My week on @RealScientists

#SBUPharm Feature

I was featured on my department's social media today!

Today’s #FeatureFriday: Caitlyn Cardetti (@CaitlynCardetti), third year student and @SBUGWiSE president! Find out more about Caitlyn: https://t.co/G9fc94J3Da
Blog: https://t.co/ReQpNxjFSl#PhDchat #PhDlife #WomenInSTEM #AcademicTwitter pic.twitter.com/Cyk0HXctvK

— SBU Pharmacology (@SBUPharm) January 24, 2020

"Research focus: RNA processing in human mitochondria
Outside of lab, Caitlyn enjoys trail running, board games, promoting women in science, and science policy."

You can follow my department here:
Twitter: @SBUPharm
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SBUpharm/
Instagram: @SBUPharm

What is a #RoCur?

As I mentioned in My Goals for 2020, I am trying to tweet more and to help achieve that goal I will be curating for @RealScientists and @IAmSciComm. But what I failed to mention is that I'll be curating this week. In fact, I start @RealScientists tomorrow for the week and @IAmSciComm the following starting on the 27th.

Mitochondrial Mysteries: Caitlyn Cardetti curates real Scientists https://t.co/yMxNtJGtGL pic.twitter.com/y8X36WVfde

— RealScientists Mods (@RealSciMods) January 19, 2020

What is a #RoCur?

#RoCur or a rotation curation is just the concept of having different people run one account in a rotation system. That's it. It's that simple. It's fairly common on Twitter but has also been done on Instagram and I'm sure other platforms as well.

I think they are incredibly fun to follow because you get exposed to new people all around the world and learn about their experiences and perspectives. I'm personally a huge fan of the science themed accounts.

But there are rocurs for plenty of other topics. For example, @WeRWorld has hosts tweeting from around the world.

And if a rocur doesn't exist for that you want then why not create one? I did. Back in 2015, I started @Neurotweeps which hosts various scientists, grad students, clinicians and other neurophiles to tweet about the brain and nervous system. Although I will warn you it can be incredibly difficult to find people to agree to curate. PLEASE CONTACT ME IF YOU WANT TO CURATE FOR NEUROTWEEPS!

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Science/Academia Themed #RoCurs to Check Out

@Neurotweeps

@RealScientists

@Biotweeps

@Astrotweeps

@DatSciTweeps

@PsyTweeps

@SciParty

@IAmSciComm

@IAmSciArt

@RecoveringAcademic

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Please tell me in the comments below what you think about the idea of a #RoCur. Would you curate one? Do you follow any? 

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If you liked this post, stay tuned for future posts on what it's like running a rocur, how to curate and about my experiences on @RealScientists and @IAmSciComm.

What's in a name? [The Why Behind My Blog Title]

Why did I name my blog the Wicked Witch of the Western Blot?

Well that's simple, I'm a witch and I run a lot of westerns.

Kidding. Kind of.

I do run a lot of westerns but I'm not a witch - well maybe I am if I'm hungry #hangry. I am, however, a feminist and what symbol is more feminist than a witch?! 

Actually the quote is a phrase from Author Tish Thawer's 2015 novel The Witches of BlackBrook

Witches are a symbol of female empowerment. YES TO FEMALE EMPOWERMENT! We need more of it! We need more witches!

Witches personify the fear of assertive women. DOWN WITH THE PATRIARCHY!

Witches have inundated the media. We love witch-themed everything - think Sabrina, American Horror Story: Coven (that was the best season btw - I mean who doesn't love Stevie Nicks?). Witchy aesthetics for style are in. Witch-themed self-help is in. And while I don't believe in witchcraft I do buy into the strength of the power of within which is what witchcraft kind of centers around, right?

Also I find science magical.

Plus, I thought my title was hella catchy! :)

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If you want to read more about witches as a symbol of feminism check these out:

From Circe to Clinton: why powerful women are cast as witches (The Guardian)

Women are invoking the witch to find their power in a patriarchal society (QZ)

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I would love to hear what's behind the title of your blog. Tell me in the comments below.

My Goals for 2020

Courtesy of PhDComics.com
It's okay, I don't plan on graduating this year anyway

Personal Goals

• Blog - If you remember this blog was originally started as a class assignment but I've decided I'd actually like to invest time into it and keep it going
• Post at least once a week
• Create a content schedule
• Personally tweet more, not just retweet content
• I signed up to curate for the #RoCurs @RealScientists and @IAmSciComm
• Also be personal in my tweets
• See my tweet thread below - I got personal about the slump I went through in 2018 and honestly, it was hard to open up so publicly like that

[Thread] I've been having conversations with a lot of other grad students lately about that third year slump. Did you experience it? When? How'd you get through it? I'll tell you about mine if you tell me about yours. #PhDLife #PhDChat #AcademicChatter pic.twitter.com/h5kk8ylW9y

— Caitlyn Cardetti (@CaitlynCardetti) January 10, 2020

• Keep reading - I've been really good at this especially with listening to audio books on my commute
• Journal more
• Get back into running - I fell off in November
• I currently signed up for the 2020 Long Island Winter Run series which involves four 5ks over the next few Sundays, I've already completed one
• Get back into yoga - I fell off this in November too, can I blame it on my thesis proposal?
• I will rejoin my weekly Monday class starting in February
• Keep a budget
• I started observing my spending last year by manually writing everything down, I'll keep doing this because it makes me highly aware of where my money goes
• I will cut back my spending on coffee out by limiting myself to one Starbucks run per week and by making cold brew at home (recipe to come in future post)
• Exception: I'm allowed to purchase coffee out in the following situations: coffee date with my SO or a friend, if I physically stay at the coffee shop and relax or do some writing (hoping this also serves as motivation to keep up with writing)
• Pay off some debt
• Learn more about finances in general through pfforphds.com 
• Learn some new recipes
• I have a whole list but I want to start with Yakamein (this is the recipe I want to try)
• Try the group led meditation on campus - this has been on my to do list for awhile, I just need to make time to go

PhD-Related Goals

• Theme my days to increase productivity
• Be better about keeping my lab notebook updated - my labmate is graduating soon and has been reminding me that I must keep proper notes now or I'll suffer later
• Get a fellowship
• I plan to apply for the F31 April deadline
• If that doesn't work out, I will apply for F99/K00 and/or AAUW Dissertation Fellowship
• Submit an abstract to present at a conference
• Get into a regular writing practice
• I think theming my days will help with this
• I will focus on writing fellowships in the spring
• In the fall, I will focus on writing introduction chapters for my dissertation and hopefully a publication 
• Take 1 course each semester towards an Advanced Graduate Certificate in Data and Computational Science
• If possible (depends on finances, timing and acceptance), attend CSHL writing retreat (date not currently posted but likely in fall)
• Learn protein purification - this is already in progress (see photo below)

Me getting to work on those 2020 goals

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If you liked this post, you might also like:
Why Do Resolutions When You Can Use A Compass? [A Rave Review for YearCompass]

Why do resolutions when you can use a compass? [A Rave Review for YearCompass]

Step 2 is to prepare a hot drink so I hope it's okay I let me local cafe make one for me - delicious cappuccino by the way 

For those who don't know I love Twitter - I LOVE IT! Anyway, I came across this tweet (gotta give credit where credit is due) and decided to try Year Compass out for myself (see this is exactly why I love Twitter - you find great things!). This is my summary and rave review of this awesome FREE tool! I think it's perfect for EVERYONE not just grad students.

This was my first year using @YearCompass to reflect on 2019 and set goals for 2020. My word for the year ahead is DEDICATION. Wondering if anyone else on #AcademicTwitter has tried this and what your word will be for the new year? @AcademicChatter @MindfulAcademix pic.twitter.com/6FfbK9i72J

— Talia Nardo (@Talia_Neuro) January 2, 2020

What is Year Compass?
"YearCompass is a booklet that helps close your year and plan the next one. In the routine of everyday life it's easy to lose sight of your true goals and aspirations. And even though we all have dreams, only a few of us plan for them. Effectively, at least. YearCompass works simply. Using questions and exercises rooted in psychology it takes you through the past year, then helps you turn your dreams into achievable goals."
[Stolen directly from their website]

What's the story behind Year Compass?
Year Compass started out with a group of friends at Budapest University who made a booklet to do for NYE, it went viral in 2013 and is now a global movement. Year Compass has more than 100 volunteers in 25 countries and the FREE booklet is available in 22 different languages.
[Paraphrased from their website Press section]

What was it like doing the compass?
Hard. Self-reflection is hard. Being honest with yourself is hard. It also is a bit time consuming. I mean, they do warn you that it will take a few hours. And it does. But I divided it up into a few sessions and I don't see any issue with that.

What are some of my best moments in 2019?
I moved in with my partner after we had barely been dating (seriously, barely dating like not quite 5 months) and it paid off nicely (hopefully they agree?). I love them . I love having a reason to keep good hours for grad school (can you say [forced] work life balance) because I have someone I love coming home to - also they kind of expect me to be home because like what's the point of living together if I'm not there? I also really appreciate their outlook on life and reminders that there is a lot more to life than grad school. And their reminders that I don't get paid enough to put up with all the B.S. that grad school sends my way so the best thing to do is literally not put up with it. Honestly, they make me feel more grounded which has helped a lot with my anxiety. Also for my Ph.D. I finished all my required coursework, passed my qualifying exam, successfully gave a lecture (my TA requirement) without any anxiety (shocking!), successfully defend my thesis proposal and advanced to candidacy (well technically I don' think the paperwork has gone through yet but close enough).

What is my word for 2020?
Positivity

Why Positivity?
In 2019, I took great strides in learning how to and practicing how to reduce my anxiety. One of the biggest lessons was learning that I can control my attitude towards things and that greatly helps. I still need to work on this and honestly probably will for life but I'm happy about it. Also I just have a lot to look forward in 2020 and that's exactly what I'm going to do - look forward to it!

Will I do this again for 2021?
Absolutely!

Is it too late to do my Year Compass for 2020?
Absolutely not.

I would love to hear about your thoughts on YearCompass in the comments. Did you use it? What did you like/dislike about it? What is your word for 2020? Do you use some sort of other tool/strategy to reflect on the past year/plan for the new year? Tell me everything [and anything]!

[And no, I am in no way affiliated with YearCompass. Just here to share the love because honestly it is a great tool and deserves this support.]