Lynn Kimlicka is a recent graduate of University of British Columbia with a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. She engages broad audience in her blog Something About Science, where she hones her skills as a writer, while making science more accessible. She is also an enthusiastic multi-hobbyist, who enjoys photography, illustration, and music. 

A penguin walks through that door right now wearing a sombrero. What does he say and why is he here?

I was alone in a lounge, browsing through Naturejobs and brooding over my life-after-the-PhD, which basically boiled down to one word: Where?

That’s when, quite unexpectedly, a little penguin waddled through the door, clad in toy-sized, flower-print shirt and flip-flops, topped with a cheerful sombrero to finish off his look.

“¡Hola! Kia ora, mate! That’s Spanish and Maori.” The small creature continued his monologue in my stunned silence. “Yep, I’m a Kiwi – and a Blue Penguin[*].” With his flippers, he pointed at his gray-blue plumage.

“What?” I finally managed. Continue reading →