To start 2018 on the right foot, Science asked scientists what their resolutions are for the new year.
UC San Diego doctoral student Samantha Jones tells Science she resolves to focus more on the present, which could mean keeping "an open mind when it comes to my career, knowing that it's OK to change my mind and maybe head in a direction that leads me to a job I don't expect."
University of British Columbia sociology professor Rima Wilkes says her resolution is to try new things when it comes to disseminating her work. "My plan is to make social science more appealing to the general public by doing more video-related work, even though I hate having my picture taken, let alone being filmed," she tells Science. "I also plan to participate in public events. For example, this month I will lead a discussion about immigration and the far-right at a performing arts festival. This will be an exciting challenge for someone with very little exposure to the arts."
Heriot-Watt University professor Kate Sang wants to effect positive change for academics with disabilities, while California Institute of Technology postdoc Mark Richardson says he wants to share the beauty of the scientific method with nonscientists.
And Albany Medical College doctoral student Alexandra Schober tells Science that she'd like to break the bad habit of letting negative statistics affect her career choice. "I tend to dwell on things like only 19 percent of grants get funded, or that only 15 percent of postdocs can land an academic position, among a million other scary stats. But in every statistic, there are the people who are able to achieve these things, so I constantly remind myself, why can't that be me?" she says. Schober also wants to contribute to the empowerment of women and minorities in science. "Ideally, I'd like to teach a course specifically designed for this, but even just starting a blog with general life advice for these populations would be sufficient," she says.
What are your resolutions for 2018, dear readers?