Monthly Archives: August 2013

Why are there so few female leaders?

Posted on August 27, 2013 by Silvia Bunge

With all the discussion around ‘leaning in’ these days, I thought this was a great little piece on the subject of gender and leadership. http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2013/08/why_do_so_many_incompetent_men.html

Posted in Careers, Interpersonal | Leave a comment

Need a stats refresher?

Posted on August 22, 2013 by Silvia Bunge

My friend and colleague Andrew Conway-Spera, a faculty member in Psychology at Princeton, is a gifted statistics instructor. He created an online intro to stats MOOC last year for Coursera, and it went phenomenally well. He has made numerous tweaks … Continue reading →

Posted in Research | Leave a comment

Learning to enjoy the academic life

Posted on August 22, 2013 by Silvia Bunge

This is a nice article that’s been making the rounds. I almost didn’t post it here because it’s technically aimed at untenured faculty, but a reader convinced me that it has good advice for grad students as well. Before you … Continue reading →

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Publishing your work: Traditional & open-access journals

Posted on August 21, 2013 by Silvia Bunge

A lucid piece by Michael Eisen, a UC Berkeley professor, HHMI investigator, and co-founder of the PLoS series of open-access journals: The past, present, and future of scholarly publishing

Posted in Peer review & publication | 1 Comment

So what if you’re good at it – do you enjoy it?

Posted on August 18, 2013 by Silvia Bunge

I wrote a letter of recommendation today for a young woman – let’s call her Alexa – who has recently completed her Ph.D. and has decided to leave academia and try her hand at something quite different. As I noted … Continue reading →

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The importance of stupidity

Posted on August 7, 2013 by Silvia Bunge

I’m guessing that when you were growing up, you were praised for your intelligence. (Just a wild hunch!) And while I’m sure that you are, indeed, very bright, I don’t think you should dwell on it. Today’s post is about … Continue reading →

Posted in Interpersonal, Research | Leave a comment

Bridging the gap with your advisor

Posted on August 5, 2013 by Silvia Bunge

Greetings! I’m surprised to find that people from outside our department – and even outside the U.S. – have been visiting my blog. The most popular topic thus far has been the student-advisor relationship, so I’ve decided to repost part … Continue reading →

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Calling all introverts

Posted on August 3, 2013 by Silvia Bunge

Some people enjoy being in the spotlight and/or are gifted orators. This post is not for them. I listened to a book on tape last year called “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking“, by … Continue reading →

Posted in Public speaking | 2 Comments

A sense of purpose could be important for your health

Posted on August 2, 2013 by Silvia Bunge

This intriguing new PNAS study by Barbara Frederickson and colleagues at UNC Chapel Hill and UCLA begins with a brief lesson on Greek philosophy: “Philosophers have long distinguished two basic forms of wellbeing: a “hedonic” form representing the sum of … Continue reading →

Posted in Productivity, Research | Leave a comment

Interpersonal difficulties? Maybe they stem from cultural differences

Posted on August 1, 2013 by Silvia Bunge

Each of us comes to the table with our own special blend of cultural influences that shape our values and how we interpret others’ words and actions. Considering where others may be ‘coming from’ – literally – could improve our … Continue reading →

Posted in Interpersonal, Relationship with your advisor | 3 Comments