What happens when you put a scientist, mathematician, classical guitarist, playwright, organist, actress, teacher, vocalist and two MIT graduate degrees together in a blender?  You get the remarkably talented Olson/De Cari duo.  (Yes, duo as in only two people have accomplished all of that…) Combining their love of science and music, the husband and wife team launched the Science/Music Commissioning Project which seeks to advance public understanding and appreciation of science through original music compositions.

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Many foreign students and postdocs come to the US to perform their graduate education or postdoctoral research.  The move is usually part of a larger career path the individual has mapped out for themselves.  But what happens when that plan falls apart and the passion to pursue the original plan fades?  Time to make a Plan B.  Here’s one story.

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The 2004 World Health Organization list of the Top 10 Causes of Death worldwide includes many familiar faces.  Although the results are grouped as low-, middle- and high-income countries, it’s largely just the order of diseases that change.  But what will these lists look like in 10 years?

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Last night, Hollywood celebrated it’s biggest evening.  It’s the night when achievements are recognized and careers are immortalized.  Well, we certainly can’t promise career immortalization (yet!), but we can definitely recognize the achievements of the top videos in five very important categories.  Welcome to the 2010 ‘Fly Video Awards!  The envelope please…

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Completing your PhD and starting your new life is always a hectic endeavour filled with so many tasks it can make your head spin. Thus, you are probably filled to capacity with “useful” advice that’s accumulated over the years, but hopefully there’s a little space left for this to fit – as it may really impact your future as a scientist, as well as your earning potential.
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How to Download the Toolbar

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Science is not a career that most people go into for money.  The pursuit of discovery, the intellectual challenge, the opportunity to contribute to society – these are often-cited reasons for following the research path.  In fact, sometimes more valuable than money is the praise and recognition we receive from our colleagues.  But how strong, exactly, are our principles?…

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This week we celebrated a couple of very exciting milestones – neither of which would have been possible without the outpouring of support we’ve received from the community.  Both milestones reflect the core of why we started BenchFly.  So on the eve of a very exciting announcement, we’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone for helping us in the pursuit of our mission.

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Today, we are proud to announce the addition of a new Proteomics category at BenchFly!  As a field, proteomics – the large-scale study of protein structure and function – has rapidly evolved since it’s birth in the late 1990s.  Over the years, advances in laboratory techniques and instrumentation have played a dominant role in fueling this growth and we are excited to be a part of it.

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Thanks for all of the great questions!  We’re addressing three questions each month, so If you don’t see your question this time, keep an eye out for our future issues where it will likely show up!  Send your questions to DearDora@benchfly.com. (more…)