Unlike traditional offices, our lab benches don’t come with a door to shut when we want privacy. As a result, there’s no physical barrier to alert visitors to the fact that they’re now in our personal space. Even in the event the approaching individual is courteous, without a door where are they to knock – on the bench, trash can, our head? Although a couple of pieces of drywall and a door would dramatically cut down on the riff raff dropping by our bench, lab safety departments would likely stroke out at the first sight of our handiwork. But there’s another way.
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.
Should You Be at My Bench Right Now? (Probably Not)
by
Give Group Meeting Again? I Just Went!
by
In lab vernacular, few words can elicit a fiery range of emotions like “group meeting”. Fear, panic, apathy, anger, frustration, embarrassment and nausea are not uncommon responses as a graduate student or postdoc reads the lab schedule and realizes they’re up next week. While some will feel they haven’t had enough time to obtain new data, others will feel a tremendous amount of pressure since it’s their only talk of the year. But who’s to say how many group meetings we should give in a year?… You.
There’s Nothing Romantic About Watching the Sun Rise…From Lab
by
Sleep is rarely considered a reagent, but without it few experiments reach a successful conclusion. In fact, researchers have demonstrated “sleep drunkenness“, where individuals deprived of sleep perform similarly to those who have been drinking. So while PIs may think a lack of sleep is no big deal, when’s the last time they said “Experiments still not working – have you tried drinking a 6-pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon before starting the assay?”
Lab Independence Day: What are We Celebrating?
by
In the spirit of Independence Day, we’d love to fire up the BenchFly grill and cook you up a burger, but alas, we’re foiled by the limitations of Internet technology. Until we figure out a way to eject a perfectly flame-broiled offering out of your disk drive, we’ll have to focus on the other aspect of Independence Day… independence. In the lab, autonomy is highly valued. As we progress through our training as students, scientists and professors, we hope to enjoy increased freedom to pursue our interests and set our own agenda. But like any profession, there are plenty of lines to cut before we are truly liberated.
Elevator Etiquette: The Essentials
by
Had George Washington been born 200 years later, his famous quote on the necessary virtues of a society would no doubt have read “Religion, morality and elevator etiquette are the essential pillars of civil society.” Few situations are as uncomfortable as when someone violates the unwritten social contract we all have with the moving box. However, based on thousands of rides in thousands of elevators, it is clear that elevator etiquette is as dead as General Washington.
Grant Writing: Is “Grant Creep” Choking Out PIs?
by
Regardless of the field, most projects struggle to manage a phenomenon known as “scope creep”, where a defined set of tasks slowly expands – one seemingly-miniscule step at a time – into something much larger than originally planned. It often happens innocently enough as in the case of a home repair, “Since you’re planting that bed of flowers anyway, maybe we could just add a small bush on the side… and another row of flowers in the back… and another small bed on the side of the house… and…” Before you know it a small, self-contained project has tripled in size and cost in the blink of an eye.
Can Positive Thinking Affect Your Experiments?
by
Scientists are a notoriously critical bunch. We have to be, it’s part of our job. Yet, our dependence on “seeing the data” often makes us among the more skeptical members of society, as we have a tendency to dismiss that which cannot be explained through a logical mechanism. But are these instincts actually preventing us from becoming better scientists?
The Only Internet Password Protection You Need
by
With “Twitter hacking” in the news recently, it’s a good time to reflect on a key question regarding our own computer security: How comfortable are you with your current Internet password protection strategy? Does it cause you undue stress to even think about how vulnerable you are to hackers who may steal your passwords and break into every aspect of your life?
Lab Funding Outlook: Time to Move Forward or Pull the Ripcord?
by
Last week’s poll on the future of lab funding was less than positive. In fact, the optimists must have been busy congratulating eachother on future successes because it seems they missed the poll altogether. In truth, a negative forecast is to be expected from time to time in a naturally cyclic economy, so the results themselves should not be cause for alarm. However, responsible scientists – looking at the data – may conclude otherwise.
Wunderlist Task Management: Give Your Brain a Present
by
Damn, what was I supposed to do today? It was important – that much I can remember. Was it ‘procrastinate instead of preparing for group meeting’? Nope, did that. ‘Take a two hour lunch because it’s Friday’? Did that, too. Oh yeah! I was going to make a to-do list…
