Academia

Nicholas
Mitchell

Better the devil you know than the devil you don't

Even though jobs, relationships, and cities make you unhappy or uncomfortable, you stay in them because of loss aversion. Loss aversion keeps you where you are, because the fear of losing what you have is greater than the reward associated with pursuing what you want. Don’t worry– we all do it.&...


Dr
27

The new job, the interview process

In my previous entry, I mentioned that over the last few months I had a lot of changes coming at me, almost all at once. I promised to talk more about the interview process, and how I went from being a staff scientist to, all of a sudden, becoming a full-fledged lab manager. I hope this will be of i...


Nathan
Vanderford

The Relevance of Graduate Education

Do you think that the majority of graduate education programs today are providing relevant education and training to their students in relation to the jobs that graduates are actually obtaining? The National Science Foundation’s report titled Science and Engineering Indicators 2012 indicates th...


Nicholas
Mitchell

A Round About Way to Academia

My new life begins tomorrow. Except, tomorrow isn’t tomorrow; it is more fittingly next week, next month, next semester, or next year. Regardless of when it comes, though, what I believe happens tomorrow is always the same: “tomorrow I begin the career that fulfills me in every way.” 


Sandlin
Seguin

Becoming An Expert In Things I Enjoy

As a graduate student, I worked really hard to do the things that graduate students are supposed to do. I went to the seminars. I read the journal club papers. I did well in my classes. And I will admit that I was often pretty jealous of other people who weren’t so regimented about those things, b...


Dr
27

Hello again and lots of changes

Greetings dear readers. I apologize for the lengthy absence. Since we last met, I've switched jobs and states! And got married!! I know. Too many changes in such a short period of time. But all is well. And I'm happy to be back to share what I've learned, especially in the last few months. I would l...


Kate
Sleeth

Looking the Part

Today I want to focus on something that I believe a lot of scientists don’t really consider. Our clothing! Now we scientists have a poor rap when it comes to perceptions on our fashion sense.  I realize this is unjustified, but we need to break this stereotype.  I do not expect everyone to st...


Gaia
Vasiliver-Shamis

Work-Life Balance – Is There Really Such a Thing?

Work-life balance is a type of a mystery similar to the loch de ness monster. It’s elusive and you will always wonder if such a thing actually exists. Recently, I read a piece that said top executive women actually call it “the merge”.  Now a merge is a term borrowed from the business worl...


Gaia
Vasiliver-Shamis

LinkedIn Debunked – Part II

In the first part I covered your Linkedin profile, its importance and how to build your network. In this post we will take it to the next step – groups, endorsements, influencers and what not.Join the right groups


Kate
Sleeth

Radioactivity – The Isotope who loved me!

I recently watched Skyfall, the new James Bond film, and it made me think of spy’s.  More importantly, how they die in movies (and real life).  I kept thinking of From Russia with Love and Rosa Klebb who tried to kill Bond with a poisoned knife in her shoe.  From poisons, I started ...