15 October 2004. Science and the City. Kat Arney hung up her postdoc boots quite recently for a role of Science Information Officer for a medical research charity. Is it really going to turn out to be the glamorous role that she dreamt of all those years back in the lab? 3 September 2004. The Art of the Artefact. Kat reminds you that your success as a scientist depends on producing meaningful res...
INDEX OF ARTICLES Spending long days and weekends slaving away at recalcitrant experiments, lying awake at night in the fear of being scooped by a rival group, or having to deal with a difficult colleague can give even the most cheerful amongst us scientists an acute case of the blues. But what happens when your weary sighs at the bench turn into sobbing in the toilets? Depression is a bit of a d...
INDEX OF ARTICLES For over a decade I have been head-over-heels in love with science, and it seemed the feeling was shared. But, as in many long-term relationships, things have gone a little stale. Although my affair with scientific research is yet to reach the crockery-hurling stage, we?re now to the point of terse grunts and painful silences. So what?s a girl to do in these circumstances? My se...
Working for a PhD is tough. Capricious experiments, uninterested supervisors, and long hours can all conspire to get you down. You may wonder if it is all worth it, whether you can make the distance. So in those moments when it feels like the only light at the end of the tunnel is coming from the departmental chocolate machine, take heart from the list below: the top 10 kind-of-cool things about ...
BACK TO THE FEATURE INDEX If it were possible to award a Nobel prize to inanimate objects, top of my nominations list would be the humble mug. A good cup of tea and a biscuit is surely the ideal fortification for pushing back the frontiers of science. Countless experiments have been planned over a cuppa, and a quick break in the tea-room is the ideal place to mull over tricky problems (as well as...
INDEX OF ARTICLES In the style of some great prison breakout movie I am slowly tunnelling my way out of academia. Not literally, of course--you won't find me dropping gravel surreptitiously round the place from the pocket of my labcoat. Rather, I'm picking up as much experience as I can in my chosen field, science communication, while still ensconced in the ivory tower. What follows is a compendi...
"You can't always get what you want", the Rolling Stones observed sagely. However, I was brought up by my formidable mother to believe that you could--if you worked hard enough. In her view, the greatest crime in life was to cheat yourself out of opportunity by being lazy. So as a teenager I focused on my A levels, eschewing the thrills of underage drinking in the local parks. Once safely install...
Regular readers may have sensed an increasing unhappiness and dissatisfaction permeating my musings over the past year. If you were concerned about my mental welfare and wondering why I was still working as a postdoc in the first place, here is the good news: The escape hatch has finally opened. In the very near future I'll be hanging up my lab coat for good and heading out into the wide world, c...
INDEX OF ARTICLES Definite highlights in the career of a scientist are the bursts of elation that come with successful publication. Still, for sheer knee-trembling excitement, you can't beat the "Oooh, that's interesting!" moment that is finding that extra band on the gel or that beautiful statistical correlation on your graph. This could well be the beginning of a glorious career, but before you...
INDEX OF ARTICLES August 2004 saw a number of auspicious events take place. The finest athletes in the world congregated in Athens for the 28th Olympiad. Two new moons were discovered in orbit around Saturn. And the world witnessed my escape from a career in academic science. I have indeed managed to persuade a large cancer research charity that my assortment of finely honed skills--including a c...
Editor's note: Chris Smith is a busy man. As well as being a scientist leading the hectic life of a hospital doctor, Smith runs the UK's newest interactive science radio show, the Naked Scientists. What does it take to juggle three demanding careers? Kat Arney investigates. Smith first got interested in science communication in 1999 when he realised there had to be more to life than his MB/PhD in...
While I'm sure there were people who smiled and nodded their way through Phil Dee's assessment of what makes a potential PI, then smugly strode off into the lab to push back the frontiers of science, others of us read the list with hearts sinking faster than a magnetic stir-bar round the u-bend of the sink. But how do you know if you really aren't cut out for a career on the academic hamster whee...
(With thanks and apologies to Helen Fielding. ...) M onday Number of e-mails read: 23Number of e-mails containing scientific information: 4 (v. good)Number of e-mails containing jokes from friends: 8 (v. funny)Number of e-mails offering "male enhancement" or other spam: 11 (v. bad; have they not realised I am a girl?)Number of e-mails offering me Nobel Prize: 0 (but still hoping) D...
It's a good bet that Einstein hair, binocular-like National Health Service specs, soiled lab coats, and acres of corduroy will not be gracing the pages of the glossy mags in this millennium. However, there is a world of difference between what makes a sexy scientist and what makes "sexy" science. You know the sort, I'm sure: the stories that get a whole conference buzzing, end up being published ...
Love them or hate them, conferences are an inescapable part of the rich tapestry of scientific life. They can be career- and motivation-enhancing experiences, leaving you buzzing with new ideas, contacts, and collaborations. Alternatively they can be dull as ditchwater, leaving you with the sinking feeling that you've just paid over 500 quid for the privilege of napping the week away in a velvet-...
Contrary to popular media opinion, scientists are not all identikit spec-wearing boffins with crazy hair. Certain traits and characteristics do tend to come to the fore, but science attracts as wide a spectrum of personalities as any other career. So with tongue firmly in cheek, there follows a probably not so inaccurate guide to group leaders. Which one do you have? Which one will you become. .....
Most people are content to follow one career trajectory, yet there are many qualified medical doctors who yield to the lure of research and choose to take up positions as clinical scientists. Dividing your time between the lab and the hospital may seem like the ideal way to satisfy both intellectual and vocational desires, but juggling both careers brings a unique set of challenges and rewards. W...
INDEX OF ARTICLES In an ideal world, gender and sexual orientation would be as relevant to academic success as hair colour and shoe size. A general shift in attitudes, as well as legal obligations, has certainly brought equality closer to women in science. But what about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) scientists? It seems that although gay men broadly feel accepted in the academic...
