If you are looking for books that are career focused this is the reading list for you.
My Autumn Reading List:
Tag: Science Communication
A Bit More About Mademoiselle Scientist + The Importance of Having a Science Community
This month I celebrated my 4th Blog Anniversary and I decided it was a great time for me to share a bit more me and why I started Mademoiselle Scientist . My name is Martina and I am a toxicologist, science communicator, and STEM education advocate. I started Mademoiselle Scientist as a way to share my journey as a woman in STEM and support the next generation of scientists. I am passionate about all things STEM: research, mentoring, education and outreach. I want to help scientists succeed, students excel and share information that I have learned along my journey. I see myself as a mentor sharing advice I wish I would have known when I was getting started in STEM.
Early in my journey, there were not many resources like we have today. I remember taking a Minorities in STEM Freshman Seminar Class at Penn State and that was the first time I saw a large group of students who looked like me that were aspiring scientists and engineers. A few years later I found myself surrounded by even more scientists and engineers at the National Society of Black Engineers National Convention. Now I am seeing an increasing number of scientists and engineers who are in leadership roles in higher education, science policy, research and science communication that as a freshman I did not see.
It is incredible to see science, education and research change, but it is also amazing that I have this platform. When I started my Mademoiselle Scientist I did not think that my experiences, the information I learned along the way and resources would turn into a science community. I just wanted a way to help scientists, especially college and underrepresented students learn that they too can become scientists and engineers.
Every day the science community is growing. When I started Mademoiselle Scientist there were only a few blogs out there. Out of the few blogs, I read there were not many blogs that shared information to help scientists, college students and those thinking about graduate school. Also, I did not see many blogs run by minorities or women in STEM. Today there is a platform for everyone.
A Few of My Favorite Blogs in the Science Community: (more…)
My Spring/Summer III Reading List:
Now that the weather is warming up, check out a few of these books.
My Spring/Summer Reading List: (more…)
Spotlight on Science/Mademoiselle Scientists: Beyond the (Micro)Scope Podcast:
Beyond the (Micro)scope is a podcast focusing on science, technology, and business topics of women in science. I’m a huge advocate for women in STEM so this podcast was perfect.
Spotlight on Science/Mademoiselle Scientists: Beyond the (Micro)Scope:
Beyond the (Micro)Scope was founded by Lindsay Claiborn and Dr. Mumu Xu. Claiborn is a multimedia journalist with a background in television reporting and digital producer at FOX Soccer. She is a Claremont McKenna College alum and has a master’s in broadcast journalism from Northwestern University. Xu is an assistant professor in aerospace engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park and her research focuses on designing and controlling unmanned systems. She has an M.S. and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology and her B.S. from Harvard University.
What is Beyond the (Micro)Scope?:
Photo Credit: Beyond the Microscope
Spotlight on Science/Mademoiselle Scientist: Donna Kridelbaugh
In my last Mademoiselle Spotlight, I wrote about The Thesis Whisperer, and for this post, I am featuring Donna Kridelbaugh as this month’s Spotlight on Science/Mademoiselle Scientist. Donna has amazing content for early career researchers and professionals. 
Photo Credit: Donna Kridelbaugh
Spotlight on Science/Mademoiselle Scientist: Donna Kridelbaugh:
When I started Mademoiselle Scientist I only had a handful of followers and I did not know about the online science community. I just knew I wanted to share. Donna was one of my first followers who left a comment and were able to set up a time to chat. She shared her STEM journey and her work with her Science Mentor. I talked about my STEM journey and what I’m doing with Mademoiselle Scientist. We have some overlapping interests and it was nice talking to someone who understands the STEM journey. She gave me some great advice and I know it will help my readers out too. Even though I’m new to this platform, I’m excited about what is next. Thank you Donna for helping and inspiring me to continue to write on this platform.
What is Science Mentor?: (more…)
Resources for Scientists: Online Learning Using Edx.org
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are online courses that make learning about different subjects accessible to all. With the internet at your fingertips you can learn a new topic/skill that will help elevate your STEM career. After taking several Coursera.org courses I decided to explore other MOOC sites and I came across Edx.org.
Image Credit: Edx.org
Edx.org has a different look than Coursera.org and from my first glance at the site I can tell that Edx.org wants the online learning experience to be user-friendly. Before you take a course on Edx.org there is a free self-paced DemoX course that will help you get familiar with how Edx.org works. (more…)
Mademoiselle Spotlight Feature: The Thesis Whisperer/Dr. Inger Mewburn
As a graduate student, I unofficially started generating ideas and topics for Mademoiselle Scientist and discovered my first higher education blog, The Thesis Whisperer.
Photo Credit: TheThesisWhisperer
Mademoiselle Spotlight: The Thesis Whisperer/Dr. Inger Mewburn:
Before officially starting Mademoiselle Scientist I reached out to The Thesis Whisperer. She gave me some great feedback and tips to get started. The advice I remember the most is to just start. There are not many blogs and platforms in the early academic, science, women in STEM, student and early research career category so there is a huge need. Currently, I’m two years in. I have a lot to learn and many things to share on my STEM journey.
Looking back I’m glad I took The Thesis Whisperer’s advice and recommend it to everyone. It is a gem of resources for graduate students and professionals. I can’t believe I didn’t know about The Thesis Whisperer earlier in my academic career. It would have been handy. On the bright side, I’m glad I found it.
What is The Thesis Whisperer? (more…)
My 2nd Blogiversary: My STEM Journey – To be Continued…
Welcome to my 2nd Blogiversary of Mademoiselle Scientist. After two years of blogging here is what I learned:
STEM interests generally start early: I have always been excited about all things STEM. At a very young age I knew that I wanted to become a scientist and later get my Ph.D. (This is something I’m still exploring if the right opportunity/program/time comes.) But the one thing I questioned was; how would I get there? I know we all have been there at one point of our STEM career.
Resources need to be accessible to all. There are many budding students who have this same question but some will never become scientists due to lack of resources. With the right exposure, opportunity and mentors students will have the tools needed to become scientists. I am excited to see what the next generation of scientists brings.
Mentoring is important at all levels. Mentors are people who went through though the ups and downs of a STEM career and want to pay it forward. It’s not impossible without mentors but mentors can make a huge difference. My mentors from an early age helped me to become a scientist, researcher, STEM advocate and science communicator. Through all the challenges I still wanted to pursue a STEM career because I cannot imagine myself doing something outside of STEM.
Science communication is a great tool, especially when combined with education. Further into my STEM journey I discovered my passion for STEM goes beyond research and writing. My passion extends to being an STEM educational advocate for underrepresented groups. My goal is to share resources to support the next generations of scientists. As a science communicator I hope to grow Mademoiselle Scientist into a platform that will be accessible to all who are interested in STEM careers.
The Real Talk about the PhD #PioneerChat Reflection:
After participating in The Real Talk about the Ph.D. #PioneerChat hosted by Dr. Monica F. Cox with guest host, Dr. Fatimah Williams Castro I have some reflections. Since I am prospective Ph.D. student I was looking forward to this discussion because I enjoy hearing people talk about their Ph.D. journeys.
To find out more about #PioneerChat, Dr. Monica Cox and Dr. Fatimah Williams Castro click here. (more…)
Spring Cleaning: 5 Quick Tips to Declutter Your Inbox
Inboxes can get easily get out of hand. Let’s fix that. Here are 5 tips to get you started:
5 Quick Tips to Declutter Your Inbox:
1. Unsubscribe from unnecessary notifications:
This is one of the biggest ways to decrease your daily emails. Unsubscribe from news feeds, social media notifications and any other subscription services that you do not need. For example, if you read a lot of blogs sign up for Bloglovin’, which is a website that allows you to read all of your blogs in one place instead of reading the blog post in your inbox or going to the blogger’s site.
2. Color Code, Create Labels and Filters:
I’m big on organizing, especially color coding. Gmail has great color coding and labeling options to keep your emails organized. If you don’t have a Gmail account many email accounts have color coding options, which will make checking your email a breeze. Use the filters and labels to your advantage.
3. Daily Maintenance:
When you check your email immediately delete the emails you do not need.
4. Respond as Soon as You Can:
The longer you wait to respond the more emails pile up. If an email takes more time to respond to set a reminder and use the stars feature to set it as a priority to email back.
5. Set a Time to Check Your Email:
Decide what time is good for you and set a small block of time dedicated to checking your email. When you do this you will find yourself spending less time looking through your inbox.
What tips do you have for getting your inbox under control? Share below.
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