Author Archives: Sylvia McLain

About Sylvia McLain

Girl, Interrupting aka Dr. Sylvia McLain used to be an academic, but now is trying to figure out what's next. She is also a proto-science writer, armchair philosopher, amateur plumber and wanna-be film-critic. You can follow her on Twitter @DrSylviaMcLain and Instagram @sylviaellenmclain

Documentaries – improving and diverting (a wee review)

Posted on August 20, 2015 by Sylvia McLain

I am enamored with Netflix. I am still stuck in my infatuation phase with Netflix and have sadly I have reverted to a teenager (OMG I can watch Netflix whenever I want to!). The existence of Netflix is far more … Continue reading →

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That dumb flag – It’s time to let it go

Posted on June 21, 2015 by Sylvia McLain

I miss my home town. I miss the sound of cicadids on a summer evening. I miss the construction of a fine, Southern sentence. I miss running around in bare feet. I miss catching fireflies and putting them in a … Continue reading →

Posted in Confederacy, Racism, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Cry, cry, cry (for backwards Nobel Laureates)

Posted on June 9, 2015 by Sylvia McLain

So this happened – at The World Conference of Science Journalism, at a lunch sponsored by Korean female scientists and engineers – just yesterday. So as a human being, I am not sure I particularly care what Professor Tim Hunt, … Continue reading →

Posted in Tim Hunt, WCSJ, women in science | Tagged , , | 18 Comments

We’ve all got troubles (including the Open Science Framework)

Posted on May 16, 2015 by Sylvia McLain

Surprisingly to some and not-so-surprisingly to others, we scientists have our own fair share of troubles in the way we perform our day job – bias, fraud, irreproducibility, lost results, bad data management, difficulty in publishing non-conclusive results. We also … Continue reading →

Posted in Bias, scientific publishing | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Women and Minorities have got it good, if they are fictional of course.

Posted on May 4, 2015 by Sylvia McLain

As all y’all know, because I am constantly reminding everyone, I am from Tennessee. I like to think I am not racist and I really sincerely hope I am not racist, but the culture I grew up in has a … Continue reading →

Posted in Racism, women in science | Tagged | 1 Comment

“To generalize is to be an idiot” (William Blake)

Posted on January 11, 2015 by Sylvia McLain

In the 1990s, there was a serial bomber in the USA named Eric Rudolph. Rudolph bombed abortion clinics, gay bars and even the 1996 summer Olympics. To escape the law, Rudolph took to the woods of North Carolina where he … Continue reading →

Posted in freedom of speech | Tagged | 15 Comments

The implications of religion among scientists

Posted on October 6, 2014 by Sylvia McLain

I recently attended a meeting in London – ‘Exploring the implications of religion among scientists in the UK and India’, which is a subset of a larger investigation by Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public policy headed up by Prof. … Continue reading →

Posted in Atheism, implications of religion among scientists, religion, stereotypes in science | 9 Comments

Good bye my old friend

Posted on August 20, 2014 by Sylvia McLain

I met Rick Bigbee, like many people met Rick Bigbee, in Long Creek, South Carolina. He was the head guide for Wildwater, Ltd on the Chattooga River, I was a new guide, intimidated and more than a tiny bit scared. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 5 Comments

My rights are bigger than your rights

Posted on July 2, 2014 by Sylvia McLain

or why corporations are now individuals This past Monday, the US Supreme Court made a decision on Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc.. Under the Affordable Health Care act (ACA; aka Obamacare), profit making companies must provide health insurance for … Continue reading →

Posted in Hobby Lobby, US Supreme Court | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Under the microscope

Posted on May 21, 2014 by Sylvia McLain

This week I attended ‘Circling the Square’ – a conference on science, science communication and science policy at the University of Nottingham (lovely Campus – well worth a visit). I certainly felt in the minority being a physical scientist rather … Continue reading →

Posted in Circling the square, science and the media, science communication, science policy | Tagged , | 2 Comments