Author Archives: Cath@VWXYNot?

About Cath@VWXYNot?

"one of the sillier science bloggers [...] I thought I should give a warning to the more staid members of the community." - Bob O'Hara, December 2010

On having a heart and using my voice

Posted on March 6, 2012 by Cath@VWXYNot?

I recently updated the photo on my UK drivers license, and had the new card sent to my parents’ address. They received it a few weeks ago and couriered it back to me (along with the original marriage certificate I’d … Continue reading →

Posted in activism, bad people, Canada, current affairs, family, medicine, personal, photos, politics, Vancouver, videos | 8 Comments

Whaddya mean “that’s not normal?!”

Posted on March 2, 2012 by Cath@VWXYNot?

North Yorkshire, circa 1987. A classroom full of nine- and ten-year-olds. An assignment to write a story that involved food. A girl (not the blogger!) standing up at her desk, pulling her knee socks back up before starting to read … Continue reading →

Posted in career, communication, education, family, food glorious food, freakishness, grant wrangling, personal, silliness | 14 Comments

Could this be…

Posted on February 25, 2012 by Cath@VWXYNot?

…the most useless list of spellcheck suggestions of all time? (I’m sure a tamarind genome sequence is in the works, somewhere…) …the worst possible weather in which to be running around collecting grant signatures from PIs in three different buildings? … Continue reading →

Posted in career, drunkenness, English language, idiocy, photos, publishing, science, screenshots, silliness, snow, technology, Vancouver | 8 Comments

Time to write a final report on a completed grant!

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Cath@VWXYNot?
Posted in cancer research, career, communication, English language, grant wrangling, Instagram, photos, silliness | 14 Comments

Hockey Pool Update, Weeks 19 and 20

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Cath@VWXYNot?

Many thanks to Chall and ScientistMother for hosting Weeks 17 and 18, respectively! I messed up a bit by thinking Ricardipus had signed up for Week 19, but he hadn’t – he’d just said that he could do it “some … Continue reading →

Posted in hockey pool | 10 Comments

Never gonna let you down?

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Cath@VWXYNot?

I have somehow managed to retain some semblance of a utopian view of science. I don’t mean to say that I’m blind to its flaws or that I’m not at all cynical about it. But I think I’m less cynical … Continue reading →

Posted in career, cycling, freakishness, idiocy, personal, science, whining | 48 Comments

Because it’s been far too sciencey around here lately

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Cath@VWXYNot?

The best Rube Goldberg device I’ve ever seen on the Best of YouTube podcast (and there have been a few): and, inspired by a Twitter conversation with Richard Wintle yesterday about gnus (inspired in turn by someone at work asking … Continue reading →

Posted in blog buddies, music, silliness, videos | 10 Comments

CIHR: Canada Innovating to Help Review?

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Cath@VWXYNot?

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is this country’s major source of government funding for biomedical research – the equivalent of the US NIH. They’ve just released a document describing some proposed changes to their grant mechanism portfolio and … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, career, current affairs, grant wrangling, politics, science | 4 Comments

Designing an online grant submission system?!

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Cath@VWXYNot?

Good for you! Let me help you out! In my four-and-a-bit years as a grant wrangler, I’ve applied to a bewildering array of Canadian and international government and charitable funding agencies. Every organisation has their own system (some even have … Continue reading →

Posted in career, grant wrangling, science, technology | 14 Comments

Lay it on the line

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Cath@VWXYNot?

As I mentioned way back in 2008, I’m often called upon to write lay abstracts for my department’s grant applications and website, and – less often – for press releases and assorted other documents. This is still one of my … Continue reading →

Posted in career, communication, English language, grant wrangling, science | 12 Comments