Who needs sleep?

My youngest (7.5 months) has decided that sleep is not his main priority at the moment.  It may be teething, it may be motor skill development, who know?  The point is that sleep for Science Mom has become a limiting resource. 

Image: Dynamite Imagery / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Now, I am in a job where I am paid to think.  I like this, because I like to think, and I think I generally do it quite well.  But let me tell you, it is hard to think when one is chronically sleep deprived!  So I’ve been beating myself up of late because my mind just isn’t as sharp as I would like it to be, and as a result production has slowed slightly.

Then, while trawling blogs a few evenings ago I came across this comment over at Academic Jungle

“My most hard-to-get-a-hold-of colleagues are men with grown children. I am way more responsive to the demands of a collaboration than them even in the most pukey, sleepy, heartburny, or postpartum stupid state …”

Hmmmm, this is true for me too!  When I had morning sickness, when I was 35 weeks and ready to pop, and now when I am in a sleepy stupor, sure, I slow down, but I still come to work, meet with colleagues, comment on manuscripts, respond to emails, plan experiments, analyze data, coordinate a lit club etc.  My point here is NOT to demonize male colleagues with grown (or no) children.  I’ve seen them, they are harried; they are juggling multiple balls; they have too much on their plates.  I can give them compassion.  But then I must give myself compassion too. 

Finally up to speed with blog tags and photos

Well it has been a long time coming, but I have finally gone through and tagged my blog posts. I have also added photos to many of my earlier travel chronicles.  It is a first pass and things may change, but I think these tags will help people to navigate this rather eclectic blog. Now if you want to read about my musing in professional issues or work-home balance, you can easily find these posts by clicking the tags. If you are feeling more philosophical and intuitive and you want to read about parenting, or mindfulness, or life in general, then again, just click the tags. I also have a number of travel chronicles which you can now find under "travel". As an aside, there may be more travel chronicles soon. I have a store of chronicles about my adventures in Panama (the Panama Chronicles) which I may adapt and publish - we'll see.

Updating my website is strangely inspiring

Today I updated the text on my website. The next step will be updating the website itself ☺. In updating the text I had to rethink where I stand as a scientist and to define my broader interests. I always find this fun. It is enjoyable to remember why I became a scientist and to see how my interests are evolving. It keeps me inspired as a researcher and also reminds me that my scientific skills are widely applicable in a world where the need to understand and apply scientific evidence to the global challenges (everything from biodiversity loss and climate change, to economic meltdowns and poverty) is increasingly apparent.

I believe in the importance of both fundamental research and the application of scientific knowledge to the problems of our time. I envision a world where research integrating across disciplines furthers our understanding of animal adaptations to their environment in the context of ecology, evolution, conservation and sustainability. And I still like thinking about humans and musing about how we are adapting to and changing our environment in the context of culture, ecology, evolution and sustainability.