Grant evaluation - again...

Sorry, maybe too much text this time, but the situation is complicated again. In this continuation I wanted to illustrate the situation when the Easter bunny project (about white chocolate egg laying rabbits) has been rejected again. Please check out the reactions carefully. Am I mistaken or do 'topdogs' often think that a negative answer for a grant is a 'personal insult'? Do they consider and mix up things like this? (They feel that they were personally rejected, although it was only one stupid idea that was somehow not financed. How stupid...) And then check the other side of the things: bosses always prefer people who simply echo their opinions and moods, but cannot stand any criticism or different opinion... (Even if they are much more straightforward than their own ideas or stupid reactions like taking revenge...)

Sleeping in the lab

I  have prepared this cartoon a long time ago, but I did not want to be too sexist to emphasize this thing. However, having recently discussed things with another young female colleague I realized it is not rare that workaholic young women sleep in the lab or have to sleep in the lab while doing experiments. In contrast, less workaholic, but otherwise ambitious other women may also do this, but in another way...

The conference luggage of the scientific mum

Although I did not have too much feedback on this new series, I'll continue it (right in the middle of the conference season). This time I have collected some characteristics of scientific mums (and their everyday lives) and how it influences their conference participations (and luggage preparation). Since I have become a mum I always start to pack each luggage with diapers and baby formula each time, so it is not surprising they are a must in all mum's luggage... Some toys often land (by chance) in my pocket, my handbag or in a bag, so they are also compulsory in any luggage. As an ambitious scientist I like to have nice posters in a poster tube... (and then my boss asks me to carry also his poster). One of the most important problems of scientific mums is how they'll be able to communicate with their family during the conference. Taking a laptop with you may facilitate also this. In the meantime (and while missing your beloved ones) you may simply watch the 3000 family photo compilation that you also carry all along. And I forgot to mention separately on the figure, but of course you may carry all kind of literature (real novels or scientific literature) and all kind of tasks (manuscripts to be prepared or finalized) hoping to be able to work while not having your family around...

The conference luggage of the boss

This time, inspired by the conference season and again by one cartoon from the Stripped Science blog I decided to dedicate some cartoons to the conference luggage (suitcases) prepared by different members of (my virtual and eventual) research group. I'll start with the boss of course, and believe me, I speak from my own experience. For instance about the poster in A4 size even nowadays just because he is lazy to carry the poster tube - but this solution is still better than the other one he also made, i.e. to make me carry his poster (and mine) in the tube for him for an oversea conference... What concerns the swimsuit, it is only partially invention (at least with me he fortunately never went to the beach, but with Amanda he might have done it). But while being with him on one of my most expensive conferences, he decided to visit (with me of course, I had no choice, it was an order) the city (and some of the touristic places) just at the same time our poster section discussion was held (a special oral section dedicated to discussion of most interesting posters and questions in our own section/field). This way - due to his highest intelligence - we missed the discussion, and one prof we knew told us later that even my poster has been mentioned and questions were asked about it. So I missed one of the most important and unique possibilities to present and discuss my own results just because of my boss (who had at that time much more experience with conferences than me, so I still do not understand how he could be so unprofessional to miss this section, unless he made it intentionally...)

Baby names for astronomers - part I.

Being on holidays, enjoying the summer sky with stars I decided to prepare the next comic strip of the baby name series. However, for astronomers I'll have one more strip with star and planet names next month. And I am also preparing for next week cartoons about the luggage of different scientists when they go to conferences... (But had no time to finish it right now.)