PostDocAnon

We publish stories of the #postdoc #stem #womeninstem #firstgen experience. #qtpoc #poc and #lgbtq stories encouraged. Rolling submissions accepted.

[PostDocAnon @postdocanon]

Put down @sciencemagazine
@nature and @CellPressNews
for a week and read @audrelorde
#YourSilenceWillNotProtectYou instead. The big pubs will still be there when you're done. @AcademicsSay @AcademicChatter #STEMreckoning #STEMsocialjustice @STEMJustice

[Public School Forum @theNCForum]

Our policy analyst, @A_Kazouh discusses the importance of recruiting and retaining teachers of color and the relationship between teacher licensure policies and teacher diversity in a new op-ed. Check it out here: https://t.co/lAC6MxvLc0

[EducationNC @EducationNC]

“The potential here is not just about diversifying the teacher workforce today. This is about the long-term health and well-being of our economy and our democracy." ⁠— @JohnBKing // #nced #DRIVESummit https://t.co/zJNdPP9vBG

[PostDocAnon @postdocanon]

@STEMJustice @sinumvayo @AcademicChatter Many people ask the PI, and that's fine, but similar to how you don't like to refer people to those who might negatively review you, PIs also don't do that. Are there any examples of universities tracking + providing this kind of data?

[PostDocAnon @postdocanon]

"How to pick a mentor," by the wonderful Ben Barres...
@AcademicChatter #postdoc #gradstudentlife #gradschool #stemreckoning @STEMJustice
https://t.co/GQ3OCcoa6b

[PostDocAnon @postdocanon]

We're on Instagram @postdocanon ! Find us! @AcademicChatter #AcademicTwitter #AcademicChatter #postdoc

[PostDocAnon @postdocanon]

@sinumvayo @AcademicChatter @STEMJustice Yes! Reliance on testimony from individuals STILL IN THE LAB should always be taken with a grain of salt. I advise students to listen to whether someone sounds happy, not just not-negative. A not-negative response (rather than positive) is a red flag for me.

[Jean Paul Sinumvayo, PhD 🇷🇼 @sinumvayo]

@postdocanon @AcademicChatter @STEMJustice This is really quite difficult. Sometimes students mistook that testimony from seniors in the lab will tell you how nice your mentor will be. However, this is a mistake. You have to know first why this mentor has such behavior towards someone, maybe the students are not serious

[PostDocAnon @postdocanon]

@AcademicChatter

[PostDocAnon @postdocanon]

In academia, it's common to hear "It's a marathon, not a race," but all too often academic science is treated like a series of highly individualistic, competitive races.

Just like in competitive in professional… https://t.co/AzfjEjVJ6k

[PostDocAnon @postdocanon]

@AcademicChatter Lastly, and most importantly, it is critical that you determine the faculty member’s track record of mentoring success. One way to begin to address this question is to obtain a copy of his or her “trainees list”

[PostDocAnon @postdocanon]

The most important part of this piece is the fact that in order to speak - which we are finally gathering the courage to do - we can only do so under anonymity. Sharing the stories are still important and there is power in the common. @AcademicChatter https://t.co/jxVpsPG3oD

[PostDocAnon @postdocanon]

@AcademicChatter "They also allow and encourage their trainees to take time away from their research to do other activities that will enhance their training"

[PostDocAnon @postdocanon]

@AcademicChatter @STEMJustice "Good mentors spend enormous amounts of time with each of their students discussing science, how to design good experiments and interpret and analyze data, how to write research papers and grants, how to review papers for journals, practicing talks, and providing career guidance.

[PostDocAnon @postdocanon]

@AcademicChatter @STEMJustice "a few months away are irrelevant in the lifetime of a typical multiyear project."

[PostDocAnon @postdocanon]

@AcademicChatter @STEMJustice Having narrowed your list of potential advisors to those that are good scientists, next you must determine which are also good mentors.

[PostDocAnon @postdocanon]

@AcademicChatter @STEMJustice "First and very importantly, never assume just because a faculty member has a job at a good university that he or she is therefore a good scientist."

[PostDocAnon @postdocanon]

@AcademicChatter @STEMJustice 4. "If your advisor does not know how to be a good scientist or does not know how to train you to be a good scientist, you are unlikely to become a good scientist. Perhaps I would add passion for science to that list as well."

[PostDocAnon @postdocanon]

@AcademicChatter @STEMJustice 3. "If not based on exact research topic, then how else can one select a good mentor? There are only two criteria of any importance: scientific ability and mentorship ability. "

[PostDocAnon @postdocanon]

@AcademicChatter @STEMJustice 2. "Try lab rotations in different areas, which is increasingly important in an interdisciplinary world."

[PostDocAnon @postdocanon]

@AcademicChatter @STEMJustice 1. "...What a student should NEVER EVER do: An advisor should NOT be selected solely because [they are] the one [prof] at your uni. that happens to work on.. what you are interested in; this is what... every grad student does!"