Total Internal Reflection @TIR_scienceblog@qoto.org

Just arrived here on Mastodon so here's an #introduction! Total Internal Reflection (TIR) is a #science #blog (http://totalinternalreflectionblog.com) but one that focuses on the human side of science instead of research.

Posts typically fall into two types - either commentary/opinion (sometimes silly, sometimes serious), or #HowTo guides aimed at improving young scientists' #SoftSkills.

I'll be highlighting new postings here, and would be delighted to get comments/feedback/input - the blog is all about starting a discussion rather than having the last word.

With #Movember 2024 now over the halfway point, here's another chance to take a look at some "Great #scientists, great #moustaches"...with more to come this year!
👇
http://totalinternalreflectionblog.com/2019/11/09/great-scientists-great-moustaches-pt-3-a-movember-posting/

New #posting! What does the #1924 #Everest expedition have in common with the #2024 #Nobel prizes? A riff on the untapped riches that might be found if there were more equality of opportunity.

👇
https://totalinternalreflectionblog.com/2024/11/17/an-empire-state-of-mind/

New posting! There’s no shortage of people and places offering advice to those #leavingacademia and seeking #AltAc careers, but here’s some tips based on my own recent experience of the process.👇Hope it helps, and a big thanks too to all who helped me 😊
https://totalinternalreflectionblog.com/2024/09/22/pathfinding-some-tips-on-finding-science-jobs-outside-academia/

New #posting! This one's about how I had one enormous factor in my favour when weighing up whether or not to leave #academia last year: my wife's career.
http://totalinternalreflectionblog.com/2024/07/29/couple-power/

New posting! I’m less than a year into my new scientific career in the #biotech/#pharma sector, and the biggest difference with #academia is already clear: it’s the money.

But not, as you might think, in terms of salary…👇
http://totalinternalreflectionblog.com/2024/06/16/follow-the-money/

New posting! You wouldn't think that mandatory company training on policies & procedures would come across as a beacon of enlightenment, but that's how it did for me 😂 👇
http://totalinternalreflectionblog.com/2024/04/28/from-the-top-down/

New posting! A riff on permanent positions in #science, and how 6 months in #MedComms has already brought more career stability (= permanent position) than 20+ years in #academia. 👇
http://totalinternalreflectionblog.com/2024/03/17/apotheosis-a-riff-on-permanent-positions-in-science/

New posting! This one contains a few reflections on what I do, and don't, miss about my life in #academia.

https://totalinternalreflectionblog.com/2024/01/28/only-in-the-abstract/

New posting! Here is the Total Internal Reflection #2023 retrospective: >30,000 page views, nearly 20,000 visitors, and the most shattering decision of my professional life to date.

As always, a massive thanks to all of you out there for reading/favouriting/boosting/commenting on the postings - much appreciated.👏

It's also just over 1 year since arriving here, and it's been fantastic to meet and connect with so many of you. Here's looking forward to many more reflections in 2024!😊

http://totalinternalreflectionblog.com/2024/01/07/2023-tirs-year-in-review/

New posting! This is the annual look at some great #scientists and great #moustaches in honour of #Movember2023. This year's style winner comes from Japan 🤩

A massive thanks to @batroelens for nominating a couple of 2023's style exemplars...😊

https://totalinternalreflectionblog.com/2023/12/23/great-scientists-great-moustaches-vii-a-movember-posting/

New posting! This is a short riff on the importance of scientific supply chains. The departure point is the coronavirus pandemic, and the way it illustrated the vital need to have a domestic supply chain to complement outsourcing. The same lesson, I think, is true to science training. Hope you like it!

https://totalinternalreflectionblog.com/2023/11/26/scientific-supply-chains/

The outrageously talented
Oliver Hoeller hasn't contributed to TIR in a long while (😢) but he does have a new book out 🤩- now all you budding artists and #sciart fans can learn some tips & tricks if you'd like to try sketching the world around you👇
https://oliverhoeller.com/store/Pack-Your-Sketches-Full-of-Life-p597163060

One week in to #Movember2023 and it's time to celebrate some more great scientists with great #moustaches! Here's Part II of the TIR Movember series. Anybody you'd like to nominate for the 2023 edition?
http://totalinternalreflectionblog.com/2018/11/19/great-scientists-great-moustaches-pt-2-a-movember-posting/

#Movember2023 is under way! For those not in the know, the #Movember foundation raises awareness of #MentalHealth, #ProstateCancer, #TesticularCancer.

To tie in with the event, TIR has an annual posting of "Great scientists, great #moustaches", and 2023 will be no exception!

First though, let's take a look back at previous iterations in the series... Got someone you'd like to nominate? Let me know.😃 👨👇

http://totalinternalreflectionblog.com/2017/11/23/great-scientists-great-moustaches-a-movember-posting/

It's an oldie but a goodie, re-upping it for #Halloween2023 - the #9types of horror lab. Happy Hallowe'en! 🎃 👻

http://totalinternalreflectionblog.com/2022/10/31/the-9-types-of-horror-lab/

New #posting! This one suggests that good #mentoring offers an escape to the #RedQueen problem faced by many (most? all?) contemporary group leaders in #academia. Hope you like it! 👇
https://totalinternalreflectionblog.com/2023/10/29/a-riposte-to-the-red-queens/

Naive #biochemistry question: how would you define the difference between a steady state and a futile cycle?

It's out! This paper (FA:
D.Schichler
, A.Konle), now out in
@J_Cell_Sci is very much the story of the Morriswood group; it was started by one of my 1st rotation students, ended by other undergrads prior to the group's closure.

Massive thanks to
@ReviewCommons for handling the #preprint #PeerReview process, & also
@J_Cell_Sci
@Co_Biologists for providing the best journal service I've ever encountered - rigorous, courteous, friendly, helpful. The paper is now also part of then#ForestOfBiologists initiative.

Also, don't forget that the "director's cut" is still available as a reviewed #preprint on
@biorxivpreprint here, where aficionados can dig a little deeper if they're interested:
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.03.15.484455v2

"More and more bitter, self-pitying, repetitive" - a regular reader slams TIR's recent content (ouch!). Reminds me of a similar discussion I had nearly a year ago that inspired the following posting (👇)...it's certainly difficult balancing scientific wonder with structural commentary. But point taken; let's see if I can provide a bit more sunshine 🤩

http://totalinternalreflectionblog.com/2022/11/17/a-letter-to-a-friend/

Interested in #mRNA and #trypanosomes? My dear (Tootless) friend Susanne Kramer has a #DFG-funded #PhD position available now in my old home of the University of Würzburg. Full details (including contact email) in the pic below 👇