December 2019

The Annual National Science Policy Network Symposium: Take One

By Sydney Simpson, PhD Candidate in Microbiology and Immunology

The National Science Policy Network hosts an annual symposium to bring together the different chapters of the organization to focus in on skill building, knowledge gaining, and networking in regards to science policy. Sydney Simpson from the University of Rochester Science Policy Initiative attended this meeting in November 2019 and shares her experience here.

The Annual National Science Policy Network Symposium: Take Two

By Vania Lopez-Ruiz, PhD Graduate Student in Cell Biology of Disease

The National Science Policy Network hosts an annual symposium to bring together the different chapters of the organization to focus in on skill building, knowledge gaining, and networking in regards to science policy. Vania Lopez-Ruiz from the University of Rochester Science Policy Initiative (URSPI) attended this meeting in November 2019 and shares her experience here.

Book Review of Make Time Authored By Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky

By Lauren Benoodt, PhD Candidate in Biophysics, Structural & Computational Biology

Make Time is a take on how to avoid distractions and be more focused on what’s really important from two of the people who helped to develop some of the biggest distractions, Gmail and YouTube. This book is written in a very accessible manner including some snarky footnotes that help keep the reader engaged.  

Book Review of The Asshole Survival Guide: How to Deal with People Who Treat You like Dirt Authored By Robert I. Sutton

By Isreal Moreno, PhD Candidate in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Everyone deals with jerks. They are a part of life in our country/culture. Jerks are everywhere from grocery stores to buses to airplanes to dentist offices. They can be anyone no matter race, age, gender, or wealth. However, dealing with jerks in the workplace can be the most unbearable. There are many books on workplace relationships, but one author who is able to articulate the problem and provide helpful advice is Robert I. Sutton, professor of Management Science at Stanford University. Sutton’s research is on leadership, innovation, and organizational change, but his book The No Asshole Rule published in 2007 was a soiree into a world of office relationships that hit a nerve with people. His second book on the topic The Asshole Survival Guide: How to Deal with People Who Treat You like Dirt is a playbook on how to deal with workplace jerks…or assholes as he calls them. This book is a necessary read for everyone, those with assholes in their lives and those without.