In some respects, a person reacting to the words “she’s in a coma” necessitates a cautioned approach. Is he kidding or is he serious? It’s akin to that feeling of discomfort you get when you’re not entirely sure if a woman is pregnant or just large. But to me, the phrase represents more than this confusion – it represents a bookmark in my young family’s life; despite everything else, it marks an occasion where I think we all grew up. A week before my daughter turned one, my mother-in-law was a victim of a serious car accident. The physics were…
The Science Creative Quarterly
From January, 2007
THE PERCEPTION OF SCIENTISTS
Scientists have an image problem. Just ask any fifth-grader. Chances are, they’ll probably tell you that a scientist is Caucasian, male, can be found wearing a lab coat, and leads a lonely laboratory existence [1]. Perhaps he has eccentric character traits or odd-looking hair [2]. That’s some fairly discouraging news, but hey, what do kids know? The perceptions of adults are what really matter, right? Sadly, it seems that this stereotype is also held by many high-school students, college students, adults [3], and even scientists themselves [2]. A bad image hurts scientists on many levels. Administrators allocating research funding may…
MY NEW GRADUATE COURSE OFFERING
Title: Introduction to My Research Area Course Instructor: Me T Th 10:30 -12:00, Willams 205 Office Hours: by appointment Course Syllabus: The course will consist of me, talking about my research area, for 15 weeks. Topics to be covered include: 1. My research area. 2. Why my research area is important. 3. Important contributions I have made to my research area. 4. Contributions other researchers have made to my research area, including an objective appraisal of any problems or errors in these studies. 5. Future work in my research area. 6. Other stuff about my research area. – – –…
SEX AND SMARTS: UNDER-REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN AMONG SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FACULTY
I am in the process of becoming a scientist. A female scientist. I didn’t think that my gender was relevant to my career aspirations. I have plenty of female company (and competition) as an undergraduate science student at UBC. The ratio of women to men in my classes must be close enough to 50/50 that I have never noticed a gender imbalance (nevermind an advantage in heterosexual dating odds for women in my discipline.) Ditto for the distribution of intimidatingly-smart students; the prof-stumping questions come from women just as often as from men. I have worked in research labs that…
CREEPING INTO YOUR HEAD – A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO MICROGLIA
Know anyone with a brain? Know anyone with a problem with their brain? If you answered yes or no to either or both of those questions, you need to know about microglia. More importantly, however, you need to know about them in order to alleviate my distress. It’s a sucking burden to over and over have it come out at the grocery store that I am a microgliologist and to have no one know what I just said. Not ever. Always just a cocking of the head and a stifled pursing of the lips. So, what are microglia? They are…
UNFORTUNATE CHAIN OF EVENTS LEADING UP TO PLUTO’S LOSS OF PLANETHOOD
Pluto loses car keys Pluto steps in dog crap Pluto’s July horoscope warns of “personal challenges ahead” Pluto’s rent check bounces Pluto’s Mustang suffers blown head gasket Pluto constantly late to work Pluto’s girlfriend of three years leaves Pluto Pluto charged with solicitation of a prostitute Pluto becomes increasingly depressed Pluto seeks answers in a bottle of Wild Turkey
BIOFUELS AND THE PROSPECT OF CONVERTING PLANT FIBRES INTO GASOLINE USING ENZYMES
Today, there is a significant interest in alternatives to fossil fuels. This has arisen given the increasing public concern over the environment as well as the general scientific consensus on the greenhouse effect caused by CO2 emissions. Consequently, any realization of a renewable energy source that is an effective alternative to gasoline and diesel would prove significant. Plant material is a renewable energy source. Trees, shrubs and herbs grow all over the world, and in climates such as the tropics, even all year round. Via photosynthesis they convert CO2 and sunlight into lignocellulose – lignocellulose is the bulk material of…
THIS IS THE TRUTH
premise | suggest | edits | Wilco Effect – A WEB EXPERIMENT – (In no particular order) 1. Cigarettes are bad for you. 2. Men and Women are equal. 3. Global Warming is real, and (by the way) it’s all our fault.* 4. It’s not all relative. 5. Gin is better than Whiskey. Whiskey is better than Gin. 6. Intelligent Design is wrong. 7. Over consumption is a serious problem. 8. The Millennium Development Goals are worthy*. 9. Wilco is good, sometimes exceptional, but often inconsequential. 10. Shit happens (ditto for sex and death). 11. Creationism is silly. (also, see…
THIS IS THE TRUTH: EDITS
truth | suggest | premise VERSION 2.0 (21/12/09) (In no particular order) 1. Cigarettes are bad for you. 2. Men and Women are equal. 3. Global Warming is real, and (by the way) it’s all our fault.* 4. It’s not all relative. 5. Gin is better than Whiskey. Whiskey is better than Gin. 6. Intelligent Design is wrong. 7. Over consumption is a serious problem. 8. The Millennium Development Goals are worthy*. 9. Wilco is good, sometimes exceptional, but often inconsequential. 10. Shit happens (ditto for sex and death). 11. Creationism is silly. (also, see 6) 12. SUVs are just…