We’ve all heard the old saying “Liquor then beer, you’re in the clear; beer then liquor, never sicker.” But what about beer in liquor? Turns out, the answer is “happy quicker!” This weekend the summer season officially kicks off and what better excuse to take a break from the bench than to celebrate with a summer classic – the margarita.
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.
Robin’s ‘Rita: A Bubbly Twist on a Flat Classic
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Lab Funding: What Does the Future Hold?
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These days it seems the only thing lower than the grant funding line is Arnold Schwarzenegger’s approval rating. In 2010, many of the National Institutes of Health agencies exhibited funding lines around the 8th percentile. Ouch. For many of us, the grant writing process has become an exercise in futility – damaging our motivation as significantly as our pocketbook.
WANTED: Your PI
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We’re working on a project here at BenchFly and would like your help to complete it! We will be showcasing PIs and would like to include yours in the mix. To be included in the final project, please submit a picture that adheres to the following basic guidelines.
Leaving Graduate School Early: Get Outta Town or Hang Around?
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Graduate school serves as a means to an end. It provides the training necessary to take the next step on our career development path- whether than means performing postdoctoral research or finding a job. But grad school is a long process and a lot can change over five or six years, which can significantly complicate the process of leaving graduate school.
How Google Sees Us: 23 Search Terms We Had to Share
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The entire Google empire is built on a cold, hard algorithm- not on subjective guesses or opinions. When it decides to pull up a list of websites that it thinks will fulfill a user’s query, it’s for a reason. So looking into what search terms Google recommends your site for can be a bit like asking “do these pants make my butt look big?” You’re hoping for the best, but in the end, the data might reveal an answer you don’t want to hear.
Changing Scientific Focus: Jack of All Trades, Master of None?
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Some liken the selection of a graduate advisor to finding a spouse. Of course, a real spouse doesn’t pay us a monthly stipend and (hopefully) we’re not looking forward to finding a new one in five years. Yet the choice of the marriage analogy may be more appropriate for another aspect of our careers – the science.
Changing Labs: It’s Not You, It’s Me…Actually, It’s You.
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At one point or another many of us consider changing thesis projects, whether out of frustration, failure or downright boredom. However, for some of us simply changing thesis projects is not enough to resolve the issue we’re facing. In these cases, the last hope may be the nuclear option – changing labs. Students grappling with the decision to join a new group face a number of potential consequences including adding time on to their degree and facing potential political fallout from the decision. Therefore, many students are left to wonder, Is it really that bad? Maybe it’s me? Am I the only one dealing with a situation like this and is it bad enough to change labs over?
The Tightrope: Finding Balance as a Scientist Mom
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Guilt, exhaustion, frustration, turmoil, confusion – all sentiments of my newly intermingled roles as Mom and Scientist. I’ve been pulling this act together since I had my first child – a little boy referred to as Monkey – last November. And while the tenure track to which I aspire presents a worthy challenge, my first four months of motherhood have shown this goal pales in comparison to raising a child. My son changed my life for the better and brought my career into focus. I am slowly redefining myself, and I implore every new mom to do the same.
There’s No I in ‘Research’ (But There is in ‘Science’)
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A wise man once said “Stop, collaborate and listen.” Few people knew he was making a profound statement regarding the nature of scientific research worldwide. Probably because they couldn’t get past his outfit. Or maybe his point wasn’t that deep afterall…
A Message from the Department of Lab Security
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Building up a desirable stash of lab supplies takes months – if not years. The tube racks, the styrofoam floaties, the accurate pipets. But in an instant, all of the effort we put into hoarding goods can be ripped away by the actions of one selfish labmate. That’s about to change.
