I sit here at the end of an incredible weekend. One of learning, new friendships, valuable connections, fantastic discussions, endless possibilities and, last, but certainly not least, a well-exercised brain! Those are just some of the many things that I am left with as another DAAD (German academic exchange service) scholarship holders meeting comes to … Continue reading Do you have a funding family?
Perfectly imperfect
Life is seldom perfect...this is something that I have come to realise, often the hard way. You seem I am somewhat of a perfectionist — don't get me wrong, this has its benefits but perfectionism (albeit in my eyes- so this could be horribly different to that of someone else who may scoff at my … Continue reading Perfectly imperfect
Why I am a proud student today
I have been glued to every social media outlet, news agency and person on the ground (Pontsho Pilane- @Pontsho_Pilane, 702 News- @Radio702) I could get my hands on this afternoon…I may not be actively protesting but I am invested in the outcome of this issue. What has struck me the most is the unity that … Continue reading Why I am a proud student today
So much more than meets the eye…Wits student protests
The last two days have seen a great deal of tension, hurtful comments, misunderstanding, mistakes (on both "sides") and general upheaval at the University of the Witwatersrand as a proportion of students protest against the (gigantic) 10.5% increase in tuition fees for the 2016 academic year. This has forced me to do a great deal of … Continue reading So much more than meets the eye…Wits student protests
Lessons from a 25 year old proto-adult (AKA a graduate student)
Today has inspired a great deal of thinking on my part...where I have come from (particularly the last 2/3 years of my life), my mistakes, my triumphs and most importantly the things that I have learnt along the way. I am far (super far ,like really, really far) from perfect but then again that begs … Continue reading Lessons from a 25 year old proto-adult (AKA a graduate student)
Some flowers communicate secretly with bees!
In a recent paper published in Scientific Reports, Irmgard Schaffler and colleagues (Schaffler et al 2015) described an exciting communication system between oil-collecting bees and oil-producing flowers, the FIRST truly private message between a pollinator and host plant. While most flowering plants are pollinated by a diverse array of organisms which visit it, there are some … Continue reading Some flowers communicate secretly with bees!
R- Why we all use it
R statistical computing software is something every grad student and scientist would have been exposed to or at the very least heard of. It has become so popular in the science world for two main reasons- 1) It is FREE, and 2) It can pretty much be used to run any conceivable analysis. Some love … Continue reading R- Why we all use it
The power of words
This video is quite spectacular! and addresses a very important point. Words have power, the power to build and the power to destroy. BUT they can also be meaningless... Consider your words and the power they hold. Sometimes we fail to say the things we want to, the things we need to, to the people … Continue reading The power of words
A bigger, older version of earth!
NASA's Kepler mission has just announced some exciting news! Yes, a new near-Earth-size (NES) planet has been described- it's name Kepler-452b. What is special about this discovery is that it is the smallest NES planet described so far. Kepler-452b is orbiting the habitable zone of a sun (Kepler-452) much like our own, in terms of … Continue reading A bigger, older version of earth!
Happiness…the reason for living?
During the course of the last few days a few experiences have made me think a lot about life and relationships in general. My first instinct now was to create a joke and in some way detract from this very serious kind of post. Because, let's face it, we like to read things that make … Continue reading Happiness…the reason for living?
A Fine odyssey 