Why a career-planning tool may not help as much as it’s meant to
Individual development plans or IDPs—multi-part worksheets that help junior researchers asses their skills and map out possible career paths—are often touted as valuable training tools. The US National Institutes of Health (NIH), for example, “strongly encourages” IDPs for all graduate students and postdoctoral researchers funded through the agency, and many US institutions have made them mandatory. Read more
Why the history of science and medicine is important
When I was at medical school, curricula were crowded with a large body of knowledge and countless exams. We all longed for that “A grade.” Nothing else mattered. History bored us and was a distraction to professors. Now, at a later stage in my career, I have come to grasp that history is at the heart of science and medicine because it recognises the characters and institutions that advanced science and medicine, their tragedies and triumphs. Read more
The cost of your biomedical research career
A 2017 study paints a gloomy picture of the benefits of postdoctoral training for biomedical researchers, particularly if they choose not to pursue an academic career in the end. Read more
Fewer women lead top universities
Just 34 of leading universities named in this year’s annual Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings have female presidents, down 1% from the 36 that were led by women in 2017. Read more
Depression and anxiety are common among graduate students
More than 40% of respondents to the voluntary survey had anxiety scores in the moderate to severe range, and nearly 40% of respondents showed signs of moderate to severe depression. Both rates were more than six times greater than those found in the general public using the same standardized questionnaires. Read more
When conferences collide with family needs
Calisi, a behavioural neuroscientist at the University of California, Davis, and a group of 45 other scientist-parents, have turned their frustrations into a call for action. In a paper published online Monday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers detail the shortcomings of past conferences and offer a blueprint for making conferences more welcoming and accessible to parents of young children. Read more
March for Science 2018 gears up
Caroline Weinberg, an organizer for the upcoming march in Washington DC, expects smaller crowds than last year, although she admits her prediction may again be off the mark. “Last we expected 40,000 people, and we got around 100,000,” she says. She adds that most of the marchers in the nation’s capital city were concerned citizens, not practicing researchers. Read more
Podcast: Family life, career life: making it work
In this podcast we share Paula Littlejohns’ story. Paula started her microbiology PhD at the University of British Columbia, Canada, a year ago, after a decade in industry and having five children. We find out how she juggled the demands of an academic career alongside motherhood. Read more
Still more gender differences are identified
One study suggests that the concept of “brilliance” in science might discourage some women from following certain career paths or education opportunities. Another found that women are more likely than men to offer “honorary authorships” to scientists who may not or do not deserve it—a courtesy that might obscure the magnitude of their own contributions. Read more