Latest posts

The Only Woman in the Room

Posted on 1 June 2018 by Athene Donald

As the Master of a Cambridge College it probably isn’t surprising that I get asked to talk about Leadership, and often more specifically Women in Leadership/as Leaders, but there is nothing that brings out the inner impostor in me faster than such a request. I have, after all, never received any training and yet am expected to deliver wise words on the subject by way of training others. Recently I Continue reading →

Posted in board membership, Equality, gender pay gap, Philip Hampton | Comments Off on The Only Woman in the Room

In which Cat Zero arrives on the scene; plus some other literary shenanigans

Posted on 1 June 2018 by Jennifer Rohn

It’s nearly showtime: my third lab lit novel Cat Zero is about to be published! After a several-month delay due to issues of US distribution, I am pleased to confirm an official publication date of Tuesday 5 June!

Yes, that’s next Tuesday! Just today, as I was working from home on various academic tasks, the postman rang the doorbell and delivered a few boxes of books hot off the press Continue reading →

Posted in Lablit, Writing | Comments Off on In which Cat Zero arrives on the scene; plus some other literary shenanigans

Writing, Creativity and Grief

Posted on 28 May 2018 by Athene Donald

What acts are best to provoke creativity? Some poets – from Samuel Taylor Coleridge to Dylan Thomas – seem to have felt that drug- or alcohol- induced hazes may be effective, but I don’t think many scientists would recommend that route. Discussing unanticipated results with colleagues at the conference bar is probably as far as alcohol wisely enters into the scientist’s lexicon of inspiratio Continue reading →

Posted in Communicating Science, Dictionary of National Biography, Sir Sam Edwards, Thomas Edison | Comments Off on Writing, Creativity and Grief

Strategic Developments at UKRI

Posted on 24 May 2018 by Athene Donald

The new super-research council (in UK terms) UKRI that acts as an umbrella organisation – sitting above the seven research councils plus Innovate UK and Research England – launched its Strategic Prospectus a few days ago. Not so much a strategy, more an attempt to set out the steps needed to be taken and the areas to be focussed on as the new organisation attempts to formulate its actual strategy Continue reading →

Posted in Horizon2020, interdisciplinarity, Interdisciplinary Science, Nurse Review, place, Science Funding | Comments Off on Strategic Developments at UKRI

In which a new Doctor is born

Posted on 18 May 2018 by Jennifer Rohn

No, not that Doctor. (Besides, I’m not sure any graduate student would care to regenerate and repeat the experience for all eternity!)

My first PhD candidate, Harry Horsley, recently had his viva. Here he is, about an hour before the event:

Smiles in the face of impending Doom

Continue reading →
Posted in academia, careers, students, The profession of science | Comments Off on In which a new Doctor is born

How might the Athena Swan Process Emerge?

Posted on 13 May 2018 by Athene Donald

When groups of (comparative) strangers sit around a table, it is impossible to predict what will emerge in the way of new ideas. Readers of this blog will not be surprised to know that I think diversity – of background, skin colour, discipline and gender – may all lead to better decisions than a monoculture is liable to produce, but that list should probably also be extended (in academic circles a Continue reading →

Posted in AdvanceHE, Athena Forum, diversity, Equality, letters of reference, Women in science | Comments Off on How might the Athena Swan Process Emerge?

Once upon a time there was respect for scientists…

Posted on 12 May 2018 by Steve Caplan

Some families sit together and watch sitcoms, entertainment, or sports. Not my family; we are the classic science geeks. Two parents who both are researchers with a lab to run, one adult child who is a sophomore microbiology/biochemistry student at university, and a high schooler with a love for all things math and physics and an interest, potentially, in medicine. What do we watch? Recently we be Continue reading →

Posted in Charité, education, Erich, Koch, Professor, Research, science, von Behring | Comments Off on Once upon a time there was respect for scientists…

Book reviews – Knowledge Translation edition

Posted on 11 May 2018 by Cath@VWXYNot?

I realised recently that the “everything I used to blog about is now on Twitter or Goodreads instead” trend of recent years means that I never got around to mentioning my new job!

After ten years of grant writing and project management at the BC Cancer Agency, I moved to a new role at UBC and BC Children’s Hospital in November as a Knowledge Translation Specialist, focusing on epigenetics. ( Continue reading →

Posted in blog buddies, book review, career, communication, cycling, Knowledge translation | Comments Off on Book reviews – Knowledge Translation edition

The best experiment

Posted on 5 May 2018 by Steve Caplan

It has been a long winter, but spring is finally here. It’s a beautiful day, starting from breakfast on the deck, watching the birds over the lake.

IMG_8654

And it’s time for someone who hasn’t done an experiment in a dozen years (at least with his own hands) to pick up–not a pipette–a garden trowel.

Continue reading →
Posted in backyard garden, farmer, Research, science, tomatoes | Comments Off on The best experiment

In which science imitates life, number 365: zones of death in public transport

Posted on 3 May 2018 by Jennifer Rohn

I was waiting for the bus this past weekend, ridiculously early to get my son to his swimming lesson across town. Or so I thought.

We waited, and waited, and Joshua jumped up and down anxiously, looking adorable with his lobster rucksack bouncing on his back, asking over and over, “Mama, why isn’t the bus coming?”

Quite. Continue reading →

Posted in Joshua, Scientific thinking, Silliness | Comments Off on In which science imitates life, number 365: zones of death in public transport