Memento Mori: A comparative analysis of gendered language in the face of death

by Daryl Ilbury

‘If you want evidence of women’s inferiority to men, just listen to how they speak – they always sound so indecisive and weak-willed.’ Such a comment may seem laughable, but its distorted logic has been a cornerstone of gender-based discrimination for centuries and, unfortunately, in some cultures, prevails. While it’s arguable that within human communication, women adopt styles that differ from men, difference is not a defence for stratification and discrimination.

If you dig deeper into those differences, as Dr Senka Majetić has done, you will find a remarkable depth of nuance that not only takes a heavy hammer to such outdated notions but offers a light to those examining others feeling the brunt of discrimination.

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Shaking our understanding of uncertainty

by Daryl Ilbury

Uncertainty certainly makes life interesting. Without it, we’d be locked in a repetitive experiential loop. Because the future, by its very nature, is yet to unfold, what it holds for us is largely unknown. For example, we know we will die, but when and how are largely a mystery. However, the future is unavoidable and must be confronted; how we do that, and the frame of mind we employ to do so are the research reserve of those examining the psychology of uncertain situations – when prediction is impossible. It is a field of study with its fair share of dark corners, including how to operate more efficiently in the face of uncertainty. A new research is helping point a light in that direction.

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Respecting unity and diversity: Towards effective multidisciplinary research

by Daryl Ilbury

To those in the corporate sector, academia may not seem a particularly competitive environment. The truth is that in academia, highly prized resources such as funding are coveted, and hierarchies exist, determined mainly by academic output with the eye on cementing scholarly authority and academia’s version of job security: tenure.

However, at the same time, academia’s strength lies in collaboration. This is especially true when we look to academics for guidance in addressing the world’s most complex societal, environmental, and public health challenges, such as poverty, climate change, and obesity. Such insight is impossible without multidisciplinary collaboration that requires significant knowledge sharing by researchers. Collaborations can last years, demanding significant time and input.

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Mentorship: Sparking a sense of wonder

by Daryl Ilbury

There are probably few better ways to kindle within students a connection with science, technology, engineering, or mathematics than by exploring the vast and beguiling laboratory that is our natural world. While valuable modes of information transfer, school classrooms and the media cannot beat complete immersion in a subject of study, and nature is bountiful in that regard. However, there is a way to add extra energy to the learning: if the subject under scrutiny has meaning. The outcome is transformative learning.

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Paying the price of the lack of diversity in US healthcare

by Daryl Ilbury

At first glance, there is a glaring lack of diversity in the United States’ healthcare workforce. Look deeper, and the dilemma takes on a far more disheartening form. Despite continuous efforts spanning over four decades, there seems to be little shift towards representative parity between the healthcare workforce and the nation it must serve. If anything, things are getting worse. This lack of parity is a significant bulwark to effective healthcare. Professor Christina Goode of the Western University of Health Sciences in California, USA, has identified contributing factors to this dilemma. It is a highly complex state of affairs, and making the necessary shift will require substantial changes beyond that to the country’s education system.

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A light touch: Changing the way we treat traumatic brain injury

by Daryl Ilbury

Contrary to popular perception, traumatic brain injury (TBI) is not the reserve of car accidents and punishing contact sports; it’s surprisingly common. Up to 50 million new cases of traumatic brain injury are registered each year worldwide. Notably, 80% of TBI occurs in low- to middle-income countries, and it is also the leading cause of death and disability in young adults. Overall, the global economic burden of TBI is estimated at 400 billion USD. 

Minimising the devastating effects of TBI doesn’t rely solely on reducing the risk of an injury; it’s also essential to improve treatment after one has happened. For that, physiological real-time monitoring of vital signals is critical. One inventor has made it his mission to create devices that can do this accurately, easily, anywhere, and what’s more, they are also non-invasive.

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Science under the spectre of war

by Daryl Ilbury

Vintners have a saying about their succulent charges: struggle builds character, meaning grapes exposed to challenging conditions develop notable wine. The same could be said for scientific research – struggle can produce remarkable output. That is undoubtedly true for Dr Rajko Igić, a Serbian pharmacologist and toxicologist. His work emerged against the backdrop of one of the most harrowing conflicts of modern times, and his story echoes that of other refugee scientists and those still committed to research while surrounded by war.

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Building a community of learning and a legacy of mentoring

by Daryl Ilbury

To the uninitiated, life within the hallowed halls of academia can seem cultured and untroublesome; the only hard work is being allowed in. Such a perception is only partially accurate: the path to becoming an academic is indeed arduous. Some may argue this is to keep out all but the academically committed, but it can be a perceptual bulwark for students who believe – perhaps because they have been told – that they are not worthy. Changing those perceptions requires more than a kind word and a guiding hand. It demands significant intellectual and emotional involvement by committed educators with a proper understanding of the value of mentoring. One senior academic within education has helped build a legacy of mentoring by drawing on her own troubled path to those hallowed halls.

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The remarkable legacy of the International Space Weather Initiative

by Daryl Ilbury

From a celestial perspective, Earth’s position is anything but serene. It is like an exposed rock on a storm-lashed coastline, constantly battered by the elements, primarily, ironically, by what is essential for life on our planet: the Sun. Just as it is the primary driver of Earth’s weather, the Sun immediately powers the weather in the space around it. The term ‘space weather’ refers to the phenomena triggered by solar activity, such as solar wind – the stream of charged particles emitted by the Sun – and its effects in our thermosphere, magnetosphere, and ionosphere – a series of regions within our atmosphere hosting a relatively large number of electrically charged atoms and molecules.

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Unlocking opportunity: The importance of student–faculty interactions in promoting Black students’ academic identity

by Daryl Ilbury

On 29th June this year, the United States Supreme Court sent a shockwave through higher education when it outlawed race-conscious admissions. The practice, which gained momentum after the civil rights era of the 1960s and 1970s, encouraged greater diversity at historically and/or predominantly White institutions (H/ PWIs). As a result of the judgement, historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are expecting an influx of new applicants. HBCUs punch above their weight in terms of the output of Black graduates and offer a more inclusive environment. So, could the Supreme Court judgement trigger a significant shift in Black student enrolment, and what can H/PWIs do to attract more Black students?

You can read the rest of this article, complete with additional feature content, on the Research Outreach website here. (Opens in new tab)