

Library Day in the Life – July 2016

Posted on 22 August 2016 by Frank Norman

The Library day in the life project was a great way to let people know what librarians do. It was an excuse for us to document a day or week in our working life in excruciating detail and, in my case, to inflict those details on the reader(s) of this blog. I joined in the project in 2011 and 2012 but it stopped in 2012 having run its course.  I per Continue reading →

Posted in Libraries and librarians, Library day in the life | Comments Off on Library Day in the Life – July 2016

Stiffening the Backbone

Posted on 21 August 2016 by Athene Donald

As usual the problem seems to lie with the sub-editors. I read a piece in the Guardian entitled  ‘Struggling students are not lacking resilience – they need more support.’ Reading the heading on its own I thought that the article must be going to imply that resilience was somehow an optional extra in life and decided that was rather silly. However, Continue reading →

Posted in education, mental health, supervisions, tutors | Comments Off on Stiffening the Backbone

In which I wave in your general direction

Posted on 15 August 2016 by Jennifer Rohn

Has it really been a few months since my last post?

Holidays are only partially to blame: that covers two weeks. Maybe three, if you count the frazzled week finishing up in the lab beforehand, or the frazzled week on the other end catching up with what I missed (a Dehydrated Incubator Incident, chiefly).

Continue reading →
Posted in academia, Domestic bliss, Gardening, Research, The profession of science, Women in science, Work/life balance | Comments Off on In which I wave in your general direction

Still Feeling like an Impostor?

Posted on 14 August 2016 by Athene Donald

It’s that feeling you get when your PhD supervisor asks you to give your first conference presentation. Or, at a later career stage, when someone suggests you apply for a fellowship. That feeling they must have got it wrong, you’re not the right person, don’t have the right skillset and experience and they’ll very soon find you out as incompetent a Continue reading →

Posted in Communicating Science, Hugh Kearns, Im[pstor syndrome, Science Culture, Stuart Higgins | Comments Off on Still Feeling like an Impostor?

I WROTE A BOOK!

Posted on 13 August 2016 by Cath@VWXYNot?

This excuses my long absence from this and other blogs, right?

And I’m so excited that the cover and the publisher’s page have been finalized so that I can tell you about it at long last!

I was approached last year by a commissioning editor from Icon Books, who publish the illustrated Graphic Guides series. Continue reading →

Posted in blog buddies, personal, publishing, science, Writing | Comments Off on I WROTE A BOOK!