It’s been a while I know but where to start? It’s been a ridiculously awesome two months for science, girls and rocks! I will start at the beginning, with part one, which is the adventure of PacificChem 2010.
Once every five years this heeowwge conference is held and I had drawn the short straw and was forced to go to Hawai’i to attend it. Slightly overwhelming, approximately 250, 000 people attend this conference and are treated to great science, entertainment in the name of science and the opportunity to pop down to the beach between lectures.
I saw one of my science heroes, Prof Stephen Lippard, deliver a lecture with the backdrop of Waikiki beach. I had a sore face from smiling at him like he was Mother Theresa-I must have looked deranged but he seemed perfectly used to it. Quote of the conference :“My aim is to cure just even one person of cancer before I leave this planet.”
I could go on and I will drop stories in throughout my blogs no doubt (just to rub it in your safety specs!) but one chance encounter did leave me thinking...I bumped into an old colleague (who will be endearingly called The Nefarious Dr L ) and we decided to catch up over dinner with his other workmates. He now has a fantastic job in a sun soaked country and living his science dream. Upon trying to find out how he bagged this job, he said it was due to networking. Deciphered, this meant going out on the lash at conferences with lecturers. Now there is no doubt that The Nefarious Dr L is extremely intelligent and deserves said job but could I ever find myself in the same position; getting gin soaked with Prof Lippard to build a bond, pardon the pun? In short no, I don’t think so and don’t think I’m about to go on tirrade about women should allowed to get drunk and not get judged, not at all, but maybe there could be some sort of other opportunities to build relationships for those that cant hold their liquor- is it possible? Or is a wee imbibement required to let the PPE come off and really get to know the ones you want to work with? And that leads me nicely to installment number two...Women Sharing a Chemical Moment in Time: Glasgow.
Once every five years this heeowwge conference is held and I had drawn the short straw and was forced to go to Hawai’i to attend it. Slightly overwhelming, approximately 250, 000 people attend this conference and are treated to great science, entertainment in the name of science and the opportunity to pop down to the beach between lectures.
I saw one of my science heroes, Prof Stephen Lippard, deliver a lecture with the backdrop of Waikiki beach. I had a sore face from smiling at him like he was Mother Theresa-I must have looked deranged but he seemed perfectly used to it. Quote of the conference :“My aim is to cure just even one person of cancer before I leave this planet.”
I could go on and I will drop stories in throughout my blogs no doubt (just to rub it in your safety specs!) but one chance encounter did leave me thinking...I bumped into an old colleague (who will be endearingly called The Nefarious Dr L ) and we decided to catch up over dinner with his other workmates. He now has a fantastic job in a sun soaked country and living his science dream. Upon trying to find out how he bagged this job, he said it was due to networking. Deciphered, this meant going out on the lash at conferences with lecturers. Now there is no doubt that The Nefarious Dr L is extremely intelligent and deserves said job but could I ever find myself in the same position; getting gin soaked with Prof Lippard to build a bond, pardon the pun? In short no, I don’t think so and don’t think I’m about to go on tirrade about women should allowed to get drunk and not get judged, not at all, but maybe there could be some sort of other opportunities to build relationships for those that cant hold their liquor- is it possible? Or is a wee imbibement required to let the PPE come off and really get to know the ones you want to work with? And that leads me nicely to installment number two...Women Sharing a Chemical Moment in Time: Glasgow.
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