Flyceum: Your Science. Your Career.

I’d Rather Die Fat and Young than Skinny and Old

• by Katie Pratt on

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Problems Communicating Science to Family? It’s Not Them, It’s You.

• by Dora Farkas on

Dear Dora,

My parents are both non-scientists and have no idea what I do, despite hours of attempted explanations. Am I a jerk for getting frustrated at their lack of ability to grasp my project?

-Short fuse, graduate student

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Should There Be an Official Language of Lab?

• by Alan Marnett on

Isn’t the official language of science…science? Well, there’s no doubt science is a language of it’s own, but international conferences have opted for English as the primary means of communication. Talks, poster sessions, and exhibit halls all expect registrants to speak the same language. Yet once everyone returns home to their respective labs, should the language rules still apply?

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Grr, baby. Very grr.

• by Katie Pratt on

“Grr”. That’s about as close to impersonating a lion’s roar that you, or I, or even Austin Powers, will ever be able to get, thanks to the lack of fat in our vocal folds. (more…)

Co-First Author Doesn’t Have to be Last Resort

• by Alan Marnett on

In our publication-dominated world decisions about graduating, funding and hiring depend heavily upon the number and quality of our manuscripts.  As a result, setting an author byline can be contentious to say the least. While three positions are widely regarded as the most important – first, second and the corresponding author – there is another option that is frequently treated like the red-headed stepchild of the byline: the co-first author.

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How to Address the Funky-Smelling Lunch Problem

• by Dora Farkas on

Dear Dora,

More than half of our lab is made up of international students and postdocs. This is a good thing- except at lunch. By the time the microwave is done warming up everyone’s food, the smell is soooo bad that sitting in the lunchroom is unbearable. Most of our lab eats together and were it not for the smell, it would be fun. Is there anything I can do to fix this without seriously offending someone or missing out on group lunch?

- Claire, grad student

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Look Into My Wide, Vacant, Eyes

• by Katie Pratt on

When I was in my first year at college I went to a hypnotism “show”, or “exhibition”, or “demonstration”… I don’t know … anyway, a hypnotist came and hypnotized people. Being naturally curious, I volunteered. Also, either because of my natural skepticism or through the incompetence of the hypnotist I failed to become entranced. But a friend of mine was. She was told to imagine the boy next to her naked, and immediately burst out laughing. When the hypnotist asked her why she was so amused, she gave a telltale gesture with her pinky finger.

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Sensational Science in the Popular Press: Can Anyone Get it Right?

• by Nick Fahrenkopf on

This month for “Sensational Science” I decided to resist my go-to sensational blogs and look around some popular press (OK, TV). How popular? I’m talking ABC, FOX, BBC, etc. It doesn’t get more popular than that. But before I get into some of the misleading headlines these giants dole out, I want to take a moment to reflect on the prominence of science news in the most popular of presses: the websites of these TV organizations. For lack of a better order, I’ll go alphabetical.

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I’m Just Mad About Saffron….

• by Katie Pratt on

And saffron’s mad about cancer. That’s right, the mellow yellow spice famous for its golden yellow color and earthy flavor has been shown to halt liver cancer progression in mice.

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The Impending Death of Scientific Journals

• by Alan Marnett on

If Copernicus had a website – assuming “www.earthrevolvesaroundthesun.com” was still available – it probably would have been much easier to spread the word about his novel theory. Instead, he depended on a publisher to reprint and distribute the work. For centuries, scientists have relied on publishers and scientific journals to make public their findings and until about fifteen years ago, it was hard to imagine that system might ever change. But we’re in the 21st century now – an era that promises interplanetary travel, holographic tv, personal jetpacks, and an end to Dancing with the Stars. In such a fast-paced, technologically-savvy society can traditional publishing mechanisms really survive or are we about to witness death of scientific journals?

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