How very different from Cambridge!

Listening to another woman bemoan a senior man choosing to talk across her to her junior (male) colleague just reinforces how prevalent such behaviour is. My weekend post addresses this: Condescension occamstypewriter.org/athenedonald...

Condescension. Such a common irritation in our (women's) lives, whether scientists or not.occamstypewriter.org/athenedonald...

Hoorah! Delighted to see this essay about Alexander Borodin, scientist, composer, all-round good egg. He was also inordinately fond of cats.

Athene Donald@athenedonald.bsky.social · 4w ago

There was a brief flowering of HE for women in Russia in 1860s-'70s, and the (part-time) composer Alexander Borodin was a key player in this. I find it a fascinating story occamstypewriter.org/athenedonald...

There was a brief flowering of HE for women in Russia in 1860s-'70s, and the (part-time) composer Alexander Borodin was a key player in this. I find it a fascinating story occamstypewriter.org/athenedonald...

Alexander Borodin and the Education of Women | Athene Donald's Blog

For those of a certain age who remember Chris Tarrant’s Who wants to be a millionaire?’, there was a moment when the contestant had reached the million dollar question which was: What was the composer Borodin’s profession? To me, that was easy. He was a chemist in St Petersburg. Being a composer was very much a part-time occupation, although he wrote some wonderful pieces, ranging from the thumping beat of the Polovstian dances to more reflective music, such as representing a camel train In the Steppes of Central Asia. He met his pianist wife Ekaterina during his studies in Heidelberg, when she was there recovering from tuberculosis. She alerted him to the problematic situation of women’s education in Russia and in due course he followed this up: certain that women would make excellent doctors, Borodin became one of the founders of the School of Medicine for Women in St. Petersburg. To this day, women make up an unusually high proportion of the doctors in Russia.

occamstypewriter.org

Amazing! Rain on windows (torrential thunderstorm earlier) and portentous sky…

How can connected data help give every child the best start in life? @rachelsylvester.bsky.social shines a light on the pioneering research that helped shape Child of the North's recommendations for a national connected data model. Read the Connecting Data report: tinyurl.com/cotn100726

Born in Bradford: No AI, no big tech, just innovative answers to tricky social problems

No AI, no big tech – just innovative answers to tricky social problems. It’s time for the government to take this approach to education nationwide

observer.co.uk

Mentors are always important, but that doesn't have to mean it's a long term and formal relationship. My weekend post tells the story of a long ago episode where a single conversation - on a Greyhound Bus - made a big difference to how my career panned out occamstypewriter.org/athenedonald...

Mentors are always important, but that doesn't have to mean it's a long term and formal relationship. Today's blogpost relates a long ago episode where a single conversation - on a Greyhound Bus - made a big difference to how my career panned out occamstypewriter.org/athenedonald...

Popped into @churchillcol.bsky.social to use their library. Glad to see heron still presiding, even if crow above is annoyed.

Addressing the increase in mathematics resits, the shift towards double science entries and the drop in students choosing to study computing, read the Royal Society's response to today's GCSE and vocational results announcement: royalsociety.org/news/2026/08...

Even in an apparently egalitarian country like Denmark with generous parental leave entitlements, having children leads to significant detriment for academic mothers, somewhat smaller effect on fathers who take parental leave physicstoday.aip.org/news/study-o...)

Study of Danish academics reveals child penalty

Academics in the child-friendly nation face career disadvantages, such as lower employment rates, after becoming parents.

physicstoday.aip.org

The University of Cambridge was shockingly slow to admit women to degrees: not till 1948. But briefly, from 1904-7, those who passed the exams could get a degree from Trinity College Dublin: Steamboat Ladies #womeninSTEM #histsci occamstypewriter.org/athenedonald...

My reading about #womeninSTEM has taken me back to a 1913 book, introducing me to many names I'd not come across before. How did people do their research pre the internet? A researcher's life is so (comparatively) easy! occamstypewriter.org/athenedonald...

Science almost invariably involves teams and collaborations, no more the lone scientist imagined from history. But, that doesn't stop a leader being lonely. Today's post is some musings on that subject: Team working and loneliness occamstypewriter.org/athenedonald...

Finally Cambridge South station opens, serving the Biomedical Campus. Be nice to think it will have noticeable effect on Cambridge traffic

Fingers crossed this will make real difference for women in the sector(but it’s voluntary)

Research Professional News@resprofnews.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Over 50 UK research bodies commit to better conditions for women. Government-led charter sets out measures including at least 52 weeks’ maternity leave and safer workplaces. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...

In the wake of yesterday's speech by Andy Burnham, the recent Milburn Review, should we be taking a more radical approach to decreasing the number of NEETs? History provides one example of doing just that on the Genome Campus occamstypewriter.org/athenedonald...

Can Andy Burnham still be called a 'man of the people' given that he went to @fitzwilliamcollege.bsky.social ? I express annoyance at lazy stereotyping and disregarding too many factors of people's backgrounds occamstypewriter.org/athenedonald...

Saddened to hear of the death of theoretical physicist Peter Littlewood FRS. I worked with him when he was head of the Cavendish Laboratory in the late 2000's - he was a great person to work with and will be sadly missed by the community

Prey and predator, victim and perpetrator. Academia can be an unpleasant environment - bystanders need to do more to prevent harassment occamstypewriter.org/athenedonald...

Academia can sometimes feel like a nest of vipers, as recent stories tell and my own experiences support. Victims and Perpetrators #womeninstem #harassment #edusky occamstypewriter.org/athenedonald...

You can always be sure to see some interesting and large - if not really wild - birdlife while walking between DfE and @royalsociety.org

Yesterday I attended the Technician Commitment awards event in London, accepting an Advocacy Award on behalf of @royalsociety.org. I've also written a blogpost about the Society, and the importance of technicians for its Fellowship royalsociety.org/blog/2026/06...

Technicians and the fellowship | Royal Society

Professor Athene Donald FRS explains the crucial role of technical professionals in Research and Development, and highlights the work of the Institute for Technical Skills and Strategy (ITSS), which h...

royalsociety.org

With the Milburn Review published last week, I reflect on what is was like to get work experience when I was a teenager. The answer is, for me at least, it bore no relationship to the modern market occamstypewriter.org/athenedonald...

With the publication this week of the Milburn diagnostic report on NEETs, we should be under no illusions these are snowflakes. When I tried to get work experience, how different things were when I was 16 - I was not an accomplished kitchen skivvy! occamstypewriter.org/athenedonald...

With the publication this week of the Milburn diagnostic report on NEETs, we should be under no illusions these are snowflakes. When I tried to get work experience, how different things were when I was 16 - I was not an accomplished kitchen skivvy! occamstypewriter.org/athenedonald...

She was a great history teacher for me at Camden School for Girls in ‘ late 60s. First essay I had to write for her was about Victorian trade unions

Brynley Heaven@brynleyheaven.bsky.social · 4mo ago

What can and should be done about NEETs? Turning NEETs into Engineers www.ft.com/content/a173...

Turning Neets into engineers

Nmite in Hereford connects students to employers early and helps people imagine alternatives to the academic track

ft.com

Last week @royalsociety.org published its Science for Society Report. My latest blogpost looks at what that means for individual scientists as well as society occamstypewriter.org/athenedonald...