A great hypothesis is the foundation upon which great experiments may be designed and carried out. Hypotheses ultimately help us to make sense of the experimental data we observe. Non-hypothesis-driven research, we are often told, is a reckless fishing expedition that relies on luck and is not how research should be performed. Interestingly, the opposite of this criticism is the biggest danger of working with a hypothesis.
Science can be like Baywatch. Well, there are decidedly fewer bikinis and speedos, but there are similarities. Specifically, there are times when all of us feel like we’re drowning. Learning how to stay motivated in lab through the natural ebb and flow of good results is an essential skill for becoming a successful scientist.
In a recent article, “Finding a Partner for Your Ph.D.,” the AAAS/Science Business Office provided advice to prospective graduate students. They start by presenting horrifying graduation rate data (that their target audience probably shouldn’t even see…). Even scarier is their interpretation of what these data indicate. Regardless of how you interpret it, the bottom line is that we’ve got some serious problems.
This week we will move into October, the scariest month of the year. Our minds will wander from Halloween to the impending winter to… lab?
Find the right box. Crush the dry ice. Assemble the package. Get a FedEx number. Fill out the forms. Schedule a pick-up. Pay for the package. Wonder why there’s not a better way…
Woody Allen famously said “80% of success is showing up.” At the bench, there are days when this number feels closer to 99. Although we all live for the mind-blowing, cutting-edge, high-impact experiments, the reality is that much of what we do on a daily basis is routine. But it’s these mindless tasks that can be the real killers…
Whoever invented the slow cooker (aka, crock pot) must have been a scientist… “How can I set up my meal in five minutes so that when I get home tonight, around 12 hours from now, an incredible meal will await?” Well we should all take a moment to honor that genius, because without their invention, deliciousness like this wouldn’t be possible…
Graduate school is undoubtedly a key training period in which we learn to carry out independent research in preparation for our future career. The postdoc is considered an essential step on this pathway. But what determines when we’re ready to step out on our own? When do we officially become a scientific expert?
This question is directed towards people who think that ranking ~24,000 scientific journals according to a negotiable, irreproducible and mathematically unsound measure is a practical way of sorting the wheat from the chaff. The specific uselessness of Thomson’s IF aside, if this ranking were done in the best possible way, what would be a consequential way of using it?
It’s a shame that superheros like Brainiac and Elixir weren’t scientists. Their abilities – superhuman intelligence and controlling the structure of all organic matter, respectively – would have made them each a great professor and synthetic chemist…
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