In 2009, NIH revamped their scoring system asking reviewers to provide numbers ranging from 1 (best) to 9 (worst) assessing applications Environment, Investigator, Innovation, Approach, and Significance. NIH has emphasized Innovation (insert jazz hands), leaving many a weary grant writer to feel a need to invent fabulous new techniques to take DNA out of things, […]
“Trying to ‘get motivated’ can often make matters worse. The real problem isn’t that you don’t feel like taking action. Rather, it’s the underlying assumption that you need to feel like taking action before you can act. Which explains the hidden pitfall of most ‘motivational’ advice: it’s not about how to get things done, but […]
Recently, if you listened hard enough, you could hear the collective sob of well-read junior scientists as Science Careers posted a commentary from Eleftherios P. Diamandis. Dr. Diamandis attributed his success to decades of consistently working 16-17 hour days, every day. He goes on to say…. “How did I manage it? My wife—also a […]
The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation has issued grants totaling $5.4 million to 10 medical schools to establish a Fund to Retain Clinical Scientists within each of their institutions. Each school will receive $540,000 over five years to provide stronger institutional support and supplemental funds for early-career physician scientists to maintain productivity during periods of excessive […]
Meira Epplein, PhD, came to epidemiology by a more scenic route than most. She has always been fascinated by China, from Chinese art to culture and modern history. After getting an MA in Chinese Studies, she began working for an Asian research think tank, studying military, political, and security issues surrounding China. Because she frequently […]
Ever feel like most time management advice is, well, crap? So do Maggie Berg and Barbara K. Seeber, authors of a recent article in the Chronicle with the provocative title “Take Your Time: The corporate university steals it–let’s grab it back.” Aghast at books that recommend reserving 12 hours on Sundays(!) for grading and class […]
“During this year’s winter break, however, I discovered a book that I hope will change my life. Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing is a beautiful exploration about our attachment to things and one of the first I’ve read to explicitly examine our relationship to books […]
“Are you as innovative as you want to be? Although eight of 10 respondents in a poll of thousands of workers from the United States, Europe, and Japan in 2012 said creativity was critical to unlocking global economic potential, only one in four felt they were fulfilling their own creative potential. Almost half complained that […]
When I started my lab I had a very distinct idea of the type of PI I wanted to be. I had experienced some different styles and observed many others. I knew what my needs were as a graduate student and a postdoc and recognized gaps in what my mentors had provided for me. Above […]