Apply to grad school for free

A good argument for checking email less frequently.

How I learned to stop worrying and trust students

Technology and distracted students: a [Swiftian] modest proposal Continue reading →

To groom better scientists, harness the power of narrative.

Applying for faculty jobs and don’t know what an institution means when they’re asking for you to “demonstrate interest and ability to advance diversity, equity and inclusion?” Apparently enough people asked UC Berkeley, so they decided to spell it out. Continue reading →

“Lessons from a postdoc gone wrong” makes sense in other domains as well.

A year of being a science mama

How can I help to promote diversity without relinquishing any of my power? * chef kiss * Continue reading →

That was a restful two weeks. Now, back to business.

The Green New Deal, explained

Why do scientists reinvent wheels? (I think in ecology, a lot of concepts have a periodicity of about 30 years. And usually when an idea resurfaces, it’s not done with adequate awareness of the older literature.)

A few reality checks for internal candidates Continue reading →

Don’t spend your holiday break writing.

Did you know about the Kentucky Meat Shower of 1876?

The power of transparency in teaching Continue reading →

Cat Hicks reflects on years of volunteering to edit grad school application statements. Huge lessons to be learned from her.

NSF has removed PI caps on proposal submissions in BIO.

Alan Townsend describes why he left a top research university to help lead a small liberal arts college. Continue reading →

Academia is a cult (I don’t agree with everything in here but there’s a lot of what people call food for thought)

Teaching mistakes I’ve made Continue reading →

I have traveled here from the present to warn you about global warming!

A good guideline for writing reviews.

Surprise, surprise – a study looking at tenure and promotion criteria didn’t find that there’s much value placed in community engagement. Continue reading →

You might remember how I’ve said How People Learn is a supreme book that is foundational for evidence-based teaching practices, though it’s almost 20 years old and getting a dated?? Great news! The National Academies have now released How People Learn II. And you can download it for free!

This year’s crop of MacArthur Fellows just came out. As always, some amazing people and work are being supported. I was psyched to see developmental psychologist Kristina Olson (whose work was so spectacular, this year she managed to break the long drought of women recipients for NSF’s Waterman Award).

Why UC Merced is not the “dumb” university. I love this. I looooove this. Continue reading →

I think this ¡Hola Papi! column has the bestest science outreach ever.

Perhaps it’s unwise to ask everybody in your class to for their pronouns.

Sharing your research with the public can actually influence public opinion.

Continue reading →

Strategies for mentoring undergraduate researchers

To the heroes of Brazil’s National Museum

I trust that my student’s grandparent died

Alternatives to Resting Bitch Face Continue reading →

The illusion of objectivity in the classroom

The 2004 lecture that convinced David Attenborough to make a big deal about climate change

When you prep a course, how many times would you like to teach it?

A beautiful essay about settling in to a faculty position for the long haul, and why we do what we do. Continue reading →

A legal arbitrator decided that Ryerson University (in Canada) is not allowed to use Student Evaluations of Teaching in tenure and promotion cases because they can be “downright biased and unreliable.” Here is the document itself.

A guide to managing grief while in grad school Continue reading →

How do you pick a journal to submit to?

A list of completely neutral, race-blind college admissions questions

a WYSIWYG add-on to make ggplot more simple and easy Continue reading →

This week, the National Academy of Sciences released a report on gender harassment and sexual misconduct in our profession. There are a number of findings that might surprise you. Here are selected reads related to this report.

Does your institution foster a culture of sexual harassment? Continue reading →

This is a spectacular and moving essay: Our Houses Became Boats: Surviving Hurricane Maria and salvaging my career in its aftermath

Why academe should honor prickly women. Continue reading →

One hundred twenty nine. I’ve been doing this, every other week, for a while now.

Students learn by doing, not from listening.

The extraordinary life and death of the world’s oldest spider.

A spectacular commencement address by George Saunders. Continue reading →

(image: first Matilija poppy of the season)

Early luck in grant funding has massive long-term effects on future funding (and here’s the original paper)

Are fieldwork studies being relegated to second place in conservation science?

This is shameful to the extreme: How the University of Minnesota hides its professors’ sexual harassment Continue reading →

This article about getting things done in large organizations is so, so, so good.

Modest advice for new graduate students Continue reading →

Three guidelines and two workarounds for tackling makeup exam policies

A better way to make tenure decisions

A major feature in The Chronicle about What It’s Like to Be a Woman in the Academy. The second piece — “we’re not even close” is so on point. Continue reading →

This case study of search committees demonstrates how downright sexist conduct is pervasive in academic job searches.

When it comes to time management in academia, here is some highly condensed wisdom.

It’s well established that student evaluations of teaching performance are gender biased. Based on that fact, then, here’s an intriguing question: Are they illegal? Continue reading →

Why I stopped writing on my student’s papers.

Four very practical solutions to make conferences less difficult for scientists who are bringing babies and small children, brought to you by Rebecca Calisi and a Working Group of Mothers in Science. Are you part of an organizing committee? Please heed.

The case for inclusive teaching

The blog The Novice Professor has a lot of great stuff, it’s definitely one to watch. And the author routinely shares great stuff about learning and teaching on twitter. Continue reading →

Got milk, must conference

Bioinformatics skills – How to get them and not get scared

Being an academic after experiencing personal catastrophe

How do we ensure the future of our discipline is vibrant? Student reflections on careers and culture of ecology Continue reading →

This is wonderful: NSF is now requiring awardee institutions to report findings of sexual harassment by personnel on NSF grants, and to report when individuals are placed on leave related to an investigation. And they are prepared to take serious measures in response. Here’s the NSF statement, and related stories published by Nature and The New Republic. (How bout rounding up a few PIs and your Title IX coordinator, and schedule a meeting with the person in charge of post-award at your university, to make specific plans for implementing this, including the reporting mechanisms and training that NSF expects.)

In favor of “slow teaching.”

Intellectual property law 101 for academics Continue reading →

Things that are useful to know when you’re teaching with active learning

What I’ve learned from my 4 year old (By the way, I’m psyched that Viet Thanh Nguyen is now a contributing opinion writer for the NYT, I’ll be keeping an eye out for his future pieces)

Citation vacuums Continue reading →

Start the first day of class by telling your students an engaging story.

The Biology Department of San Francisco State wrote a detailed academic paper about a successful department-wide professional development plan to improve their teaching.

Scientific knowledge is drowning in a flood of research. Continue reading →

Here is a Digital Studies 101 lab, to guide students in a direct exploration of the Dark Web.

This three-part story about data storage is amazing and important. I had no idea how much of the data being stored today is still on magnetic tape, nor an idea of the consequences.

Surviving the pre-tenure years Continue reading →

What I wish I knew before becoming a professor

The accidental citizen science of security cameras

The futile resistance to classroom tech

Rare diseases are not rare Continue reading →

When reviewers know the identity of authors, it turns out that famous names, prestigious universities, and top companies are far more likely to have their papers accepted. This effect was measured in an experiment, and it’s astounding. This is the new paper I will point folks to when they say that single blind or “open” review is more fair. It just isn’t.

A profile of the few people remaining in the US who depend on iron lungs to stay alive, a window into the history of manufacturing, medicine, and our failed social safety net.

By Scientists For Science — The Scientific Society Publisher Alliance. Scientific societies are designed to represent the interests of our own communities, and this new organization is designed to promote society journals. Continue reading →