Archives For science

Finding a Postdoc in the Sciences: One Postdoc’s Journey

Kelly Seaton —  October 11, 2011 — 10 Comments

We have recently featured series about surviving graduate school from a humanities PhD and life as a faculty member from an anthropologist. Now we begin a series about finding a postdoc in the sciences and flourishing in the process. Guest writer Kelly Seaton, currently a postdoc at Duke University, will grace the blog for the next few weeks with her series Finding a Postdoc in the Sciences. Most of the series will focus on practical details of the process, but Kelly begins this week with some personal reflections. Thank you, Kelly! ~ Mike

Francis Collins and postdocs

NIH Director (and IVP author) Francis Collins speaking to postdocs at the Indiana University School of Medicine

God’s faithfulness and life beyond grad school

I suppose I ought to answer the burning question right off the bat – yes, there is life after graduate school! Graduate school can be a rough and challenging process, but there definitely is light at the end of the tunnel. My hope is that this series of posts will bring encouragement to you wherever you are on your journey, as well as providing some practical tips to help navigate your way to a postdoc position.

One of the major things I have appreciated along the journey is ESN’s encouragement to wholeheartedly pursue professional skills, passion, and Christian witness together – as part of an integrated life. I have come to appreciate that Christian witness is not distinct from everyday life. In fact, everyday life can provide rich opportunities to share Christ’s love – without, I might add, a lot of extra time or effort. The next logical question might be – so how does a postdoc position fit in? Is it really necessary, or is it simply glorified graduate school (long hours, little pay, and no real recognition)?

Photo Credit: IU School of Medicine via Flickr

Is a Postdoc Necessary?

Most academics and scientists will tell you that yes, a postdoc is highly recommended, even necessary for most positions. Continue Reading…

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“Science and medicine must be separate from religion”

Tom Grosh IV —  June 29, 2011 — 7 Comments

Thank-you to the friend of ESN who in response to my FB Wall post on George Washington U. Professor Tapped to Lead Tropical-Medicine School – On Hiring – The Chronicle of Higher Education (Audrey Williams June. 6/23/2011), reminded me Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) is not affiliated w/Baylor University (BU).

As I hopped on-line, the controversy regarding the relationship between Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) and Baylor University (BU) slowly came back to me. It is another difficult institutional history marked by the challenges of funding and religious affiliation. As I couldn’t fit the story (and some of the questions which it raises) into a FB comment or wall post, I thought I’d try a quick post on the blog. Thought it was particularly apt after Mike’s post How Do Christian Faculty Integrate Their Faith and Work? Hope he doesn’t mind a brief, less polished Wednesday post, AND I hope to hear from some of you in the field ;)

BCM’s official history of affiliation & separation can be found here. http://www.baylorhealth.com/About/Pages/Default.aspx shares BU’s rich hospital system and http://www.baylorhealth.edu/education/Pages/default.aspx lists BU’s medical educational opportunities (Note: I find the page illustrates the hole left by the loss of BCM in 1969). But that’s not the whole story!

In recent years, financial issues (and more?) led BCM to have talks with both Rice & BU regarding stronger relationships. BU’s President had great hopes for a renewal of a deeper relationship, but some strong opposition at BCM signed a petition which outlined how the “mission of BU is incongruous with that of BCM.” BU’s description of how the talks ended can be found here (Note: there was also some opposition from BU’s direction). BU appears to still have a “voice” at BCM and some “increasing partnership.” Anyone more familiar with the situation?

How do you respond to the petition’s statements:

  1. “science and medicine must be separate from religion,”
  2. The religious ideologies that permeate throughout BU’s academic policies may adversely affect both scientific progress and the culture at BCM, particularly in relation to issues such as evolution, embryonic stem cells, and sexual orientation.

Note: Before commenting I’d recommend you read the brief petition ;)

Another set of questions coming to my mind in reviewing the history of BU and BCM: Continue Reading…

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Poll: How Do You Respond to Anti-Christian Rhetoric?

Micheal Hickerson —  February 22, 2011 — 4 Comments
Graduate Study in Rhetoric & Writing

Not this kind of rhetoric.

There’s a poll at the bottom of this post. Take a second to leave your answer to this question, or elaborate in the comments:

How do you respond to anti-Christian rhetoric?

Here’s why this question is on my mind. Last week, I read several encouraging articles about the relationship between science and religion. First, I saw the AP’s followup interview with Martin Gaskell, the Christian astronomer who settled a religious discrimination lawsuit against the University of Kentucky. Though most of the article focused on the lawsuit and reactions to it, it ended with this great comment from Gaskell: Continue Reading…

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