Being a scientist, and probably just being a human being, can be quite stressful from time to time, with so many things that you need to care and think about. This is challenging, and you might end up as a nervous wreck if you don´t find good counter strategies. Here are some ways that hopefully can help you to take good care of your mental health, and to free your mind of all that thoughts for a while!
I clearly remember the moment when my first paper was published – oh, how proud I was. Finally, I felt like a proper scientist! When I told my (non-academic) family about it, one of the first things they asked was Great, so finally you get something out of your work! How much did they pay you for it? My answer, actually a little bit embarrassed: Uhm, nothing. But I did not have to pay THEM for publishing it, so that´s great! They did not get it. Why should they?
Being a scientist comes with a lot of stress and days of feeling like a non-achiever. Caring for yourself is crucial to stay sane in this fast and crazy business. So, are you having a bad day? Here are a few tips to increase your mood and train your happiness science-style.
Working in science also means that there are lots of different tasks to have on your mind, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed and so stressed that you don’t even know where to start. This is obviously not making your work more productive, and quite likely both work as well as private life suffer – as does your health! So, what can we do to manage all of our tasks without burning out?
Writing a scientific paper is hard work, and it takes a lot of practise for each of us to be able to write a manuscript that readers can follow and consider interesting. No matter if you are about to write your first paper, but do not know where to start, or if you are currently halfway stuck in your manuscript and have lost focus – here are some tips that (hopefully) might help you on your way to a great publication!
This article provides a rough guide “what to think about” whilst you are preparing your field work in remote areas. It will not tell you everything you need to know, but hopefully, it gives you a good idea what you have to consider and to get informed about before starting your work. The points mentioned are based on my own experience at the very remote research station Ankarafa in NW-Madagascar, and the questions that I was frequently asked by research students that were preparing for research. Furthermore, I hope to answer the questions students should ask but usually, do not think about. In this part, I´m concentrating on physical and mental health care!
You handed in your first paper a while ago, and now you are waiting on the journal’s response. You are annoyed with them taking so long to finish their review, but on the other hand, you are getting really nervous every time you open your e-mails because they might have answered you?
Maybe your first paper was already rejected, or you had it accepted with major revision, and now you are absolutely terrified and have the impression that you might be incapable of being a proper scientist?
It´s not just you!
Are women and men perceived and treated equally in science? Do we still need special programs to support female scientists? This is what science tells us!
This article provides a rough guide “what to think about” whilst you are preparing your field work in remote areas. It will not tell you everything you need to know about your research site, but hopefully, it gives you a good idea what you have to consider and to get informed about before starting your work. The points mentioned are based on my own experience at the very remote research station Ankarafa in NW-Madagascar, and the questions that I was frequently asked by research students that were preparing for research. Furthermore, I hope to answer the questions students should ask but usually, do not think about. In this part, I concentrate on the conditions at the field site.
In this study, conducted in collaboration between Bristol University, Bristol Zoo and Torino University, we demonstrate that the Sahamalaza sportive lemur is capable of using information on predator presence as well as predator type of different sympatric species, using their referential signals to detect predators early, and that the lemurs’ reactions are based on experience and learning.
Writing a scientific manuscript takes a lot of practice, and often we tend to make the same mistakes over and over again. By summarizing the most common ones, including ways to avoid them, this text will (hopefully) help you on your way to a great publication!
Melanie studied biology at the University of Cologne (Germany) and conducted her dissertation on the social behavior of capuchins in different European zoos. For her Ph.D., which was based at the University of Bristol, U.K., she spent over a year in the forests of northwestern Madagascar researching the impact of habitat degradation on the critically endangered Sahamalaza sportive lemur. After receiving her Ph.D. in 2013, she became a research associate at the German Sport University Cologne with a focus on comparative behavioral science. Since 2017 Melanie is managing director of ETN e.V., a NGO focusing on animal welfare and conservation. Based on her experience as a woman in science, she founded The female scientist in 2016 to raise attention for the work of women in science and thus to help to empower them.
