Being a scientist isn’t just about doing experiments, so neither are we. This is where we make breakthroughs beyond the bench for scientists.
Many of us may recognize Chuck Norris as a late-night exercise equipment peddler. In fact, he was the undefeated Professional Middleweight Karate champion title for six consecutive years, before retiring with a karate record of 183-10-2. He was the only man in the western hemisphere ever to be awarded an 8th degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do. That’s serious.
Anyone who’s ever been to a wedding or listened to an oldies radio station for more than five minutes recognizes the lyrics to the Sister Sledge classic We are Family. “We are family / I got all my sisters with me / We are family / Get up ev’rybody and sing.” It’s probably unlikely that we’ve ever huddled around with our labmates to sing the words “We are the ___ Lab / I got all my labmates with me / We are the ___ Lab / Get up ev’rybody and work”… but should we?
At BenchFly, we love science. In fact, our mission is to make science a better career for current and future generations of researchers. Within the larger profession, careers in science may fall into one of two categories, non-research or research-oriented, although the distinction between the two is not always black or white. While those in non-research careers may not physically stand at the bench, their roles in the research process are often just as important. Therefore, as a profession, it is to our advantage to make sure that the best and brightest scientific minds stay in the field in some capacity- whether in a non-research or research capacity.
Publications have long been viewed as the currency of scientists. They impact everything from job offers to funding awards to ego boosts. However, in last weeks’ poll (How Valuable is a Top-Tier Publication) an overwhelming majority of scientists thought it was a better career move to finish a postdoc in three years with an average publication than it was to stay for six years and finally land a home-run paper. If the data suggest “Glamour Mags” have lost their appeal by six years, then when does that transition actually takes place?
Dear Dora,
I have an issue with something going on in the lab and it could have serious consequences for my PI. Someone recommended I speak with the ombudsman for advice, but I’m worried it will get back to my PI somehow. Are ombudsmen really safe to talk to?
-Anonymous, Grad student
One of the most challenging aspects of performing research is knowing when to pull the plug on a project. This is particularly true for postdocs, who have a limited amount of time to obtain the results that will act as a springboard for their career. After graduate school, many of us walk into our postdoc dreaming about the huge paper we’re going to publish and the flood of career opportunities and funding awards that will follow. No wonder it can be tough to wake up from that fantasy…
We know how hard research can be so we’ve been working hard in the BenchFly Labs to develop a few scientific products we think will significantly improve the lives of researchers in the lab. Excited about the prospects, we’ve leaked news of these products in our new newsletter we launched a few weeks ago. Due to the tough economy and limited resources, we can only scale-up production on one of these, so let us know which product you’d like to see on the shelves at your local store.
Summer is synonymous with one thing: Body odor on the subway?… Yes, but no. Unfortunately large men sporting unfortunately small speedos?… Again, yes, but not what we’re looking for. BBQ?… Bingo. A BBQ is the quintessential summer activity. But unlike pouring gels or running flash columns, firing up the grill is not something we practice everyday. So the idea of a group of people standing around watching us freestyle on the grill can be stressful, even to those of us who love a BBQ. Here are two essential grill accessories that will transform us into an instant BBQ master and trick our friends into thinking we know what we’re doing…
Although we may feel like prisoners in lab sometimes, the clearest confirmation that this is not the case is that we’re not guaranteed three squares a day. That, and there’s a significantly lower chance of getting stabbed with a shank in lab. If it were up to a nutritionist, we’d eat three meals a day separated by healthy snacks like fruit or nuts to keep ravenous hunger at bay. But for most of us, life gets in the way of this practice and more often than we’d probably like, we end up skipping a meal.
Having spent several years as a fellow starving grad student alongside Dr. Barrilleaux, who wrote an excellent post on creating cheap and nutritious breakfasts using eggs, I was pleased to be asked to follow her in discussing affordable nutrition for graduate students. I think that the perfect food for lunch or dinner for a hungry student (or for anyone- this is what I eat for lunch on most weekdays) is a combination of beans, rice and vegetables.
As the recent recipient of a shiny new PhD, I’ve spent almost 20% of my life so far as a member of the impoverished and undernourished graduate student demographic. One of the things I wish I’d figured out earlier is how to eat well on a stipend—especially when it comes to breakfast, the neglected meal. For this guest post, I’ve compiled three breakfast options that cost less than $1 each, can be prepared in the time it takes to brew a pot of coffee, and contain only basic, cheap ingredients. I won’t bore you with the calculations, but I can certify that each breakfast comes in easily under a buck.
If you test positive for the longevity genes, you may want to call Willard Scott and put your name on the waiting list for your 100th birthday announcement sooner than later. Last week Sebastiani et al., out of Boston University, published their findings titled “Genetic signatures of exceptional longevity in humans.” Given an individual’s DNA sequence, researchers can predict with 77% accuracy if a subject has the magic DNA to live to 100. It’s a remarkable finding that opens many doors – including some we may want to keep closed…
At the end of a long day in lab, sometimes it’s nice to unwind with an old friend. And by old friend, we mean a drink. But the tough economy (and our tougher stipends) are seriously killing our wallet – and our buzz. So we figured it’s time to put those analytical skills we’ve been developing for years to good use and find out which drink is actually most affordable.
Last week, Apple released the iPhone 4 and Verizon executives started referring to this season as “The Summer of Droid.” It’s pretty clear that the Mac vs. PC battle we talked about last week won’t stop at computers.
Few things can polarize a room full of technology geeks like the question of computer allegiance. For decades, Apple was like Danny Bonaduce in that it appealed to a small sliver of the population. Very small. Compared to popular PC brands such as HP, Dell, Toshiba and others, Macs appealed to a niche market. But this May, something remarkable happened – Apple’s stock price completed a nearly 10-fold increase over the past five years and the company overtook Microsoft as the most valuable technology company in the world. But if you’re like most, that probably hasn’t changed your computer loyalty.
The World Cup kicked off on Friday, no doubt to a huge decline in international productivity. As the tournament gains momentum and tv coverage increases, many researchers find themselves asking “How am I going to get any work done this month?!” Many are also asking, “Am I going to have to watch the entire tournament on mute?!”
Mel Brooks was close when he said “Humor is just another defense against the universe.” Scientist-turned-comedian Tim Lee, PhD might say it’s really “the best defense against the lab.” Science can be a profession of highs and lows and I’m not going to say where we spend most of our time… So how can we pull ourselves out of a slump or celebrate the week’s good results? That’s right, comedy.
The group outing can be an essential morale booster and a source of stories and inside jokes for years to come. As Dora discussed in her recent article, Is a Lab Holiday Party Too Much To Ask For, many students and postdocs look forward to these events, even if they have to take the reigns to plan it. However, the group outing and can range from really fun to really, really awkward. So as a first step in avoiding 60 minutes of uncomfortable silence, let’s find out what we really want.
If you haven’t heard of social media by now, you may want to sit down for what we’re going to tell you next: Astronauts have landed on the moon! We’re at a point where it’s hard to ignore social media – for better or worse. (When Metamucil has a fanpage on Facebook, it’s clearly getting out of control…) However, what may be less obvious are the personal and professional implications of using social media for scientists.
The weekend is here and let’s face it, the same bowl of cereal or piece of toast that does the trick during the week just ain’t gonna cut it on our days off. The weekend is a time to wake up leisurely, walk around in a robe and read the paper while enjoying a veritable cornucopia of delicious brunch food. Well, that would be nice. Unfortunately, we may have to go into lab, we don’t have time to cook, we don’t have money for expensive ingredients and we don’t own a robe. That leaves us with only one question: WWMD (What Would MacGyver Do)?
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