In which I help out a researcher...

... by filling in a survey. I've heard multiple times from some of my postgraduate friends and webmaster friends how hard it sometimes is to get people to fill in surveys. My mum, the statistician, is seemingly on a different level of complaining entirely though. Therefore, when I saw the tweet of Dr. Alice Bell, a senior teaching fellow in the Science Communication Group at Imperial College, London, requesting "brain bloggers" to fill out a survey she composed, I knew I had to do it. You can read more about the survey and the research on Dr. Bell's blog post.

Here goes:

What do you blog about?
Right now, I'm blogging about my past and current experiences as a biomedical science undergraduate student. I also blog about neuroscience and developmental biology topics that get me all excited. As I start research in those fields next year I intend to primarily blog about my newbie's perspective of scientific research to give other students and readers a view of how science works in the lab.

Do you feel as if you fit into any particular community, network or genre if science blogging? (e.g. neuroscience, bad science, ex-sbling)
I'm proud to be part of the greater science blogosphere. I hugely respect my fellow science bloggers and I've learned a lot from them. To be more specific, I'd classify myself as a student blogger. Being part of the respected Scitable team is fantastic.

If so, what does that community give you?
Student bloggers are usually an enthusiastic bunch who blog about things they are passionate about. I certainly adhere to this definition. The community provides me with the motivation to dwell deeper in science to find satisfying answers to curious questions and also gives me the sense that I am part of the future of the scientific community-or at least, part of the future of the scientific ‘geekhood'.

What do you do professionally (other than blog)?
I'm a science student by day and freelance community blog manager at Nature Education by night.

How long have you been blogging at this site?
Labcoat Life started two weeks ago though I've been blogging at Scitable (at Student Voices) for around one and a half years now.

Have/ do you blogged elsewhere? When? Where?
I've first attempted blogging when I was 16 (six years ago). It didn't last too long though I started another blog some time after which I kept until university when I opted to focus more on writing for reputable publications. Currently, I also sporadically blog at Development's The Node.

Would you describe yourself as a scientist, or as a member of the scientific community? Do you have any formal/ informal training in science? (if so, what area?)
I'm a member of the scientific community aiming to become a scientist. I do have a Bachelor in Science (Biomedical Science) and I'm a real science geek which should count for something!

Do you have any formal training in journalism, science communication, or similar?
Apart from a diploma in Internet journalism, I've learnt a lot from the editors I've worked with. I'm grateful to all of them.

Do you write in other platforms? (e.g. in a print magazine?)
I've published a couple of articles in newspapers but nothing regularly. Hopefully something will crop up soon.

Can you remember why you started blogging?
My initial blogging was mostly about my friends and my reflections. I wanted to share my views and thoughts with other people and elicit discussions. Ultimately, I think blogging was just a way for me to be able to write regularly.

What keeps you blogging?
I want to share my enthusiasm for science with other people. In my book, if someone reads one of my blog posts and learns something (that hopefully is interesting), I'm happy.

What do you think are the advantages of blogging?
Personally, blogging enables me to write on a regular manner. If I can keep on blogging, my writing is bound to improve which is always great-both for the readers and myself. I've also realized that I'm more likely to go read a paper if I think that I can get a blog post about it. So, effectively, blogging is making me learn more things. It's also an outlet which potential employers may skim through.

Do you tell people you know offline that you're a blogger? (e.g. your grandmother, your boss)
Yes. My family, friends and supervisor know that I'm a blogger.