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Do you know Excellence when you see it?

Posted on 23 May 2021 by Athene Donald

Politicians toss around phrases like ‘levelling up’ and ‘build back better’, not to mention ‘freedom of speech’, with gay abandon. Such words sound so positive and authoritative, what could be the problem? As many people have pointed out, however, there tend to be internal inconsistencies, exemplified by the University Minister Michelle Donelan’s statements about holocaust deniers being acceptable Continue reading →

Posted in bias, careers, ERC, grant-giving panels, Matthew effect, REF, Research, Science Funding | Comments Off on Do you know Excellence when you see it?

How Best to Tackle Bullying?

Posted on 17 May 2021 by Athene Donald

How can we make the university sector a more pleasant place to work? Bullying and harassment (whether of a sexual nature or not) are, it would appear, endemic across the higher education sector, for staff and students alike. Every survey highlights the issue as a major problem, deterring many from continuing in the path they had set their heart on and perhaps expended many years of effort in an at Continue reading →

Posted in Bystander, culture change, Science Culture, toxic culture change, wellcome, Women in science | Comments Off on How Best to Tackle Bullying?

Rock

Posted on 13 May 2021 by Henry Gee

There’s been a lot of it about. Musicians, that is, unable to play live during lockdown, finding other ways to express themselves. During the recent hiatus I have become very keen on home recording, and some of the results are available commercially (you can browse them here). Much of this is done all on my own, tout seul, and, what’s more, in the absence of others. An exception has be Continue reading →

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Where are the Women of Yester Year?

Posted on 12 May 2021 by Athene Donald

A few weeks ago I wrote about Mary Astell, a woman from the seventeenth century whose interest and reading in natural philosophy/science was, as has recently become clear, much greater than had previously been attributed to her. I am intrigued by how women in different spheres are now being rediscovered, or their efforts being accorded more respect, than previously. We can’t reinvent the past, or Continue reading →

Posted in Barbara Strozzi, composers, Equality, Music, Sally Beamish | Comments Off on Where are the Women of Yester Year?

An open letter to students of Materials Science and Engineering

Posted on 5 May 2021 by Nicola Spaldin

(first published in The Materialist, May 2021)

Dear Materials Science and Engineering Students,

I congratulate you whole-heartedly on your choice of Materials Science and Engineering for your undergraduate studies.  You are all a whole lot smarter than I am. When I was at your career stage, I had barely heard of Materials Science.  I started out studying Natural Sciences (a bit like our ETH Interd Continue reading →

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Allotment

Posted on 3 May 2021 by Henry Gee

Many years ago when the Gees lived in east London, and I commuted regularly to an orifice office that was located away from my home [fancy! did they still have typewriters? Horse-drawn omnibuses? Public executions? – Ed]  I had an allotment. It was conveniently placed between our home and the tube station, so even on working days I could pop in, especially on summer evenings after work, when Continue reading →

Posted in allotment, Domesticrox, Gardening, Lady Chatterley, Mellors, the joy of digging | Comments Off on Allotment

Giving Due Credit

Posted on 25 April 2021 by Athene Donald

Due Credit

When I was setting out as a young PI, the standard thing to do (on acetates, once we’d moved on from 35mm slides) was to acknowledge co-workers – students or postdocs, or wider collaborators – via a simple list at the end, with affiliations as appropriate. These days, mini mugshots on the relevant slide are de rigeur. It is very nice to see the human face behind exciting results.

Howeve Continue reading →

Posted in bad behaviour, conferences, Research, Science Culture, whistleblowing | Comments Off on Giving Due Credit

In which normal life flickers just ’round the corner

Posted on 10 April 2021 by Jennifer Rohn


Today on a neighbourhood walk with my son, blustery and cold with a few flecks of rain, we passed a window that still had a faded child-drawn rainbow and the advice to “stay safe”. It struck me as rather quaint, like a decades-old newspaper you might find lining a crate of belongings in the attic. A world that was once new and perilous had evolved into a blasé shrug of familiarity.

Continue reading →

Posted in academia, Epidemics, Research, The profession of science, work-life balance | Comments Off on In which normal life flickers just ’round the corner

Egg

Posted on 31 March 2021 by Henry Gee

This is a egg.

A egg. Recently.

Now, you might say, so what, that looks just like any old egg. Continue reading →

Posted in Domesticrox | Comments Off on Egg

Red Tape

Posted on 28 March 2021 by Athene Donald

The announcement of a review of bureaucratic red tape in universities may bring either a smile of relief or a hollow laugh. Why are universities (and funding bodies) so entangled in this nasty stuff? Is it because they love to hire lots of makeweight administrators regardless of need (I think not!), or is it because the Government imposes endless layers of regulatory checks and balances? Once upon Continue reading →

Posted in Athena Swan, Equality, forms, panels, Science Culture, Science Funding, UKRI | Comments Off on Red Tape