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Blow by blow
By Yonela Z. Njisane Things don’t always go according to plan; but that does not mean you should not plan at all, otherwise you might end up frustrated and moving in circles. Even the Bible says in...
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Walk the talk
By Davide Gaglio It’s time for the 2nd World seabird conference! I am very excited to be a part of it and luckily it happens to taking place in Cape Town this year. An international conference is an...
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Pipetting for dummies
By Keafon Jumbam I’m back in the lab once again to hone my skills on faecal hormonal assays. The unsuccessful ending to my first lab visit didn’t deter me from trying again. If anything, the lessons I...
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Rings are not only for birds…
By Davide Gaglio Here we are again! I’m just back from the 2nd Seabird Conference…it was such a great experience! It was literally “magic” when on the big screen of the auditorium we received a...
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Survival of the fittest
A final-year PhD in the midst of student protest By Yonela Z. Njisane In the beginning of this blog series (April), my editor requested a list of blog titles for all the months (up to December) we...
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Batty babies at Christmas
By Keafon Jumbam Breeding season is once again upon us. In the past year, the batty team has enthusiastically followed and documented the life journey of a group of batties, including a set of adorable...
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2015 – What a year!
By Yonela Z. Njisane Ever found yourself in a position and you don’t even know how you got there? That’s me this year. I only realised when I was writing my presentation for the NRF Role Modelling...
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Life with a PhD
By Davide Gaglio The minister said: … I now pronounce you husband and wife! What a happy moment! Yes I am married! It was such a perfect day. (Listen this song while you reading the Blog):...
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Life lessons from the laboratory (and beyond)
By Ruenda Loots It’s that soul-searching, what-have-I-done-with-my-life time of the year. This year it feels more gut-wrenching than usual because 2015 was…unusual. A “not according to plan” year: not...
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Viruses: Their tiny dictatorship and why I love them
We may have surpassed the age where scientists said the flu is caused by “mysterious somethings”, but we are still very much in the dark about viruses. Virologists are even torn when it comes to...
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#FeesMustFall: Re-imagining the University
The closing months of 2015 were marked by unprecedented student protests calling for both free tertiary education and the end to outsourcing of domestic and security workers within the university...
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#CitizenScience: Research Experiences to Inspire Passion
Was there a defining moment that led you to choose your career? How did you decide what you wanted to be when you grew up? Did inspiration precede passion, for you? The more you learn about something,...
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Happiness is not always a four letter word!
I recommend listening to this song by “Watershed – Don’t give up” whilst you read the blog :) Ekunyamezeleni ukhona umvuzo! Those who know what this means and understand it probably think it’s a...
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The dangers of misinformation and miscommunication
I will start this article, I’m fairly confident, the way that no good story has ever started: I was standing in the line at home affairs last week. I happened to strike up the usual conversation one...
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If I were a plant pathogen, I would want to be a Phytophthora species
In the spirit of Saint Patrick’s Day (March 17), lets talk about Ireland. In many Christian denominations of Ireland, Saint Patrick’s Day is considered a feast day. However, ironically, I want to talk...
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Building a mastermind group
As I draw to the close of my PhD program, my thoughts have increasingly focused on my career. While I am fortunate enough to be doing my PhD within an active research unit, I’m still feeling unprepared...
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Permanent Head Damage: PhD lessons learnt so far
There are things that I didn’t see coming when I started a PhD. Bearing in mind that I did a Master’s that was largely independent and certainly felt like a PhD, I was completely surprised how...
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Life after data collection
So do you believe in life after death? Awkward way to start a blog, right? I know! If you do, then I’m sure you’ll paint me a portrait of how it’s better than your current life. Where there will be no...
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Curating research: moving beyond the notebook
As a researcher, in and out of academia, curating your ideas and findings is important. A notebook and a pen were my tools of choice… until the day I accidentally put one of my notebooks in the washing...
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Of dreams and GDP: The 2016 Science Budget
I was feeling positive about science in South Africa while poring over Minister Pandor’s budget speech. Maybe I was still basking in the afterglow of a leadership workshop that fundamentally changed...
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