I don’t get out much – both socially, and from a research perspective. The first one is mostly due to the ridiculous hours required by the second one. But either way, I spend more time inside basking in the glow of fluorescent tubes (or tubes of fancy, expensive energy saving LEDS) than I do with …
Becoming an academic is obviously the pinnacle achievement anyone can attain. It’s the job that all kids dream of and is looked up to by almost all layers of society with dignity and respect. When leaving school many youngsters all dream of one day joining this beloved profession. Now there are two ways into academia. …
Some years ago now, I started a new project. I went into the project with a lot of bold ideas about everything from what to buy, and what side projects I could start – and even one or two ideas about maybe doing the actual project. But one idea that I felt very strongly about was …
I have, for the most part, lived a charmed life in research. My labs have been located in the middle of the UK a country best known for its dull, grey weather which at worst is ‘a bit damp’ or ‘slightly warm’. Also, being in the middle means that by the time any mildly more …
When I was in school, I was often told that I had to practice essay writing because I’ll need to do it later in life. When I was about 10, it honestly sounded like the sort of thing your teachers tell you so that you’ll actually keep doing something that is clearly pointless. Up until …
No, they shouldn’t. Wow – this might be my shortest article yet. Good thing I’m not paid by the word… or at all. This question comes up a lot when I talk at universities, conferences and events, and as much as I’d like to stick to a glib reply I think my opinion deserves some explanation. Now, I’m …
This year you can go see me (Matthew) be irreverent about science, live! On the 22nd of August I will be performing a 1 hour show called “Fibre Optic Sensors Can Save The World” as part of the Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas and the Edingburgh Fringe 2017. The Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas is a series of event organised by the Beltane …
Click through to see the full comic
A little while ago I got a new laser system. It’s a very nice laser system and can laser in ways that are both exciting and lasery (yay, lasers!). When it arrived it had one thing that stood above everything else as something to be excited about – it came with a small, black, dedicated control box. …
Seminars are a critical part of the academic learning experience. Academic teaching essentially takes three forms: lectures, seminars, and one to one project supervision. Lectures are the dry boring things that students sleep through and surviving/getting something out of them is worth an entire guide in itself. One to one supervision is like a duck …
