Break Your Cultural Biases & Say Goodbye to Trans-Atlantic Camel Riders!

By Oreoluwa O. Adedoyin, PhD

"Did you ride a camel on your way from Africa to the United States?”

“How did you survive travelling across the Sahara desert?”

“Did you grow up seeing lions and tigers roaming around?”

As a college-educated immigrant from Nigeria, I was dumbfounded, and momentarily speechless, when I heard these questions from American elementary students during a university organized cross-cultural education tour. On the tour, about 8 years ago, we were visiting one of the counties in the Appalachian region of Kentucky. I was surprised that elementary school students could contemplate and verbalize such questions in an era of easily accessible information through the Internet, although perhaps some of these children did not enjoy this service in their homes and/or schools. 

During a period of quiet self-reflection, as we headed back to campus, my own questions were:  How do you answer 5 and 6-year-old elementary school students who may not have met or interacted with someone from a different country or continent, and who looks different from them? How do you respond to children or young students who are genuinely curious, but do not know how to ask a question without relying on inaccurate and stereotypical biases?

Research shows that children develop misconceptions about other people through uninformed assumptions, socialization of perceived cultural superiority, and reinforced negative media portrayals. When false and unfounded perceptions about other races, immigrant groups, or ethnic nationalities are left unchallenged by the different social institutions (such as the home, school, media, etc.), these false impressions become ingrained as a belief system. This belief system can evolve into a prejudicial view, cultural scaffold, and an indivisible part of children’s thinking process throughout their lifespans.

In fact, we all are probably guilty of this prejudiced thinking, or “implicit bias”, about race, ethnicity, and gender, no matter how “color-blind” or “objective” we think we are, according to Dr. Molly Carnes, doctor of internal medicine, epidemiologist, and a leader in raising awareness about the negative impact of stereotypes in science, engineering and leadership.

This past spring, I heard Dr. Carnes speak on “Breaking the Bias Habit ® as part of Mentoring Week at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Currently, I am a UAB postdoctoral trainee in the Division of Nephrology, School of Medicine, working under the mentorship of Drs. Jim George and Anupam Agarwal. Events like Mentoring Week keep me thinking long after the speakers have left.

Why does the bias habit matter?

 
It matters because Dr. Carnes cites numerous studies that show how it is part of human nature to make “group assumptions” that are simply not true. Unfortunately, these assumptions can be argued as one of the several reasons why fewer women and minorities are not pursuing careers in science and engineering fields as well as in leadership positions. It is unsurprising that these untrue assumptions may inadvertently contribute to lower pay for women and minorities in research or academia. These convoluted assumptions overtime are passed from one generation to another, which may be the reason why elementary school students would confidently ask if an African immigrant female with a slight English accent must have ridden on camels across the Sahara desert to get to the U.S.

As I listened to Dr. Carnes, I thought about how we can begin to address cultural biases. The world is regarded as a global village, and with unprecedented access to the Internet, very many questions can be answered with a few simple clicks and online searches. However, using just the resources on the Internet to answer such questions may be affected by pitfalls of half-truths or totally false information for young students (and even adults).

Another strategy is to encourage traveling to other parts of the world to see other people groups and their unique ways of living first-hand. Travelling presents another opportunity to break cultural biases, though this might be quite expensive. However, where and when affordable, it may provide a new socialization and learning experience for school kids such as I encountered years ago.

Still, I strongly believe that cultural immersion experiences are unique experiences that can help remove misconceptions, educate, and enlighten the public about other cultures or countries. As I pondered over this issue, I was reminded of an old Turkish adage: “If the mountain won't come to you, you must go to the mountain.”

So, how do we go to the mountain? I suggest that the community of international students, postdocs, and faculty in institutions of higher learning like UAB see themselves as ambassadors of their countries of origin.  Wherever they go, they should help educate and enlighten people about their countries of origin in these new or host communities.

For example, I grew up as part of the Yoruba ethnic group in Nigeria the most populous African country with over 160 million people and multiple ethnic groups. Though the official language is English, there are at least over 500 different ethnic languages, spoken in Nigeria. Despite our differences in cultures, languages, cuisines, and religions, we were taught to cherish and appreciate our unity despite our diversity. Thus, whenever I participate in such cultural exchange outreach programs I try to teach the kids about the Nigerian culture, respectful greetings, showcase some traditional attires, share folk tales and songs, as well as cultural dance steps especially from my Yoruba tribe.

“If we truly want to break an old bad habit, it is not enough to be well intentioned”, says Dr. Carnes. Old habits should be assessed and in the words of Dr. Carnes: “It takes awareness, motivation, self-efficacy, the expectation of positive outcomes and plenty of practice to develop a new habit of mind, one that is culturally rich, inclusive, and bias-free”.

That is why it is important to provide opportunities for younger students to interact with people from a different culture, race, country, or continent which may help these students develop tolerance, and debunk misconceptions/false media portrayals. These cross-cultural learning and exchange opportunities will enable these students to appreciate that we after all, are all humans with similar passions, goals, and hobbies even though we may look different, or have a different accent.

Imagine what we could do, create, problem-solve, and forge together if we really respect how rich, diverse, smart and valuable other people from other countries and other cultures are?

And lest I forget, I didn’t ride across the Sahara desert in a camel to get here. I flew in an airplane!!!

Tips and Tricks: Trying not to get bogged down, literally and figuratively

Posted by Taylor Roberge

As a biologist, this past field season for me has been quite successful, sometimes through no fault of my own. In addition to the ongoing diamondback terrapin recovery program, several of our deadline projects were completed successfully, thanks to the gracious help of several friends and colleagues. These victories included evaluating the effects of nest microhabitat on hatchling turtle phenotype, as well as an intensive trapping effort along coastal Alabama. Our goal with the trapping was to recapture reared turtles and assess whether raising and releasing post hatchlings is a cost effective conservation strategy. As my field work draws to a close, one thought comes to mind: Writing season has begun! Looking at the backlog of research writing coming due makes me feel like I’m back in the marsh, and stuck up to my waist in pluff mud (especially now that I can see the holidays approaching).

Removing a fyke net during a very low tide

Luckily, I have found some time managing and writing strategies, which in my opinion, make things a bit more manageable and less overwhelming.

 

• Make a list or a plan (if you haven’t already). Include any deadlines or associated time lines. If a project is more open-ended, set some realistic timelines so that you have a goal to shoot for. If left too open-ended, it'll never happen. See these tools to create a Writing Project Plan and a Publication Plan (from writing coach Dr. Jennifer L. Greer in the Professional Development Program at the UAB Graduate School) if you really want to get organized, or if you are working on high-stakes projects, like a grant or a thesis or dissertation.

 

• Prioritize writing projects. There is no one good way to do this other than to make sure you are sticking to hard deadlines. I like to group complementary projects together so I can kill two birds with one stone, as they say, when researching literature. I also like to make sure I disperse some of the projects that I’m not so excited about writing with those that I am excited about to help break things up. If I get bored, I move to another project. 

 

• Set a writing schedule (and stick to it). This strategy seems like a no brainier but can be one of the hardest parts to stick to. For me, writing for a short (2 hours) a day is more productive than trying to binge write and get burnt out on a project.

• Check off specific tasks for quick gratification. I find it much more satisfying to be able to physically mark through projects as I finish. So I make paper lists of my writing tasks I can hang near my desk as a reminder of what is coming up as well as what I have completed.

 

Let me know how these tips work for you to make your writing more productive If you have any other tips that help to prevent you from having a panic attack when you look at your writing to-do list, let us know in the comments. Writers rule. Especially when it's too cold for a biologist to truck through the muck.

A Space Odyssey: Tips and Tricks for Science Writers to Avoid Disaster

By Kim Davey and Karen Albright

“I’ve just picked up a fault in the AE35 unit. It’s going to go 100% failure in 72 hours.”

- Hal from 2001: Space Odyssey

(Photo Credit: Nasa on the Commons- Flickr)

Granted, 2001 Space Odyssey is science fiction, but as a science/research writer, do you sometimes find yourself on a crash course with a writing disaster? Perhaps you received feedback that identifies a number of ‘'faults" in your writing. Or, you have 72 hours to meet a submission deadline and feel that failure is eminent. Or, you are exploring territory that no one has ever mapped before.

The point is: Scientific writing can feel like a space odyssey. Especially to aspiring scholars. Luckily, we were able to avoid a collision on recent projects and would like to provide a few tips and tricks to help you do likewise on your next manuscript mission. These insights are based on our combined professional experience, our teamwork in an online research writing course, GRD 728, from the UAB Graduate School's Professional Development Program (PDP), and recommendations from R. Day and B. Gastel (2011) in their book How to Write and Publish Scientific Paper.

Tip 1: Create a flight plan - or manuscript outline.

• Trick 1: Create an outline of the points that you want to address in your manuscript, including issues of title, authorship, journal selection, or analyses. Ideally, the outline will include table shells and figure legends that will appear in the manuscript. It will also incorporate "writer's math" writer's math" to ensure that you don't overwrite or underwrite, based on the maximum word limit your journal allows for your article type. 

Tip 2: Identify and consult with your co-captain and flight crew.

• Trick 2: Identify a mentor or trusted colleague on your research team. Ideally, s/he will be close to your level of experience. Begin the conversation by sharing your outline with him/her. Ask if s/he would be willing to review your outline (which is something they can do quickly if it is a high-level skeletal document, 1-2 pages, with bullet points on each paragraph topic.) For more on strategic outlining, see our companion wiki resource, WritingIntheZone.

Tip 3: Review your flight plan – or manuscript outline.

• Trick 3: Meet with your mentor or colleague to discuss your outline. Listen carefully to the feedback you receive concerning your outline. Do not take personal offense to changes suggested. If they seem reasonable, incorporate them. If they don’t seem entirely reasonable, counter with a different suggestion. Negotiate back and forth until both parties can agree on the outline. (This can be done via e-mail, but in-person or on the phone is preferable.) Remember, your team is helping you avoid disaster.

Tip 4: Begin your mission – or writing.

• Trick 4: Create a first draft of your manuscript using the agreed upon outline. Circulate this draft to your mentor or colleague and repeat the process of back and forth negotiation-- offers, counter offers, etc. until both parties agree on a working draft. 

Tip 5: Ensure you are on course by checking with your flight crew.

• Trick 5: Circulate a clean copy of the agreed upon working draft of your manuscript to the remaining co-authors. Welcome their feedback, but request that they provide it within 2 weeks or 10 working days. (Time will vary depending on situation.)

Tip 6: Meet with the commander to finish your mission.

• Trick 6: After everyone has had a chance to review the edits/comments of the other authors, meet with the senior author (or commander). As a team, discuss the feedback and make decisions on what to incorporate and what not to incorporate. Depending on the project, team members, and the project dynamics you may want to repeat steps 5 and 6 after meeting with your team.

One final piece of advice. Spaceships, like writers, have finite fuel resources and equipment tolerance levels. So trips cannot exceed a certain number of days, weeks, or months. Determine a target deadline at the start of your mission and budget your research, writing, reviewing, and editing time accordingly. If you really want to to meet a deadline and work efficiently, define mission specifications by creating a writer's SMART plan, as describe in the blog, GradHacker.

Then, after hitting the send button to submit your manuscript, enjoy a smooth reentry into life on earth. 

Reference:

Day, R.A. & Gastel, B. (2011). How to write and publish scientific paper (7th ed.). Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood.

Photo Credit:

NASA on the Commons. (1970, June 30). Soyuz spacecraft in orbit [Digital image]. Retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasacommons/9457864309/

Tips and Tricks: Formal Writing in the Internet Age

Posted by Randall Hall

As a lawyer turned high school English teacher, I often receive "academic" papers from students littered with informal language. In fact, I even sometimes see examples of "text-speak" in student work (words like OMG, LOL and BTW), which led me to create the list of acronyms you can view on your left. I had to actually ask students to decipher what some of the acronyms meant, and I encourage you to click on the image and see how many you can figure out.

I teach my students that informal writing is fine when texting a friend, but they need to learn how to use formal language when writing for academic and professional purposes. However, high school students are not the only people committing the sin of breezy, conversational writing these days though. In fact, if you have ever read an internet discussion board, you were probably abhorred with the grammar and usage you witnessed, even from educated individuals on professional blogs.

In order to avoid making the mistake of writing in an informal tone when your audience expects formal language, you can follow these tips and tricks:

1. Edit, Then Edit Agian Again - formal writing should be dissected at least twice to catch any and all grammar, spelling and punctuation errors.
2. "Don't" Use Contractions - formal writing should sound professional, not conversational.
3. Slang/Colloquialisms Are Not "Groovy" - formal writing should be understood by all audiences, not only those of a certain age group or social subculture
4. Idioms/Cliches Should Not Be "Raining Like Cats and Dogs" - formal writing should be understood by international audiences, which means idioms and cliches will not translate clearly (and may even end up offending someone)
5. "Finally," Use Transitions - formal writing should provide readers with a logical "map" of your ideas, so use transitions like "for example," "however," and "therefore" to let your reader know where you are going.

It is my duty as an educator to teach children how to write and speak formally so they can succeed academically and professionally. The Red Mountain Writing Project at UAB is also dedicated to teaching students to write in a polished manner that will hopefully someday serve them well in the profession of their choice. Check them out at their website, and - if you are an educator - please consider attending their upcoming conference.

Tips and Tricks: The Art of Mobility, Getting Around UAB

Posted by Tandy L Dolin Petrov

Mobility is the action of moving, and when living downtown near an urban university, understanding its art is the key to successful navigation. Writers should be good at this. When we are outlining a research article, for example, we find all sorts of different ways to navigate the path, of getting from Point A to Point B and then onto Point C, if we are lucky. Why not apply our writer’s navigational skills to the challenge of getting around UAB’s 82-block campus? To that end, here are some tips and tricks to making the move more efficient and/or exciting.  

TIP #1: One of the most important principles in writing AND getting around campus is understanding structure. So, this first tip is to know about UAB roadways is that the Avenues run parallel to University Blvd., however the Streets transect University Blvd. In other words, they run perpendicular. We are also located in the south hemisphere of Birmingham, thus all our roads will have South at the end of them. 
TRICK #1:  Taking side roads off of University, such as 7th Avenue and 6th Avenue, can help avoid the traffic jams that can occur on University.  These also lead to hidden parking oases, the priceless gems of undergraduate and graduate commuters (15Lots). 

TIP #2:  Writers always look for cool tools to get them to their destinations faster and more easily. Blazer Express provides a quick and efficient way to chauffeur faculty, staff, and students around campus to designated, safe locations.
TRICK #2:  There are 5 bus routes that rotate around our university clockwise and if you download the [Transloc] APP you get to see RealTime location updates on your bus and find out what time you need to arrive at the bus stop.

TIP #3:  Walking is not only good for a person, but also provides a unique and healthy way to get around campus by providing the most scenic views of UAB and the Vulcan.
TRICK #3:  The various greens, parks, and quads offer cut-through pathways to commuter and resident parking lots, while ensuring that the journey includes a detour past your favorite coffee spot. Stop, grab a latte, and take a break from your research writing to create a blog post, i.e. do some fun writing (like this!) 

Finally, my favorite way of negotiating the Birmingham grid is via scooter.  The motorized scooter or “Moped”, is an inexpensive European favorite, is conservative on gas (last visit to the pump 02/12/15 = $1.93 = 100 miles), come in a variety of colors to match every personality (pictured top right, my ‘Buddy’) and are extremely convenient to park (almost anywhere is a parking place!)  Scooters open a rider up to the adventure of Alabama weather extremes and are a more environmentally friendly vehicle when compared to other automobiles.

I have yet to find the equivalent of a scooter for a writer unless it’s an ergonomic desk chair on wheels, but let me know what you think. Do you have favorite tips for navigating a writing project and getting around UAB?

Tips & Tricks: Unlock Your Inner Writer with Free Writing

Posted by Taylor Roberge

I was reminded over the holidays of how difficult it can be to sit down, write, and be productive. I always feel like I will just get distracted or bogged down in trying to get all my materials out. Really I just come up with excuse after excuse to avoid writing at all costs. Oh you need help baking cookies? Here let me take the trash out. All out of butter? Let me run to the store to get some more. Everything seems to be a better option than to sit down and crank out a couple of pages of text.

A lot of this sentiment, at least for me, stems from the idea that I need to produce a near finished product on the first try. This takes a lot more time and concentration than those short 30-45 minute intervals between talking to your visiting family.

The problem of putting off writing because it doesn't seem like there will be enough time to get it near perfect on the first try is not isolated to the holidays. It has haunted me, and most likely others, countless times. That is until I started free writing. I've found that in relatively short amounts of time I can synthesize quite a bit of information. Sure its super rough, and will definitely need to be reworked, but it gets you started. You only have 15 minutes? So what? That's enough time to get a couple paragraphs down sans references that you can go back through later and probably double once you've actually fleshed out all of your fine detail.

So don't get bogged down by the need to have every reference perfect, or have each idea fully realized on the first draft. Try to get something down on paper to get going, even if it's incomplete. You'll be glad you did.

Tips & Tricks: Composing with Music

Posted by Stephanie M. Robert

“Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and cannot remain silent.”  
 –Victor Hugo

Image courtesy of Pixabay

Most of us, when considering a productive environment for writing, would think of a quite location, free of noise and distraction. However, over the many years I have been writing and studying, when an important deadline looms, I head straight to the closest coffee shop, full of music, conversation, and movement. Although it seems counterintuitive, this is the type of environment in which I do my best work. Any many others feel the same, as evidenced by the many people sitting around me at the coffee shop currently typing away on their laptops.

The realization that I work best in a loud coffee shop rather than a silent library made me wonder - is quite REALLY ideal when it comes to writing?

The world we live in is an amazingly vibrant place. Our senses are constantly being inundated with information. To avoid a system overload of sorts, our brains have developed the ability to focus attention on certain things in the environment, while blocking out, or ignoring others. This ability to focus our attention on one thing, while ignoring competing stimuli is called selective attention. Without this ability, we would detect even the smallest changes in our environment and as a consequence, would never be able to focus on anything. However, when we sit in a quiet room and try to work, it is almost as if our brains are primed, waiting for something to ignore. And when something unexpected happens – a loud noise or sudden movement, concentration is broken.

It seems then, that we must occupy just enough of our brain to focus on the task at hand. This is where music can help. Music allows one part of our brain to work on ignoring the noise, while allowing higher cognitive functions – those that are needed during writing – to work effectively. Of course, there are many other benefits to music like improving mood, providing inspiration, and blocking unwanted background noise. Many research studies have looked at the effect of music on performance, and many have shown a positive effect. One in particular found an improvement in mood and cognitive performance scores of people who listened to their preferred music during high-cognitive demand work (Lesiuk). So it seems there may be some benefit to popping in those earbuds when you need to focus.

It is important to choose a style of music that allows you to be most productive. I prefer classical music and find lyrics overly distracting while working. My go-to source is a website called focus@will (https://www.focusatwill.com). The founders of focus@will designed a system that incorporates the current published literature in neuroscience and psychology, to provide music that maximizes focus and productivity.  If you want to check them out, there is a free membership if you sign up. They also have a Science section that further explains the research behind how music can enhance focus and concentration.

What about you? When you sit down to write, do you prefer quiet, or a little noise?

References

Lesiuk, T. (2005). The effect of music listening on work performance. Psychology of Music. 33(2): 173-191.
https://www.focusatwill.com/wp/science/science-primer/

https://www.focusatwill.com/wp/science/literature/

Tips & Tricks: What Writers Can Learn from the Ancient Maya Builders

Posted by Jennifer L. Greer

Every time I visit a Maya ruin in Mexico or Central America (a favorite vacation spot), I am awed by how much planning went into each and every building. I guess if you are designing a temple for the gods or lugging heavy stones across a steamy jungle to please a king who will toss you into the sea if dissatisfied, you perform well. In fact, most graduate writers can probably identify with these kinds of high stakes! As you can see by the photographs from the ancient city of Tulum, overlooking the Caribbean on the eastern Yucatan Peninsula, Maya architects and builders put a great deal of thought into the structure of their classical buildings (below left) from the location to the essential supports, such as columns and arches (below right, from another ruin at nearby Coba). Although no architectural blueprints, drawings, or models have survived the passage of time, the Maya clearly knew to "begin with the end in mind,” as modern life/work guru Stephen Covey advised in his popular book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” (https://www.stephencovey.com/7habits/7habits.php.)

So how do you begin with the end in mind on an academic writing project? One of the smartest things you can do is pre-write the abstract, or overall summary of the article, early in the writing process. This advice usually perplexes writers because they are taught to write abstracts at the end of the process. But that sequence doesn't help them see the whole story structure when they need to see it most, when they have to organize mounds of information, when they must be able to see the end in mind. To help writers pre-write, I developed a simple tool, called the OJISH Model, for fastdrafting abstracts in 10 minutes. Of course it takes longer to flesh out and polish what you can draft quickly. But I challenge you to give OJISH a try. See if it doesn't help you jumpstart a writing project --- and structure a research narrative as strong and sound as any ancient Mayan masterpiece.

    

Tips & Tricks: Try “Writer’s Math”, Dr. Greer’s More-or-Less Formula for Better First Drafts

Posted by Jennifer L. Greer

As a writer, I was always good at language and bad at math, until I realized how much it was costing me. Early in my newspaper career, I won reporting/writing contests, but I also missed deadlines, wrote stories that were too long or off topic. Such inefficiency did not please editors and ate into my personal time. I desperately needed to get a life! Then I discovered “Writer’s Math,” a formula for setting an approximate maximum word limit and working from that goal to successfully plan, outline, and execute a writing project. Now, as a writing instructor/coach at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Graduate School, I teach Writer's Math as often as I can. Here’s how it works. A graduate student is writing a journal article (one of three) for her dissertation. From the journal’s author’s guidelines, she finds out the maximum word limit for this type of article is 3,000 words. She knows that the average WORD document page, double spaced, at 12 point type holds about 300 words (more or less), and calculates that a 3,000 word article will run about 10 typed pages (3,000/300 = 10). Next, after weighing multiple factors, she decides on strategic space priorities: Introduction (2 pages), Methods (2 pages) Results (3 pages), Discussion (3 pages). For a discussion of Writer's Math, watch the video below.

Once she has a page budget, she creates a Writing Project Plan that is SMART -- Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound -- and drives the whole process. Caveat: If the graduate student is writing a traditional dissertation (grand tome), she will have no writer’s guidelines for a maximum word limit. In this case, her chair/professor may not want to constrain her intellectual genius and may advise her to write “as long as the scholarship requires.” Genius or no genius, if taken literally, this advice suggests a boundless writing project, which is feasible only if the graduate student has boundless energy, time, and resources. Typically, she does not. She wants to get the job done well. She also wants to get a life. In this case, the writer wisely asks the chair/professor for the names of authors of 3-5 quality dissertations from their university in their field. A quick look at these dissertations online will show an average text page count that can be used as a guideline (not a straight jacket) for Writer’s Math and SMART planning. It's not instant happiness, but it's close. For SMART Writing Project Plan details and samples, see the wiki, Writinginthezone.

Tips & Tricks: Meet ReadCube, A Writer-friendly PDF/Reference Manager

Posted by Taylor Roberge

Just about everyone these days uses reference managers like Endnote (if you don’t you should seriously think about it). This software allows us to effectively and efficiently document our reading by creating a database of citations increasing the amount of time we can spend writing instead of spending hours searching for and formatting the correct citations for our papers. Further information of documenting you reading can be found here.

Readcube, a relatively new citation and PDF manager, is another tool that can help you become a successful and efficient writer. You can perform many of the same reference management functions found in Endnote, but in a much more user friendly interface. Better still, Readcube is available as a free download (Endnote can cost upwards of $250). Where Readcube really shines is elevating the experience of PDF management and reading. It allows you to add notes, inline comments, and highlight directly on the PDF; this speeds up the writing process as you refer to articles later. In addition, many publishers now attach enhancements to electronic articles that many times go unnoticed (i.e. linked references, figures, and even comments). These can be automatically downloaded and stored along with the citation and PDF increasing the utility of the articles you are reading. In all, citation and article management software can streamline the writing process by creating an organized searchable database at your fingertips.

Readcube website and download- http://www.readcube.com/