Year in review 2011

I hope 2011 has treated you well.  For me, this year flew by!  One minute it was January and the next here I am writing our “year in review”.  

Part of a gingerbread village we helped build at our co-op

This was a year of “firsts” for our boys.  The youngest had many firsts, most notably his first tooth, his first steps and his first birthday!  Though I still consider him my baby, he has grown from an angelic newborn to a joyful and tenacious toddler whose smile could melt the heart of any Scrooge.  The eldest is officially a “big boy, and this year we watched with great pride as he went to his first day of school and sang in his first winter concert. He has grown into a thoughtful and caring boy, whose capacity for compassion routinely impresses me.  For hubby and I watching our boys grow continues to be a source of great personal joy.  Everyday we marvel at them and are grateful to have such wonderful kids.

Professionally, this year brought great success to hubby who, after much tenacity, was able to land not one, but two, relatively stable jobs (given the current global job situation).  The first gave him much needed experience in a new field, but had less than ideal hours and a long commute.  The second is much more convenient, closer to home, and also closer to his interests.  For me this year brought professional introspection, metaphorically mirroring world events like the uprisings of the “Arab spring”, the changes in the political climate our country and the “occupy” movement, which all opened dialogue about the suitability of the status quo (or at least some aspects of it). Next year will bring a change in my work life in one form or another.  Like most people, I may not get the chance to choose which job comes next – in truth choosing may be very difficult. Nevertheless, I enjoyed exploring both known and previously unknown options in greater depth. I am grateful for that luxury.

In addition to personal and professional adventures at home, this year also brought travel: a conference in Europe, enjoying nature “up north” and visiting relatives “down south”.  At home we remain very happy living in our downtown co-op.  We love being close to the center of things and we love the strength and diversity of the community.  This was strikingly clear at the winter concert held at our son’s school.  There we joined with parents of every colour and religion in a shared joy and pride for our kids.  There we also learned about some of the school’s wonderful programs, including a guitar club, a yoga club and cultural clubs that teach the kids about how children live in other parts of the world. These programs are free for everyone, and it was clear from the presenters that kids from all backgrounds take advantage of these opportunities and are learning and growing as a result.

Happy holidays and all the best for 2012!

An evening on the Amador Causeway

The weather was perfect the evening we walked along the Amador Causeway with the boys.  The sun had just set and a warm breeze was blowing off the Pacific.  Lights from dozens of boats waiting to enter the Panama Canal twinkled out on the water and in the distance tree cloaked islands formed a backdrop to the sparkling sea.  

View from Punta Culebra, Amador Causway by day, Photo: D. Buehler

When I lived in Panama, I lived very close to this causeway and I would come often.  Leaving this place (as well as some places in the mountains) made moving from Panama to pursue research in Europe difficult (some 8 years ago). 

But we were on the Causeway on this perfect evening to show our boys one of the places we love.  The baby looked at the lights on the water in awe before snuggling down in his carrier for a cozy nap.  My eldest pushed his scooter with increasing agility along the pavement asking a million questions. 

Then, quite subtly as if floating on the warm humid air, hundreds of fireflies started to twinkle their lights. It was a lovely evening that clearly transmitted our love for this small piece of Panama.

Most Awesome Family Breakfast

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Homemade pancakes with:

·      Locally grown, organic raspberries and grapes (from grandpa’s garden)

·      Authentic Gouda cheese brought from the Netherlands by our amazing Dutch friend

Heavenly!

Conferencing to reignite academic fire

Nothing reignites academic fire like seeing old friends and colleagues at a conference.  Arranging the trans-Atlantic trip was a logistic challenge - including the inevitable bout of stomach flu while preparing my talks - but it was worth it!  To make the trip as short as possible I gave two talks in two countries in 4 days.  Yet there was still time for a quick hike in The Peak District (near Hathersage) and tea with scones and clotted cream in Castleton. 

The Peak District near Hathersage.  Photo: D. M. Buehler.

There was also time for scotch and haggis in Strathpeffer and birding on the shores of Munlochy Bay. 

 

Rainbow in Strathpeffer.  Photo: D. M. Buehler.

Catching up with friends, hatching collaborative plans and trading ideas was wonderful.  But meeting with friends who are also juggling a scientific career and a family was like a drink in the desert. I really missed the solidarity of shared strategies for juggling kids and work.  At home my social circle (although wonderful) involves either academics without kids or parents who are not academics.

It was a change that helped me battle against the exhaustion that comes with having everything you want - kids, job, puzzles to solve - just having a bit too much at once.   And back home the kids were angels with hubby who was quite capable of handling them on his own.

No "Homer Simpson Effect" among high achievers

Life is crazy busy.  Talks to prepare, job applications to prepare, lab work to do, kids got stomach flu - whew! 

So just a short note referring you to a nice trio of letters examining how male and female scientists self-rate their expertise.  It seems that there is no difference among high achieving tropical ecologists.  But I tend to agree with Dugale et al. that the outcome might have been different had males and females at earlier career stages been sampled.  

Gender differences in science: no support for the ‘Homer Simpson Effect’ among tropical researchers

Biased sampling: no ‘Homer Simpson Effect’ among high achievers

Homing in on the ‘Homer Simpson Effect’: reply to Dugdale et al

Academic Women sans Babies 2.0

In counterpoint to my last post about scientists and babies, here is a link to a second great survey, that assembled a panel of women academics to answer questions on life in academia without mentioning kids or motherhood.

Here are links to the responses of two of my favorite bloggers
CanadianGirlPostdoc
Academic Jungle

Enjoy!

Scientists and babies

A recent study (see here for a great summary) published by sociologists Elaine Howard Ecklund and Anne E. Lincoln raises a very important point – the pressure-filled road to tenure keeps both women and men from having as many children as they would like.  This affects their satisfaction with life, and pushes them to leave science as a career. 

Are our babies stressed when we are writing grants?  Is baby stressed when dad is writing a grant too?  It’s not just mom’s responsibility. Image: www.cafepress.com

For me the ground breaking part of this study is that it establishes that this is not a women’s issue and should not be treated as one.  This is a societal issue.  There are a plethora of possible solutions and each has pros and cons.  Because I am a scientist, I don’t have time to get into all of them here (though this may come in a later post).  The point here is that it should not be up to women to highlight or to solve the “problem” that child-bearing years clash with post-doctoral and tenure-track years.  Rather it is our responsibility as a society to face this biological reality and to accommodate it. 

Achieving work-home balance and life satisfaction is a complex and nuanced challenge.  Family friendly policies in academic institutions, such as on-site daycare and reasonable paternal leaves can surely help.  In Canada these already exist for staff and faculty, and are a great success.  But, as researchers spend more and more of their youthful years as post-docs and graduate students, shouldn’t these benefits be extended to these positions as well?  I am not a Pollyanna – I know this will need to be paid for, somehow - but shouldn’t it at least be on the table? 

Imagine this: Your graduate student or post-doc walks into your office and announces that the family is expecting a baby.  Instead of immediate angst about how this person will be supported financially: Will it come from your (already cash strapped) research budget?  Will you have to turn the family away with nothing?  Imagine saying: “Congratulations! Here is the number for XXX in HR, s/he will set you up with the forms you’ll need for your leave.  Now since we are both passionate about science let’s talk about how we can best accommodate both your family and our research while you welcome your new addition.”  Wouldn’t that be nice?