Struggle to think of female scientists? It’s in the stories we tell. Or don’t tell. On International Women’s Day, Robert McNees shares stories about women who deserve more spotlight than they got:
Yellow vase with apple branches with sprouting green leaves.
Sprouting apple branches announcing spring...at least indoors.
A nan presenting and people sitting in a room
Feels like yesterday, but today it's already 7 years ago that @maastrichtu.bsky.social joined @nikhef.bsky.social ! Not the best picture...but I was there ;).
A black ball with embedded circular light bulb like structures that provide a mirror if you look carefully
Mirror eyes...or a module for a giant neutrino detector at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea @km3net.bsky.social , @nikhef.bsky.social
A saucer and cup with cappuccino, a plate with a croissant, and part of a report with a logo of the Einstein Telescope Organisation
Sometimes train problems turn into a treat! And I am not just talking about the coffee and croissant. Finally I had the space and time to calmly read through a report I had been carrying around with me for some time. #einsteintelescope #einsteintelescopeorganisation
Today, 11 February, #GW stands for two things: #GravitationalWaves 〰️ and #Girls&Women ❤️.
We mark 10 years since the first GW detection announcement (11 Feb 2016) and the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.
Both began in 2015 (GW150914). ✨
A long, cylindrical underground tunnel lined with lights, with large pipes and cables running along the walls and ceiling toward a distant vanishing point.
🌟 Why ET goes underground: to escape surface noise (incl. Newtonian noise) and detect incredibly faint #gravitationalwaves. New article: facility concept, safety, and what it’s like to work below ground.
Read: lnkd.in/dwweVX29
A group poses in a lecture hall in front of a projector screen showing a video-call grid, with two large monitors on either side.
A group stands in an underground technical area beside a large metallic pipe with a copper strip and fittings; the photo is rotated sideways.
Participants sit around a long conference table while a presenter points to a slide titled ‘Personnel transport (evacuation means)’ projected at the front.
People gather around a guide in an industrial hall next to long cylindrical metal equipment under yellow overhead support frames.
Einstein Telescope infrastructure & safety depend strongly on the future site 🗺️🛡️. On 19–20 Jan 2026, ETO, candidate host consortia and CERN met to exchange key info 🤝, with additional experts joining online 💻
@cern.bsky.social
Altijd al een kijkje willen nemen bij de versnellers en detectoren van CERN? Op maandag 26 januari 13:30 uur leidt Nikhef-masterstudent Niels ter Linden in een live verbinding www.youtube.com/@Nikhef toeschouwers rond bij het ATLAS-experiment op CERN. www.nikhef.nl/evenement/li...
Blue sunglasses with a small logo and 'Einstein Telescope Organisation' on it
Apparently it's blue Monday... doesn't look too bad through these blue frames
Inside a long technical hall, two people walk alongside a large metallic cylindrical beam tube section; an overhead yellow crane spans the corridor.
Two people inspect a large beam tube up close as one points to a yellow lifting fixture suspended above the tube.
A wide view of the beam tube pilot area showing a yellow support frame, equipment on pallets, and long rows of pipes and cables running along the hall.
A presenter speaks at the front of a meeting room while attendees sit at desks with laptops; a large wall screen shows slides and a video call interface.
A check-in moment🤝: Einstein Telescope Organisation and CERN met to align on shared objectives for ET. From vacuum and materials to manufacturing, civil engineering and safety, CERN’s engineering expertise supports key ET activities — and opens the door to powerful synergies✨.
3d printed model of an open tunnel with in it silver and blue towers and pipes.
A peek into the future #EinsteinTelescope @nikhef Amsterdam. Model by @mjkraan.bsky.social
Blue and white postcard with a person waving and a wave. Text: this card is a signal from the universe - and a wave from me.
Couldn't attend the #einsteintelescope collaboration's annual meeting, but I wasn't forgotten! A postcard arrived for me in the office. @einsteintelescope.bsky.social
Magical moment on the train this morning: at some point there were more people around me reading books than people looking at their phones. It lasted a lovely fifteen minutes. #forenzenleven
Horizontal electrical wires. Some in front and a see through to more wires .
Wires @nikhef.bsky.social in Amsterdam.
Graphical card with flags and a cake and the text 'Work anniversary! 7.5 years @Nikhef and Einstein Telescope'.
Missed the 7-year mark, so today I celebrate working at Nikhef and for the Einstein Telescope for 7.5 years! 🎉.
A technological system with lots of light metal and a bit of copper. Looks very crisp.
Just some beautiful gravitational wave detector technology. @nikhef.bsky.social
Workday #haiku:
Power dress today
Or is my inner power
in wearing flowers
The logo for LGBTQ+STEM Day, with the hashtags below and the date 18 of November, over a rainbow background
Happy International Day of LGBTQIA+ People In STEM!
How are you celebrating it?
#LGBTQSTEMDay #PrideInSTEM
Apparently yesterday was EU Equal Pay Day. In NL it's supposed to be on 24 November(?). Thought exercise: what if all women started their end-of-year holidays right now...
Thursday thought: meetingless Mondays should be a thing. Best way to start a work week for me: time for some focus and deep work with a fresh mind.
Collage showing multiple types of flowers in the colours yellow, white and orange.
Some November flowers to brighten up this Tuesday
Trying to proofread using AI today, but it first suggests to change things...and when I accept the changes and check again, it suggests to change it back. Not convinced yet....
Wow
In case you missed it: the Dutch Network of Women Professors (LNVH) published a report on future-proof & more inclusive academic management. A highlight: formalised and transparent appointment procedures are crucial for fair access to management positions www.lnvh.nl/a-4082/lnvh-... #womeninscience
Thursday thought: Marketing has the '4 p's'. Communication in science is often limited to 4 other p's: Powerpoints (or other slides), Papers, Posters and Pints (or coffees). Alright, and may be an 'E' for Email. Still limited. Happy to be part of the movement that is pushing to move beyond this.
Three apples on a black slightly glittery surface. One of the apples has a small brown hole in it.
More apples from the garden...
Hand holding an apple.
The most special apple I have ever held. It was many years (probably ~9) in the making. Turns out it is possible to grow an apple tree from seed and get apples 😍.
💔 A legend.
Tijdens de A'dam Science Park Wetenschapsdag as. zaterdag kun je o.a. aansluiten bij een rondleiding naar de productiehal voor @km3net.bsky.social. In februari waren zij overal in het nieuws met de detectie van een neutrino met de hoogste energie ooit! wetenschapsdagamsterdamsciencepark.nl/nikhef/
