Tag Archives: getting on a soapbox

Why the heck aren’t research papers free?

Posted on March 15, 2016 by cbahlai

Should all research papers be free? Um. Yeah. Obviously. Scientific knowledge doesn’t do much good if it’s all locked up, only accessible to the rich and/or privileged. When I put it that way, I never get much argument.1 In fact, the … Continue reading →

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A fundamental difference of opinion

Posted on January 22, 2016 by cbahlai

If you had told me as a child that one day, I would be an entomologist writing a scathing retort to a New England Journal of Medicine Editorial, I probably wouldn’t believe you. First, I’d be confused because I didn’t … Continue reading →

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Ready, set, TEACH.

Posted on January 4, 2016 by cbahlai

The semester starts in one week’s time. Before the break, I was furiously working, working, working to get the Open Science and Reproducible Research course at least skeletonized. This week will be all about sorting out tasks I need to get … Continue reading →

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Open science is a political issue

Posted on September 29, 2015 by cbahlai

I opened Facebook this morning to find a friend back home had linked to an article in Maclean’s magazine:1 Here are the issues Canadians care about the most this election It was to the delight of all the confirmation-bias associated … Continue reading →

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Dispatches from the field: scattered thoughts edition

Posted on August 5, 2015 by cbahlai

-When the bugs you’re hoping to count don’t show up for your field experiment, that sucks. But it’s also data that says maybe you’re not asking a question that’s relevant to the system. And maybe there’s other questions you need … Continue reading →

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#openscience and peer review: write it like you plan to sign it (even if you don’t)

Posted on June 11, 2015 by cbahlai

I submitted my first big federal grant proposal last week! Yay for me!1 It’s been taking up most of my time since I got back from maternity leave, and has resulted in a small pile of half-written blog posts saved … Continue reading →

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Regime shifts, ladybugs, and #otherpeoplesdata

Posted on March 19, 2015 by cbahlai

A bit of metadata: As you may remember, I mentioned in my last post that I was super-pregnant. Well, in true devotion to my craft, on Darwin Day, I doubled my fitness, and now  I have a new writing buddy. … Continue reading →

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Getting WiSE: Reflections on a Software Carpentry bootcamp

Posted on January 16, 2015 by cbahlai

Last week, I traveled to Ann Arbor to teach a Software Carpentry bootcamp at the University of Michigan. The workshop was hosted by a Women in Science and Engineering group, my co-instructors consisted of an all-star team: Kara Woo, Sarah … Continue reading →

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Baby steps for the Open-Curious

Posted on October 23, 2014 by cbahlai

It’s Open Access Week! What are you doing to celebrate? Decorating the Open Tree on Open Eve? Having a big Open dinner with your extended family? Celebrating with quiet introspection, followed by a Skype group call with a bunch of … Continue reading →

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Hey! Let’s all just relax about statistics.

Posted on October 1, 2014 by cbahlai

I have for years, wanted, nay, dreamed of teaching a statistics course with this title. In all my years in academia, this really seems to be where people panic the most. Heck, I’ve panicked about statistics. Who hasn’t? But why … Continue reading →

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