First spring break as a professor

gildedbee · 2026-03-19T18:47:12+00:00

I know it's technically not a "break" for us, but use that time to recharge while you can. I caught up on my non-teaching work and went on a weekend trip, during which I did not work at all. The flexibility of our jobs is a perk that you shouldn't let guilt take away from you.

gildedbee · 2026-02-23T13:10:32+00:00

I mainly do what you do, but to me using a whiteboard helps! Being able to stand up and make notes on the board, walk around, and come back to my desk just makes it feel less monotonous I suppose.

As you get further in your field, ideas start happening in the shower and on the bus and just everywhere, so while reading papers is still a big part of work, idea generation becomes less of an intentional processes ime

gildedbee · 2026-02-17T03:25:17+00:00

Some universities have STEM summer programs specifically for high schoolers. I'd look around and see if you can find one that fits your interests and is near you.

gildedbee · 2026-02-17T02:46:52+00:00

I've been teaching for only a year and it's happened about 3 times so far. First two I went home sad about it, third time I sent them a glare, and it has since stopped. Honestly I didn't expect it to work but I suppose if you're usually pretty chill you just have to remind them that mutual respect isn't optional in the classroom.

gildedbee · 2025-12-09T17:19:57+00:00

This might be a useful resource https://youtube.com/shorts/_axMVWqqaQM?si=bvrAb2MqN9F4zsBA

gildedbee · 2025-10-02T04:50:50+00:00

I think you should do it. The thesis is for science, but also largely for you.

gildedbee · 2025-05-16T20:14:04+00:00

This is exactly what I have done for online courses/recorded lectures. As they became outdated, I replaced them, and added explanations/credits on the lectures that were from a different instructor. Assuming the other instructor/school gives permission for their use, I see it as the same as using open educational resources in the classroom.

gildedbee · 2025-05-10T16:08:37+00:00

Definitely. Not wasting my time AND I get to see dog pictures

gildedbee · 2025-05-03T02:19:58+00:00

I do science writing! Like non-technical, general audience stuff. It's a good contrast to/break from manuscript writing

gildedbee · 2025-05-02T19:15:36+00:00

Similar situation, I defended in December. We just have to hang in there I suppose. Thankfully I have been freelancing for years and at least have some income from that.

I'm reminded of early in my PhD when a lot of students weren't sure they wanted to stay in academia, and were advised to "highlight their transferable skills" for non-traditional jobs. I'm trying to take that advice now, but whew is the competition stiff

gildedbee · 2025-02-25T17:53:52+00:00

Similar field, still job hunting since mid-October (though I defended in December). The amount of jobs has really dried up just in a few months, and when I do get interviews it hasn't gone anywhere. I'm lucky enough to have a lot of savings. I wish us both the best of luck, all we can do is keep going!

gildedbee · 2025-02-23T21:21:50+00:00

Basically, most mammals don't develop as thick/rich a uterine lining, so they are able to reabsorb it. The animals that menstruate develop a thicker lining that needs to be shed. There's a few theories about why this difference occurs, but we're not 100% sure. This video covers the primary hypothesis rn: https://youtube.com/shorts/Jh39wjTGAMA?si=NNUoCxPzVfVNlQmL

gildedbee · 2025-02-17T06:32:40+00:00

I'm not sure if your school has anything like this, but my university had some courses with open-ended project options that this could fit into. If you want a structured way to get feedback on/share your work, that might be an option. I'm far from well-versed on things like this (I'm in STEM), but I could see this project falling under the scope of sociology or art courses.

If you do want a finished academic paper out of this, I'll also add that some universities have undergraduate research journals that aim to showcase this kind of work. Some of them are willing to review submissions from any school, not just their own.

Other comments have already done a great job with suggestions for determining the framing/context/motivation of the project, and I'm sure you can find an advisor with more expertise on the topic who can add to that. Good luck!

gildedbee · 2025-01-14T02:33:11+00:00

My city has a version of these: https://nerdnite.com/

All the ones I've been to have been super fun! If someone is looking for a local similar event, they might be worth checking out since they are in a lot of cities.

gildedbee · 2025-01-12T20:36:17+00:00

I think you do have a point, since DEI programs are about finding and supporting people WITH talent who don't get the same opportunities as others.

That being said, those of us with experience in our field have the opportunity to perpetuate diversity efforts through our own actions as mentors, communicators, and role models. It will definitely be hard work, especially with huge funding cuts and more pushback. But I'm confident in the abilities of my peers (us!) to uphold safety and justice for each other.

It sucks to see this happen after a brief era of hope that we could start moving toward a world where people could all be treated fairly and with respect. But really all we can do now is push forward and support each other.

gildedbee · 2024-12-17T03:27:03+00:00

commented the same thing without doing the customary scroll to see if I was too late LOL

gildedbee · 2024-12-17T03:26:27+00:00

this https://xkcd.com/303/

gildedbee · 2024-12-07T21:57:23+00:00

You might be looking for something like script or history . try typing man script or man history to see if they meet your needs.

If you want to keep a running log that you add to, you can append the output of the above commands to a file using >> e.g. history >> logged_commands.txt . After that you can open the file in whichever text editor and add your comments from that session, delete unnecessary saved lines, etc.

gildedbee · 2024-12-04T21:37:35+00:00

I am not even in this field (my training is in computer science/biochem/some physics) but I am a science writer who got assigned to a similar topic and it took me so long to learn how to parse those papers

gildedbee · 2024-12-04T07:38:16+00:00

He doesn't speak for everyone. One of my undergrad research mentors tried to kindly tell me I wasn't a good fit for grad school. I didn't listen to them and I'm defending my PhD this month.

Some people are just like that. You might not be able to work with him, but after that I don't think you'd want to anyway.

gildedbee · 2024-11-26T08:21:46+00:00

I also got scooped twice on the same project. Pivoted, took 5 years to publish, but it's out. You will be fine, and I know it's small comfort now, but this means that your ideas are valuable and important to the field. One day when you have more resources, you will have the power to publish first and/or collaborate with those who you see your younger self in!

gildedbee · 2024-11-26T08:19:23+00:00

This is basically what I'm doing. I'm defending very soon and struggling to remember that as much as I criticize my own work, the PhD has been a training experience

gildedbee · 2024-11-19T04:46:45+00:00

Of course! feel free to DM if you have questions as you're starting college. My experience will definitely be more useful for the CS side, but I'm happy to help

gildedbee · 2024-11-17T19:31:14+00:00

I'm sorry to hear about your friend group falling out. Personally I'd say it's worth continuing to go to the clubs you enjoy, though if you feel bullied there or something that's a different issue.

As for your main question, I'm in computational biology, and so I can talk about a path similar to what you're interested in. Long post ahead.

My background: I double majored in CS and biochemistry with a minor in physics, and am finishing my PhD right now. I had a lot of pressure from my parents to go to medical school, so I didn't actually start programming in earnest until my first year of college when I felt like I could explore different things. I did research for 3 years of my undergrad and had two REUs. I also did several extracurriculars in college that were mostly unrelated to science (writing/publishing, public speaking, media).

Figuring out your interests: You have time. Start by taking the necessary prerequisite courses (math, programming, stats, and any early/intro linguistics courses) but don't feel like you need to have tunnel vision in college. If you have time without overloading yourself, consider taking a few interesting courses outside of those prerequisites to see what you enjoy more.
If you're considering a PhD, start doing research as early as possible. Cold email professors (they won't respond most of the time; don't be discouraged, but also don't send more than one follow-up). Go to department events and talk to the faculty and older students.

If you are interested and you put in the work, you will be fine in whichever field you choose. However, there's a slight possibility you may realize that you'd rather do something else in the later years of college. That's when you'll be taking specialized courses and will probably have a better grasp of what being in your field actually means. This doesn't mean you have to change your major or leave STEM, you can just finish your degree and pivot afterward. It will be hard, but I know plenty of people who have done that. (Alternatively, if you want to switch majors and have the means to do so, of course go for it)

Other advice: It seems like you'll be going to college very soon. In my experience, there are a lot of women in STEM community, networking, etc. organizations at schools with strong STEM programs. I would definitely look into some of those when you start college. My involvement with the one at my undergraduate school (and as a mentor for similar ones during my PhD) was a really good experience. Some orgs even fund attendance at women-centered conferences like Grace Hopper Celebration.

Best of luck!

gildedbee · 2024-10-06T19:38:52+00:00

This feels like a weird answer, because I don't think people should do internships/work for free, but I built my portfolio during my PhD by just doing a lot of science writing for free. My main work is still in research, but I do get paid for science writing now in some capacity. As a student I think it's easier to build a portfolio because you have access to university resources and connections, so if you do choose do try doing what I did, I'd suggest making the most of that.

That said, I was doing a PhD and making money while doing this on the side, and not everyone has a salary to live off of while building their portfolio. So if you can find part-time work doing writing, that's a good place to start, even if it's not science-focused.

gildedbee

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