It’s plot recreation time! In this post, we’ll look at how we can recreate a plot in R. I thought it might be useful to provide the solution but also to detail the process I went through to get there. We have a FACS plot taken from a BD FACS Aria machine: Briefly, it’s a […]
A Pace Far Different: finding best running pace with R
If you are into running, chances are that you will be chasing your PB (personal best) times. This post is about using R to search for your PBs, and to monitor them over time. Usually runners target four distances for PBs: 5 km, 10 km, half marathon and full marathon. It’s likely that a PB […]
Stacked Up: my academic software stack
The software that we use to do our work is our academic software stack. I often see requests for advice on which software works well. Since recommendations from labs that have road-tested a few options are quite valuable, I thought I would document what we’re currently using and why. I have tried to note if […]
Feedback Deficiency: the tricky art of effective peer feedback
Giving effective feedback is a skill that, like any other, needs to be honed. I wouldn’t claim to be an expert but there are methods in how to give feedback that means that your guidance is more likely to help the person improve. Giving feedback to colleagues on grant applications is particularly tricky. It’s partly […]
Tips from the Blog XVII: better Process Folder template in Fiji
The Process_Folder template in Fiji is a wonderful thing. It’s the starting point of most of the ImageJ macros that we use in the lab. However, it has a problem. This post is about how to fix it. tl;dr use this gist instead of the built-in template. The Process_Folder template If you’re reading this, you […]
Not What You Want: improving a science social media feed
As I write this, the moderation on major social media platforms has been degraded, and the tools available to the user to curate their feeds are quite poor. So how could we improve our science social media feeds? As far as I can tell, scientists want a feed that is mainly science, with a side […]
Get Better: R for cell biologists
How can we teach “R for cell biologists” rather than teaching R to cell biologists? I’ve noticed that many R training courses will teach R – regardless of who is taking the course – and leave it to the participants to figure out how they can use R in their own discipline. Often, folks from […]
Papers for MD9A8 – 2025 edition
Another year, another edition of “the papers I selected for a module that I teach”. Previous selections are grouped here or here. The list serves as a snapshot of interesting papers published in the previous 12 months or so. I hope it is useful to others who are looking for lists of papers to read, for student selections or […]
What’s In The Box: Albums of 2024
It’s getting towards the end of the year so it is time to assemble a list of my favourite albums released in 2024. I have sporadically posted lists like this in the past. These twenty albums were the ones I liked the most (and the ones that I thought other people might like to hear). […]
Retreat To Nowhere: notes on a writing retreat
With the fervour of someone with an n = 1 positive experience, I thought I’d write about what I learned from a recent writing retreat. My University organises one-day events to encourage writing. They’re on-campus, in the neutral territory of the Library, so perhaps calling them “writing retreats” is a little far-fetched. Nonetheless, the idea […]
