Hello world! I'm finally blogging.

I’ve finally decided to take the plunge and start blogging, after attending a most stimulating, cool, and fun conference (actually, an “un-conference”), ScienceOnline2010, in North Carolina this past weekend. The meeting, which began four years ago with a group of science bloggers from the Research Triangle area, has grown to include sessions on  a range of topics related to communicating science online, including journalism, education, and scientific research.

The title of this blog, To Be Determined, may or may not change.  I came up with it as I was drifting off to sleep last night, and thought initially that I would just use it as a placeholder until I came up with something terribly clever and creative.  But the more I thought about it, the more I thought the title might be fitting.  “To be determined” alludes in a way to science and the scientific process, which seeks to expand existing knowledge about the world we live in and worlds beyond, and, if done well, often leads to more questions.  It also refers to personal determination (aka stubbornness), a trait that has enabled me to complete a PhD in pharmacology, transition to a career in science writing and editing, and overcome some obstacles that life has thrown in my path.  And finally, “to be determined” suggests the possibilities that life offers and the surprises – both pleasant and unpleasant – that come up along the way. What does it mean to you?

I plan to blog about  science and other subjects – probably whatever strikes my fancy, which covers the waterfront.  I also hope to use this blog as a way to sharpen my writing skills and explore new forms of writing, as well as show off my photography (the header photo is mine).  I look forward to hearing your comments, thoughts, encouraging words, polite critiques, etc.

Note added: After writing this post I discovered another blog with the same title but completely different type of content. If anyone has advice on whether I should change mine, for professional or other reasons, I’m all ears. I find I’ve already grown attached to it.

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Tags: Science, writing