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?
When Do Top-Tier Publications Lose that Lovin’ Feeling?
by
Ombudsmen: The Best Conversation that Never Happened
by
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
Having a Business Card Doesn’t Make You a Douchebag
by
The business card is a staple in most industries, but they are much less prevalent in science, particularly in the academic community. For many of us, the thought of handing out business cards congers up images of slimy douchebags at cheesy networking events. Yet, the reality is far from that fear. The business card is a powerful professional tool that deserves serious consideration among scientists. The douchebag, on the other hand, is a different kind of tool and should be avoided in the interest of career development…
Postdoc Risk-Reward: How Valuable is a Top-Tier Publication?
by
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…
An Essential Video Setting: Deinterlace
by
The “deinterlace video” setting is one of the easiest ways to improve video quality and it requires nothing more than a click of a button. Understanding how video is recorded and displayed provides a solid foundation for documenting your laboratory techniques as well as for looking cool when talking about high definition tvs…
Thanks for Making it to Our Meeting. Oh Wait, You Didn’t.
by
Here I sit, 5:48pm on a Tuesday. It’s exactly three hours and 48 minutes after I was supposed to have the weekly one-on-one meeting with my boss. What have I been doing for the last four hours? Let’s review.
3 Scientific Products that Would Change Your Life
by
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.
Become an Instant BBQ Master With Two Accessories
by
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…
My PI Tells More Stories than Mother Goose
by
Dear Dora,
My PI constantly tells potential collaborators that we’ve got results we actually don’t have, despite my frequent attempts at correcting him. I’m worried it’s going to backfire on us and make me look bad. What do you recommend?
– KA, postdoc
Eating 3 Meals a Day Is Harder than Physical Chemistry
by
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.
