This week two rather different (scholarly) articles about women/girls and science were brought to my notice. One, a study of 14 year old schoolchildren began
‘Girls are more interested in studying science if topics are presented in a female friendly way.’
Or, as the draft press release I saw and which I was being asked to comment on sc Continue reading
I recently read Jenny’s outstanding and insightful commentary entitled “Give postdocs a career, not empty promises” published on March 2 (in your nth favorite weekly science journal beginning with the letter N).
First, I want to voice my absolute support, for what it’s worth, with Jenny’s comments about changing the s Continue reading
The teacher I had when I was seven or eight had a great approach to teaching us our multiplication tables. Sure, we did some rote learning and some whole-class recitals of the tables, but her favourite method was to surprise us with (seemingly) random questions. The class would be in the middle of an English lesson, or making Easter cards, or enjoy Continue reading
Ever have one of those days in which you feel that you don’t fit in with your current local culture? I have those days a lot lately, and I need to download a small rant. Feel free to join in, or commiserate, or tell me to suck it up and deal, in the comments. This is a somewhat US-centric rant, however, so perhaps a little background is ne Continue reading
In many ways Travis Bickle, the disturbed taxi driver in Scorsese’s famous film, is a model of public engagement.
For one thing, he really thinks about his audience. He rehearses in front of a mirror so that he will be fully prepared for his encounters with the people he wants to reach. Legs apart, arms folded, his stance is confident — his b Continue reading
The latest issue of Physiology News, which I edit, is now up online.
I wouldn’t usually plug it so blatantly – I would simply plug it marginally more sneakily, of course – but this issue contains two articles that may be of interest to more than just physiologists.
One, on p 16, is by Dr Peter Wilmshurst, the British cardiologist Continue reading
There is no intelligent life in Cromer. I am only visiting.
Both grants have been submitted, my desk and email inbox have been tidied, and sanity has been (partially) restored. That was one crazy round of CIHR grant applications, even more so than usual, but – as always – we pulled it together at the last minute.
Now that things are getting back to normal, I’ve resumed a new favourite task Continue reading
A nice little old lady of Mrs Crox’s acquaintance came up to Mrs Crox in the street and gave her a pamphlet which she thought might be interesting, as it mentioned me. I sighed – it was Christian literature in which my various utterances on evolution had been quote-mined in support of creationism. Now, if I say so myself, I’ve sai Continue reading
Now, look, if what follows gets a bit sweary, you only have yourselves to blame.
Mrs Crox, who is a journalist who’s been working remotely for ages, is just about to lose her job – and is unlikely to find another, given that all the jobs worth applying for, both intellectually or financially, are in London, even though they could, and p Continue reading
