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Lisa Jardine, Health and Sickness

Posted on 1 November 2015 by Athene Donald

Like so many others, I was deeply saddened to hear of the death of Lisa Jardine last week. She seems to have been able to cross many disciplinary boundaries and make an impact on so many individuals and spheres, her loss will leave a huge hole in the cultural and intellectual landscape of the UK. I only met her a handful of times but felt as if we Continue reading →

Posted in hospital, injury, Lisa Jardine, People | Comments Off on Lisa Jardine, Health and Sickness

Beertown: anatomy of an American town

Posted on 25 October 2015 by Steve Caplan

Omaha may not be known as a Mecca of the arts, but for a mid-sized Midwestern US city, there is no shortage of good theater. No, it’s not Broadway – although we do get the occasional traveling Broadway show that comes through – but the endemic talent of local playwrights, directors and actors is quite phenomenal.

This week I had the good fortune to Continue reading →

Posted in actor, actors, arts, Beertown, democracy, omaha, Omaha Community Playhouse, playwright, Shelterbelt Theatre, The Motherhood Almanac | Comments Off on Beertown: anatomy of an American town

Asking the Right Questions

Posted on 25 October 2015 by Athene Donald

The quote from CP Scott, long-time editor of the (Manchester) Guardian, elegantly says ‘Comment is free, but facts are sacred.’ As a scientist I like gathering evidence, getting at the facts and so, when Paige Brown Jarreau asked me to participate in her survey of science blogs it seemed like a good idea. If you haven’t already completed her survey Continue reading →

Posted in careers, hypotheses, interviews, Science Culture | Comments Off on Asking the Right Questions

Voting didn’t feel like enough this time

Posted on 18 October 2015 by Cath@VWXYNot?

There’s a federal election in Canada tomorrow. I’ve always been very interested in politics, but this time around I feel more invested than ever before. Specifically, I want Harper out, with extreme prejudice. (If you don’t follow Canadian politics and aren’t sure what a politician could do to inspire such hatred, this recen Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, Politics, science | Comments Off on Voting didn’t feel like enough this time

Career Trajectories: Not Always Straight and Easy

Posted on 18 October 2015 by Athene Donald

It is all too easy to fall into the trap of thinking anyone who has reached the top of their particular tree has travelled in a straight line from their teenage years on and have had the cards always stacked in their favour. This week I have come across some remarkable examples of those whose lives have not been like that at all. For those who are Continue reading →

Posted in career breaks, career paths, Carol Robinson, education, Janet Smith, Manchester | Comments Off on Career Trajectories: Not Always Straight and Easy

Gut feeling: colonoscopies are a marvel of modern medicine

Posted on 18 October 2015 by Steve Caplan

About 10 years ago, suffering from some stomach troubles, my family doctor recommended that I do a colonoscopy. I was barely 40 years old, and just the thought

colonoscopy

Not even ‘pixelated’ — my ‘gut feeling’ is that these images showing my healthy colon are pretty high resolution images.

Continue reading →
Posted in Colon, colonoscopy, doctor, gastroenterology, hypochondriac, laxative, Nu-Lytely, polyethyleneglycol, science | Comments Off on Gut feeling: colonoscopies are a marvel of modern medicine

Structural Biology: a beginner’s guide?

Posted on 17 October 2015 by Stephen

I got impatient waiting for my latest review article to come out, so here it is. The scheduled publication date has slipped twice now without the publisher getting in touch to explain why. The latest I’ve heard, after querying the editor who commissioned the piece, is that it will be out by the end of the month. But I’ve paid my £500 fee to make th Continue reading →

Posted in cryo-em, nmr, Protein Crystallography, publishing, science, Structural Biology | Comments Off on Structural Biology: a beginner’s guide?

Looking After the Ada’s of the Future

Posted on 11 October 2015 by Athene Donald

Ada Lovelace Day (on Tuesday) is not just a day for celebrating one remarkable aristocratic woman who dared to break the mould the majority of her female colleagues were content to slot into, it is a day to look forward to a world in which women do not feel there is a mould that they are expected to occupy – be it in the world of technology, scienc Continue reading →

Posted in #Just1Action4WIS, Ada Lovelace, Equality, ERC, microinequities, stereotyping, Women in science | Comments Off on Looking After the Ada’s of the Future

Moving Beyond a Silo Mentality

Posted on 6 October 2015 by Athene Donald

Wherever I turn currently I seem to come up against the questions that assessing interdisciplinary research throws up. Nature recently had a special issue highlighting some of the challenges and rewards, but taking a very broad brush approach. Its editorial headed ‘Why interdisciplinary research matters’ rather implied the discerning reader might n Continue reading →

Posted in committee meetings, ERC, Interdisciplinary Science, refereeing, Research Councils, Science Funding | Comments Off on Moving Beyond a Silo Mentality

The Fresher’s Balancing Act

Posted on 1 October 2015 by Athene Donald

It’s the start of another academic year. For some universities, students have been in residence for some time; for others, such as Cambridge, freshers (undergraduates and graduates) are only now arriving. That of course goes for ‘Heads of House’ too, i.e. people like me who are Masters, Presidents, Principals and Wardens. Continue reading →

Posted in education, experience, sleep, undergraduate, university | Comments Off on The Fresher’s Balancing Act