The latest Soapbox Science mini-series focuses on the role of mentors in science. Tying in with this year’s Lindau Nobel Laureate meeting, where almost 600 young scientists have the opportunity to meet each other and 25 Nobel laureates, we’ll be looking at the importance of supportive relationships and role models. We’ll hear from a mix of mentors, mentees and projects set up to support scientists and we aim to explore not just the positive examples of good mentoring but what can happen when these key relationships are absent or break down. For more discussions around this year’s Lindau meeting, check out the Lindau Nobel Community site.

Malcolm is currently an MSc student at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, where he studies the coordination and medicinal chemistry of vanadium.

The Lindau meeting of Nobel Laureates and young scientists highlights a specific area of interest and concern: that of providing mentors for the next generation. As defined by the Oxford Online Dictionary, mentor means, as a noun: an experienced and trusted advisor; or as a verb: to advise or train. However, with the current climate of challenges, where research budgets are routinely being slashed, while at the same time, the pressure to publish more papers in the highest possible rated journals continues to increase, the ability of researchers to properly mentor their students can suffer. On occasion, problems in the student-mentor relationship can arise as a result of more personal reasons. Often, a poor mentor can lead to students abandoning their chosen path of science, or even the discipline in general. Continue reading →

The latest Soapbox Science mini-series focuses on the role of mentors in science. Tying in with this year’s Lindau Nobel Laureate meeting, where almost 600 young scientists have the opportunity to meet each other and 25 Nobel laureates, we’ll be looking at the importance of supportive relationships and role models. We’ll hear from a mix of mentors, mentees and projects set up to support scientists and we aim to explore not just the positive examples of good mentoring but what can happen when these key relationships are absent or break down. For more discussions around this year’s Lindau meeting, check out the Lindau Nobel Community site.

Michael Habib is originally from Baltimore, MD and he completed his B.A. and M.S. work at the University of Virginia, and his Ph.D. work at Johns Hopkins. His academic interests fall mostly in the realm of anatomy, biomechanics, and comparative zoology. One of his interests is in flight biomechanics and he has focused recently on the flight abilities of giant Late Cretaceous pterosaurs, which were the largest flying animals of all time. Michael also work on problems related to the flight performance and skeletal reinforcement of living birds and bats. Outside of academia, he enjoys Kung Fu training, as well as inline skating, illustration and orchid growing. Continue reading →

The latest Soapbox Science mini-series focuses on the role of mentors in science. Tying in with this year’s Lindau Nobel Laureate meeting, where almost 600 young scientists have the opportunity to meet each other and 25 Nobel laureates, we’ll be looking at the importance of supportive relationships and role models. We’ll hear from a mix of mentors, mentees and projects set up to support scientists and we aim to explore not just the positive examples of good mentoring but what can happen when these key relationships are absent or break down. For more discussions around this year’s Lindau meeting, check out the Lindau Nobel Community site.

Michelle L. Oyen is a Lecturer in Mechanics of Biological Materials in the Mechanics and Materials Division and the Engineering for the Life Sciences (Bioengineering) group in the Cambridge University Engineering Department. She holds a B.S. degree in Materials Science and Engineering and an M.S. Degree in Engineering Mechanics, both from Michigan State University and a Ph.D. degree in Biophysical Sciences and Medical Physics from the University of Minnesota. She joined Cambridge Engineering in 2006 following an appointment as Research Scientist at the University of Virginia Center for Applied Biomechanics. She is a member of the Materials Research Society, and webmaster for the new UK-based Bioengineering Society. Continue reading →

The latest Soapbox Science mini-series focuses on the role of mentors in science. Tying in with this year’s Lindau Nobel Laureate meeting, where almost 600 young scientists have the opportunity to meet each other and 25 Nobel laureates, we’ll be looking at the importance of supportive relationships and role models. We’ll hear from a mix of mentors, mentees and projects set up to support scientists and we aim to explore not just the positive examples of good mentoring but what can happen when these key relationships are absent or break down. For more discussions around this year’s Lindau meeting, check out the Lindau Nobel Community site.

Gurmit Singh is a healthcare and HIV digital activist, educator and researcher. Gurmit is the co-founder and co-facilitator of The HIVe (https://www.hiv-e.org), a global community of  researchers, practitioners and activists to improve health and human rights with community-based and led HIV prevention and education using digital and networking technologies. He is also the co-convener and co-facilitator of We Decide, an e-democracy learnscape for equity and social justice. He is an ESRC Scholar at The University of Leeds UK researching how to improve the impact on practice and patient care of using Web 2.0 networking technologies for online healthcare continuing professional development. Continue reading →

The latest Soapbox Science mini-series focuses on the role of mentors in science. Tying in with this year’s Lindau Nobel Laureate meeting, where almost 600 young scientists have the opportunity to meet each other and 25 Nobel laureates, we’ll be looking at the importance of supportive relationships and role models. We’ll hear from a mix of mentors, mentees and projects set up to support scientists and we aim to explore not just the positive examples of good mentoring but what can happen when these key relationships are absent or break down. For more discussions around this year’s Lindau meeting, check out the Lindau Nobel Community site.

The latest Soapbox Science mini-series focuses on the role of mentors in science. Tying in with this year’s Lindau Nobel Laureate meeting, where almost 600 young scientists have the opportunity to meet each other and 25 Nobel laureates, we’ll be looking at the importance of supportive relationships and role models. We’ll hear from a mix of mentors, mentees and projects set up to support scientists and we aim to explore not just the positive examples of good mentoring but what can happen when these key relationships are absent or break down. For more discussions around this year’s Lindau meeting, check out the Lindau Nobel Community site.

Helen Wollaston, newly appointed Director of UKRC-WISE, ponders whether the factors which motivate female scientists are different to those which draw men to the subject.  Helen brings a wealth of experience promoting opportunities for women and girls, as former Director of Campaigns at the Equal Opportunities Commission, through her own equality consultancy business and as Chair of Platform 51, a charity which supports women and girls to achieve their potential.  Continue reading →