The World Cup kicked off on Friday, no doubt to a huge decline in international productivity. As the tournament gains momentum and tv coverage increases, many researchers find themselves asking “How am I going to get any work done this month?!” Many are also asking, “Am I going to have to watch the entire tournament on mute?!”
BenchLife
Being a scientist isn’t just about doing experiments, so neither are we. This is where we make breakthroughs beyond the bench for scientists.
Is World Cup Killing Your Experiments (and Your Hearing)?
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Tim Lee Tickets: Enter Our Fan Appreciation Giveaway!
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Mel Brooks was close when he said “Humor is just another defense against the universe.” Scientist-turned-comedian Tim Lee, PhD might say it’s really “the best defense against the lab.” Science can be a profession of highs and lows and I’m not going to say where we spend most of our time… So how can we pull ourselves out of a slump or celebrate the week’s good results? That’s right, comedy.
The Lab Group Outing: Are We Having Fun Yet?!
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The group outing can be an essential morale booster and a source of stories and inside jokes for years to come. As Dora discussed in her recent article, Is a Lab Holiday Party Too Much To Ask For, many students and postdocs look forward to these events, even if they have to take the reigns to plan it. However, the group outing and can range from really fun to really, really awkward. So as a first step in avoiding 60 minutes of uncomfortable silence, let’s find out what we really want.
Social Media for Scientists – What’s Most Popular?
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If you haven’t heard of social media by now, you may want to sit down for what we’re going to tell you next: Astronauts have landed on the moon! We’re at a point where it’s hard to ignore social media – for better or worse. (When Metamucil has a fanpage on Facebook, it’s clearly getting out of control…) However, what may be less obvious are the personal and professional implications of using social media for scientists.
Only MacGyver Could Make a Gourmet Quiche With Fewer Ingredients
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The weekend is here and let’s face it, the same bowl of cereal or piece of toast that does the trick during the week just ain’t gonna cut it on our days off. The weekend is a time to wake up leisurely, walk around in a robe and read the paper while enjoying a veritable cornucopia of delicious brunch food. Well, that would be nice. Unfortunately, we may have to go into lab, we don’t have time to cook, we don’t have money for expensive ingredients and we don’t own a robe. That leaves us with only one question: WWMD (What Would MacGyver Do)?
Superstition Doesn’t Affect Experiments (Knock On Wood)
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Maybe you think twice before starting a new project on the 13th, or perhaps a pinch of sodium chloride flies over your left shoulder at the beginning of every experiment. It can be tough to get experiments to work and when they do, it’s not unusual to repeat every detail – from the reagents used to the underwear worn. And thus, the birth of superstition in the laboratory- but who’s to say all of those details don’t actually matter…
Licensing Deals: Lab Treasure or Personal Pleasure?
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Ah, remember the glory days of the 20% NIH funding line? Or the feeling of seeing a lab grow? Or when people used to talk about those things called “jobs”? Well, those memories are fading for us too. Surviving tough times in the lab requires a bit of creativity and this is particularly true when it comes to figuring out how to pay the bills.
How Important are Scientific Conferences?
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Conference season is in full swing and many of our poster tubes have logged more mileage than Mark Hamill got from Star Wars. Coming off of the recent American Chemical Society (ACS) and American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) meetings, there is little rest before the summer Gordon conference schedule begins. Although a scientific conference rarely lasts for more than a week, we often prepare for months on end – performing last-minute experiments, designing beautiful posters and battling large-format printers. So how many times a year should we be putting ourselves through this wringer?
How Scientists Really Get Trained
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For novelists: books, imagination and Microsoft Word. For pilots: classes, flight simulators, and wingmen. For athletes: coaches, teammates, and addiction counselors… Developing into a true professional requires a few indispensable resources tailored to the craft. So what would we say “For Scientists:”?
How Big is the Tenure Carrot?
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First it’s “graduating”, then it’s “finding a job”, then it’s “get tenure”, and on and on… While the goalposts may shift over the course of our career, it’s clear that some of them are more important than others, at least to some people…
