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The Case for Support

Posted on 4 January 2012 by Stephen

If you are a scientist and you want some money to spend on research, as part of the grant application you have to write a case for support. It has to be good. You need to describe why the problem you are working on is important and to explain, in considerable detail, what you hope to do and how you will go about achieving it. To maximise your chanc Continue reading →

Posted in science, Science & Politics, Science policy, willetts | Comments Off on The Case for Support

On condoms [11]

Posted on 4 January 2012 by rpg

“Why,” I thought as I pulled a cucumber from the salad drawer this morning, “is it that cucumbers always wear condoms?”

Tears 2

This is something that’s puzzled me for about twenty years now, ever since one Saturday morning about twenty years ago. I’d gone to the farmshop round the corner from my parents’ house to Continue reading →

Posted in condoms, cucumbers, wibbling | Comments Off on On condoms [11]

Nerves? You?

Posted on 4 January 2012 by Athene Donald

A few weeks ago I was asked by my University’s press office to talk urgently to the Daily Mail, where a reporter was wanting some information comparing what life was like for women at Cambridge University in the past and now. As the University’s Gender Equality Champion, as well as having been a student back in the days when there were only 3 colle Continue reading →

Posted in Communicating Science, journalists, media, media training, quote | Comments Off on Nerves? You?

And the readers’ choice favourite comment of 2011 is: [20]

Posted on 3 January 2012 by Cath@VWXYNot?

(Drumroll)

Eva for “I’ve dated someone who showed me a powerpoint presentation about his work on the first date. That should have been a sign, but the topic was actually interesting, so it didn’t put me off right there and then. Unfortunately, his job was the only interesting thing about the guy.”

Continue reading →
Posted in blog buddies, competition, Meta | Comments Off on And the readers’ choice favourite comment of 2011 is: [20]

In which not much is left to the imagination [16]

Posted on 2 January 2012 by Jennifer Rohn

Here’s a sign I snapped during my post-Christmas holiday in Yorkshire. Can you spot what’s wrong with it?

It is a classic example of a violation of a rule that fiction writers refer to as “Show, Not Tell”. Continue reading →

Posted in Writing | Comments Off on In which not much is left to the imagination [16]

A fruitful New Year [3]

Posted on 2 January 2012 by Frank Norman

A display for New Year
In England we don’t have much in the way of colourful New Year traditions. The Scots famously make more of the season, which they call Hogmanay, but in England the traditional choices are:

  1. Go out to a pub and get roaring drunk
  2. Stay in at home and get roaring drunk, while watching inane rubbish on TV
  3. Ignore the whole thing and go to bed earl Continue reading →
Posted in Froth, New Year, Philippines | Comments Off on A fruitful New Year [3]

My best Ph.D. prank [19]

Posted on 2 January 2012 by Steve Caplan

Looking back at 2011, my first year as a blogger and my new affiliation with OT, I find that I have written 96 blogs. That’s probably 96 more than most of you would care to read, so I may try to curb my impulses a little in 2012 and spare you some pain!

One of the things that struck me about my initiation into the world of blogging, is that l Continue reading →

Posted in covers, humor, novels, Ph.D., pranks, Research, science, students, voice | Comments Off on My best Ph.D. prank [19]

Resolving the Resolutions [10]

Posted on 1 January 2012 by Athene Donald

A year ago I publicly made some New Year’s Resolutions, and it is interesting to look back and see what my good intentions were and to what extent I’ve managed to stick with them.

Resolution 1 I will ensure I return all referee reports on papers by the due date in 2011

I’ve not done too badly on this front, largely because I have developed a taste Continue reading →

Posted in cycling, diaries, email, New Year, refereeing, Science Culture | Comments Off on Resolving the Resolutions [10]

FINALLY! (Hockey Pool Update, weeks 12 and 13)

Posted on 31 December 2011 by Richard Wintle

FINALLY… I’m winning!

Unfortunately, so is Cath.

We’ve been in lockstep for both weeks 12 and 13, despite not having a great deal of overlap in our picks. Continue reading →

Posted in Fun, Hobbies, hockey, hockey pool, It'll all end in tears you know, Politics, sssssmokin'!!!, VWXPool, VWXYnot | Comments Off on FINALLY! (Hockey Pool Update, weeks 12 and 13)

Work and Energy [17]

Posted on 31 December 2011 by Stephen

It has been a quiet week in lab woebegone*. Though we have been working to pack up everything for a move across campus in mid-January, Christmas has intervened to scatter us to our homes, where traditionally we have the time to reflect on the year just past and galvanise ourselves for the one to come.

Lab Woebegone

Except that this year I haven’t had the Continue reading →

Posted in GF Watts, Physical Energy, science, Scientific Life, The War on Stress | Comments Off on Work and Energy [17]