I've been following this group for several months now. Despite the
title of the newsgroup, I'm glad that men read and contribute to it
as well as women. I think it's a good idea to get perspectives from
different points of view, from both the major and minor factions. In
this group I would think men are in the minority :). I don't like it
when people get extremely abusive of others; I've seen that more often
than I would have liked to, in this group. Everyone has his/her own
opinion and his/her own way of doing things. Some feel very strongly
about their beliefs and that's fine as long as they don't brow beat
those that do not (just a little aside about some of the recent threads).
When I come in contact with someone who is fanatical in his/her beliefs,
I tend to avoid confrontation. I do that, not because I always avoid
confrontation, but because that person usually tends to not hear what
I am saying with an open mind, is busy trying to turn my words around,
showing me how misguided I am, etc. When provoked, I can be extremely
confrontational :).
I read this newsgroup to find out how women in science deal with
(juggle) home life and science life, how they deal with inequalities
and situations in science in academia and in industry, what support
groups there are, what other women there are in my field, and any tips
for being a successful scientist just to name a few. I also appreciate
hearing a male perspective on these topics, because quite frankly, our
society is made up of women and men, and everyone has a right to voice
her/his opinion. Why do the rest of you read this newsgroup?
Now to give you a brief synopsis of my who I am: I am a married Ph.D.
candidate in molecular biology and genetics. My thesis research
interests include studying the effects of the immune system on
tumorigenesis and metastasis, and the oncogenes/ tumor suppressor
genes involved in my particular model. I have a difficult time
balancing (I don't, :)) home life and my work, and I don't have any
children yet! I applaud those that can and do balance these. How do
you do it? I enjoy doing crafts because I find that's a good way to
unwind. I also enjoy reading, but find little time to do either of
these pasttimes. I have a cat named Sparky who makes it his full time
occupation to sit on laps and he's not particularly thrilled that I'm
not around to be sat on :)! There, that's me; who are you?
Wow, this turned into a really long message. Well, I tend to do that
on occassion. I look forward to hearing from you.
Eleanor Gallo-Hendrikx
Dept of Molecular Biology & Genetics
University of Guelph
Guelph, Ontario, Canada
email: UGG00506 at VM.UoGuelph.CA
