What’s New
Welcome to The Insightful Scientist
Turning science passion into science performance through tips, tools, and tricks to accelerate scientific discovery.
New to the website and want to know what’s on the site? Start with the “Welcome Map”!
Want to troubleshoot your progress? Start with the scientific discovery overview series.
Or scroll down to see links to the most recent post in each feature on the site.
MOST RECENT ITEMS
The Scientist’s Log
Blog about one physicist’s pursuit of scientific discovery.
The Scientist’s Log section is where the theoretical physicist behind The Insightful Scientist website blogs about the ups and downs, in and outs, of the craft of scientific discovery. The most recent post is listed in the sidebar on the right of this page.
Research Spotlight
Summaries of published research probing the process of scientific discovery.
The Research Spotlight section is dedicated to sharing research on how people make scientific discoveries. Research Spotlight pieces are short summaries of peer-reviewed articles and published books. Each Spotlight piece zooms in on a classic, new, or interesting piece of published research from across the landscape of studies related to scientific discovery, innovation, insight, and invention.
Most Recent Article Spotlight:
– How Gamers Outperformed Biochemistry’s Best Algorithm –
(Can non-scientists help solve complex scientific problems that are tough to answer due to computational limitations?)
The Scientist’s Repertoire
Tutorials to become adept at the art of scientific discovery.
The Scientist’s Repertoire section is dedicated to short tutorials on how to use strategies targeted at making a discovery. Themed how-to articles offer steps, tools, and insights to accomplish tasks that will help you make discoveries in your own work. All tools are researched, developed, and tested by the author (a theoretical physicist) in her own work before making it to the website.
Most Recent Tutorial Article:
– under construction –
The Illustrated Scientist
Visual tools to improve your discovery research workflow.
The Illustrated Scientist section is dedicated to sharing tools that will help you get discovery done. View flip-books of activities and talk slides. Look at sketchnotes and graphics. Or download templates and paper tools I’ve developed to help generate insight and get through the scientific discovery cycle.
Most Recent Graphic:
– Architecture of Discovery Sketchnote –
Discovery Library
Web resources to dive deeper into the craft of scientific discovery.
The Discovery Library section is dedicated to highlighting web and print resources that foster the practice of scientific discovery. There are two main parts to the Discovery Library. The first part of the Library is an extensive collection of bibliographies, referencing items to read related to the craft of scientific discovery. The second part of the Library is a collection of web links to sites where you can read more about the craft of discovery and make discovery possible by accessing open source science data and tools.
Most Recent Reference Entry Category:
Insight Exchange
In-person events to accelerate discovery.
The Insight Exchange section is dedicated to sharing updates on in-person events hosted or supported by The Insightful Scientist. The Insight Exchange is a special kind of workshop designed to help participants overcome obstacles and find new directions in their pursuit of discovery. These events are tailored to the group of attendees. Events include brief talks on the discovery process and hands-on activities to get participants working through blocks, looking for connections, and thinking about the specific workflow changes they can make to try and increase the likelihood and pace of discovery within their own efforts. Insight Exchanges are open to discoverers of all backgrounds and from all sectors.
Most Recent In-Person Event:
– Princeton School on Global Security Mini-Insight Exchange, October 2022 –
Most Recent In-Person Event:
– The University of Manchester, October 2018 –
Spark Points
Fun distractions to turn procrastination into progress.
The Spark Points section is dedicated to providing links to discovery curiosities from around the web. Spark points are little moments and activities where we can ignite new connections in our brains to help us get out of mental ruts. The Spark Points page shares a collection of curated, randomized links to discovery-based activities found on sites around the web that take 5 minutes, 20 minutes, or more (if you have the time). Follow a link and find out if there’s a gem or a joke at the other end, to spur you on toward discovery.
Links Last Updated:
– December, 2019 –
UPDATES FROM THE AUTHOR
November 2022:
New updates to the website will be going on an informal hiatus. Work projects and personal life are always my first priority and I work on the website when I can.
Thank you to those of you who have enjoyed the past content and gotten good use out of a few of the posts (looking at you Good Things Come in Threes and the original version of The Architecture of Discovery !).
I look forward to being able to come back and continue to move forward with many of the ideas I have seeded here and the tools that, for now, remain in my personal repertoire and need cleaning and polishing to be able to share. The world needs you and your unique brilliance, now and always.
Keep pursuing those discoveries!
October 2022:
Updated old missing entries from the blog are finally getting put up on the site. I’d love to hear what you think of the new style.
If you’re looking to find out what research I am involved in, check out Virginia Tech’s Center for Neutrino Physics website, Princeton’s Science & Global Security journal website, or N Square’s nuclear initiative website.
Keep pursuing those scientific discoveries!
To contact the author, you may visit the “Contact the Author” page.