In my opinion
Tying a significant portion of funding to any specific set of metrics places undue pressure on universities, and impinges on their traditional mission and collegial autonomy.
Every person on a university campus has a part to play.
The internet has changed the way scientists communicate with their funders, the public and each other.
This definition was drawn up with great care by 33 countries, and with the usual negotiation and compromise common to all international agreements.
We must acknowledge the difficulty of the work ahead, but not be deterred by it.
Science is rarely a key issue during federal elections – and we think this needs to change.
The definition adopted from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance is alarmingly vague and easily misinterpreted.
Researchers are keen to travel abroad but air transport makes a significant contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions.
In a world of increasing legal risks and fiduciary obligations, it is difficult to understand why a university would do without one.
The blinded review process, paired with our snide internet culture, encourages boorish and unethical behaviour.
We have to start being more intentional and transparent in promoting and celebrating empathy, inclusivity and kindness on our campuses.
Explicitly teaching graduate students project management – a skill set they typically learn through trial and error – could mean better research and employability.
To find value in scientific research, we need to understand and respect the social environment in which it occurs.
When leaders show employees they care, trust and empathize with their situations, it motivates employee performance and commitment.
A few suggestions based on my own experience.
I’m giving my lab’s standard methods away over the next year – making them available to anyone who would like to access them.
Systemic racism is in the very foundations of universities; its influence is insidious and persistent.
Individualizing racial profiling in media misses the point of systemic violence.
A successful career in STEM, combined with fulfilling parenting, should be sustainable.
We can’t apply knowledge that we don’t have. And to have knowledge, we must create, reveal or discover it.