Broadening the representation and leadership of women in science and engineering continues to be both a focus and a challenge for Canada and the global world. Gender diversity brings a mixture of perspectives and skills on topics from salary disparity to sexual harassment that strengthens the fabric of the academic setting and workforce. Recently, the University of […] … learn more→

Research shows that healthier and happier children do better in school, and that education is an important determinant of future health. But education is not just about lessons within the four walls of a classroom. The outdoor environment encourages skills such as problem solving and negotiating risk which are important for child development. But opportunities for children to […] … learn more→

I have a new book out! Actually, that’s not entirely accurate… My book ‘How to be an Academic’has been re-published in the US by Johns Hopkins University press as‘Becoming an Academic: How to get through Grad School and Beyond’, which means it is now easily available in Europe and the UK as well as the USA. […] … learn more→

I have hosted and co-hosted a number of chats on Twitter under existing hashtags, and last month I set up my own Twitter chat on creative research methods. In case you’re new to all this, a hashtag is a way of keeping track of topics and content on Twitter. For example, if you want to know what […] … learn more→

Many people swear by writing goals. Perhaps it’s all about time. Timers allocate a given number of minutes for each writing session – say thirty minutes each morning, or a couple of hours two or three times a week. Or perhaps they are less motivated by time and more by the number of words written. […] … learn more→

It really is remarkable how when a government program or agency fails, the response is to pour even more taxpayer money on it. Just as the epic failures of our CIA/FBI/Military on 911 only led to huge expansions of their already huge budgets, so too do we see the same thing when it comes to […] … learn more→

Attending classes and regularly reviewing grades is essential for success at the university. But it is a job that students should not neglect: the consultation of bibliographical references recommended by teachers. The Internet greatly facilitates access to these references. From there to directly consult books and scientific articles on screen, there is only one step. If it has […] … learn more→

In the tennis player André Agassi’s autobiography, Open (definitely among the best of sporting autobiographies), our hero describes the scene when he finally finds himself walking on a beach with his fellow 1992 Wimbledon champion, Steffi Graf, just the two of them. He feels the need to start what he hopes will be a relationship […] … learn more→

The Victorian state government was recently reported to be investigating whether it could make it easier for bullying victims to sue schools. This was prompted by the case of a 13-year-old boy who had to undergo surgery after being bullied at a private school in 2016. All forms of bullying have the potential to create long-term and […] … learn more→

Which university lecturers can forget about their failures when giving lectures. On such occasions, I felt I had lost all students from the start: those who were out of focus, looked lethargic and anxious. Without shame, I focus more on my PowerPoint presentation to save my face. Years later, I can still hear myself reading aloud the points of the presentation and […] … learn more→