Growing up, I was a stellar student. I majored in biochemistry/cell biology as an undergraduate and, immediately after college, entered a PhD program in cell biology. With my academic success and interest in science, it was an easy choice for me to follow a respectable career path that everyone, myself included, assumed would lead to a successful and stable career as a scientist. What could possibly go wrong?
Flyceum: Your Science. Your Career.
We’re following in the tradition of open discussions among scientists that has resulted in important advances in both science and society.
The 4 Steps to Finding Your Passion
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Lessons from a Recovering Postdoc
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Hi. My name’s Belle. And I’m a recovering postdoc.
Maybe you think it will never happen to you. You were a successful graduate student. You got along with your dissertation adviser and your committee members. Your project progressed, and when it was stalled, you had something else to work on. You worked, you published, you defended, and you moved to the postdoc position of your dreams.
Publishing Without the Boss’ Blessing?
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Dear Dora,
I finished my PhD with a single publication, which was based on one of my 4 projects. The other projects were not completely finished, but I still generated useful data. My boss does not want to publish them. Can I go at it alone?
– Md Sha
H-Index: What It Is and How to Find Yours
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To illustrate the value of the H-index, we turn to a classic educational movie…Caddyshack. The uptight and competitive Judge Smails (played by Ted Knight) asks his new competition, Ty Webb (Chevy Chase):
Judge Smails: Ty, what did you shoot today?
Ty Webb: Oh judge, I don’t keep score.
Judge Smails: Then how do you measure yourself with other golfers?
Ty Webb: By height.
As scientists, we’re always looking for new ways to analyze, measure and compare things – including our own performance as scientists.
The Isothermal Assembly Reaction: My Cloning Hero
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I was trying to make a plasmid that had various parts from five other plasmids. Normally, I’d say “good luck” to anyone trying a three point ligation and so I considered a five point ligation to be a bit beyond mere mortals such as myself. But with the isothermal assembly reaction, the lab downstairs has had good luck with three and four point ligations. So it was worth a shot…
Is First Year Burnout Normal?
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Dear Dora,
I am a first year PhD student from a foreign country, and I work 12 or 13 hrs a day in a molecular biology lab. I get no guidance from my advisor and the people around me are unfriendly. I used to cook and play the ukulele but now I work all the time. I am exhausted and feel guilty, because I do not get good results. I am doubting this career choice, wondering whether I can do it, and approaching first year burnout.
A hopeless PhD student
Revitalizing Science in the Classroom
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The recent update to the National Academies’ 2005 report to congress, Rising Above the Gathering Storm, paints a bleak picture for the future of science in the classroom should nothing change. The World Economic Forum ranks the United States 48th in quality of math and science education. Ouch. It’s clear that fundamental changes in our educational system must be made beyond cutting a check and crossing our fingers. We must revitalize our approach to science in the classroom in order to effectively educate and inspire future generations of scientists. But where do we even begin?
Dear Dora: Happy One Year Anniversary!
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This week we’re excited to celebrate the one year anniversary of the Dear Dora column! We’ve been extremely fortunate to have worked with Dr. Dora Farkas and are thrilled she’s been a part of BenchFly from the early days. We sat down with Dora to find out if there was any advice she’d like to take back, if her own grad school experience was a breeze and if there are particular challenges that she sees facing students and postdocs in the coming years.
How to Become a Great Graduate Student
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Following-up on What Makes a Great Student in the Lab?, we asked our panel of experts about specific actions we could take to set ourselves up for a successful graduate career. The PIs help set our expectations for how many years we should plan to be in school, how much initiative we should take and what to expect if we decide to leave the bench.
How Many Postdoctoral Fellowships Should I Tackle?
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Dear Dora,
How many postdoctoral fellowships do most people apply for when starting their postdoc?
– Dom, grad student
