Ch-ch-ch-changes

To my loyal readers (hi mom!), I have a few changes to announce. 

I have returned to what researchers call 'the bench'. It's been 15 months. One media internship and one maternity leave later, I'm back in the lab. I had two goals during my maternity leave: publish my first research article from my PhD work, and develop a website devoted to my foray into science writing. I'm happy to say that I was able to accomplish both of those things—although it was not nearly as easy as I thought it would be. Parenthood is a time consuming affair, and that third reviewer is a ball buster.

I have so many ideas for articles: Five things that improve a baby's immune system. How lentils from Saskatchewan are combatting arsenic-contaminated groundwater in Bangladesh (this story is incredible). The cold remedies you should ignore, and the ones worth trying. Everything you ever wanted to know about psychopaths. How estrogen cycles affect willpower. Why the gut is a hot piece of real estate. Not water, nor land: the third environment, and who lives there. The science of birdsongs.

While it kills me to have to leave these stories temporarily untold, my writing focus has to be on my PhD thesis. I'm hoping I can still find time for creative writing here and there, but I'm also being realistic: the articles are going to churn out a lot slower. 

This brings me to the changes in my website posts. First, I'm going to provide links to great science stories and science writing (via the 'sci du jour' link), but on a monthly basis instead of a weekly one. Second, I'm going to focus mainly on my blog, with postings related to my work. Stay tuned for photos, descriptions, and self-involved diatribes about life in the lab. 

I hope that you find it informative, entertaining, and interesting enough to keep stopping by.