Lines from Layla
Layla Parast, University of Texas at Austin, has some advice for beginner researchers. The small things, done well and reliably, really do matter. She writes:
Every year, I talk to undergraduates who are interested in “doing research.” This is, in general, a very good instinct. Research is one…
Layla Parast has had a tough lesson recently about what is important, and what constitutes that elusive “enough”:
As the year comes to a close, I’ve been reflecting on my goals for 2025. I had thirteen, yes thirteen, goals: SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound), carefully constructed, color-coded, and…
Our contributing editor Layla Parast recalls how tough she found graduate school—until she found her people, a “pod” of friends…for life:
As the new academic year begins, one of my favorite traditions is meeting one-on-one with each of our incoming PhD students. This year, that tradition is a big…
Our contributing editor Layla Parast writes in praise of “glorious, unapologetic” email deletion:
Do you ever spend an entire morning, or even an entire day, just dealing with email? I hate that feeling. If you’ve read any of my previous columns, it may not surprise you that I’m a…
Our contributing editor Layla Parast writes about her new-found appreciation for the surprising complexities of American football:
Mid-February can be a bittersweet time for many in the United States—it signals the end of the (American) football season. For some, this may evoke no feelings at all. Football? Why bother?…