Want to Change the Culture of Science? Talk it Over on Twitter

Story 1- A few months ago, I wrote about my long-held view that graduate students should not bring snacks to committee meetings (even if they want to). Then in April while attending a committee meeting a student proudly whips out some snacks. I promptly (put my foot in my mouth by) tsk-tsk-ing them, and encouraged…

Breaking Through the Masses at Scientific Conferences

I’m off to the 2017 Wildlife Society Conference tomorrow. I’ve been to 22 conferences over the years, yet, I still find it can be an awkward experience to meet new colleagues. People think I am a social butterfly, but when you walk into a ballroom full of groups of people standing around tiny tables it…

What We’re Reading: Jan 22, 2016

“Jade of the Sea” Oh come on! Just as the world begins to apply pressure to elephant poachers and ivory consumers in an attempt to decrease the killing, trinket carvers are turning to another threatened species for raw materials, the giant clam (Tridacna gigas). The linked article has a lot of great information, everything to…

Let’s share some science joy!

It’s Friday, and nearly the end of the month. Think back over the last week, the last few weeks. Have you been a science grouch? I know I have. Perhaps you’ve complained about the lack of job opportunities in science? Your paper got bad reviews? Your sequencing failed? Or something else…? If I look back,…

Learning Soft Skills During Your PhD Training

We’ve all talked to PIs who express how surprised they are to leave the bench when they become assistant professors.  They lament how much grant writing and budgeting they do and that PhD training did not prepare them for the job.  Additionally, we hear from many PhDs that their program didn’t prepare them for a…

Training to be a Scientist

When I was an undergrad, I haphazardly entered science. During my junior year after a study abroad trip, I was inspired to be a scientist, yet did not how to become one. I talked to my appointed undergraduate advisor, and he recommended I volunteer in a research lab on campus. I was really surprised because…

Diving into the deep end: teaching my first course

A few years ago, a faculty member at a teaching college was giving a seminar at my university. It’s not often folks from teaching focused institutions pass through, and as someone that is considering positions at liberal arts schools, I was eager to hear what his job was like and what they were looking for…

What we’re reading- Feb 7, 2014

Fine-scale genetic structure detected in forest elephants WildlifeSNPits blogger Stephanie Schuttler’s paper on forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis, remember they’re a different species than L. africanus) networks reveal kin groups despite high genetic diversity. All work was done using non-invasive dung samples. Genome size of flying species Metabolic intensity of flight drives the reduction of genome…