We recently interviewed American Chemical Society Presidential candidate Dr. Luis Echegoyen in order to understand his positions on the current and future states of science ahead of the election this fall. In fairness, tomorrow we will share our interview with his opponent, Tom Barton, PhD.

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Dear FlyGirl,

Do you have any advice on how to get out a stain from the one pair of dress pants that I own?  My girlfriend said club soda is supposed to work, but I’ve never liked dipping my napkin in a drink and wiping myself at dinner, especially if I am with people I’m trying to impress. It’s probably time that I learn some discretion.

Thanks,

Dan

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Since defending my thesis I’ve been repeatedly putting off starting the diet and exercise regime needed to lose the excess pounds I gained while writing it. Sadly, the time has come for my procrastination to end and the torture to begin, and on September 1 I will put the Insanity DVD into my computer, actually work out, and stop eating delicious things like bread and pasta and French fries. Tear.

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Once in a while we all have to face the interview gauntlet. Granted, grad-students and post-docs go through interviews as often as white Christmas in Hawaii… Ok, maybe not as rarely as in white Christmas in Hawaii but these particular groups interview on average every 4 to 5 years. Once you realize that there is an interview looming in the near future, you probably try to brush up on your interviewing and people skills. One intriguing aspect of the interview etiquette is that it can closely resemble an animal planet episode that describes courting rituals among birds. Yes, there are many unspoken rules, many things that can create a favorable impression of you and many things that can ruin your chances of ever getting that job. One mystifying aspect of job interviewing I wanted to cover today is the infamous “Thank You” note.

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While nearly all of us face challenges during our postdoctoral years, we often feel alone in our struggles. In this series, we hope to share encouraging and uplifting stories of how other scientists were able to turn their situation around and move forward, despite a non-ideal situation. Like snowflakes, fingerprints, and nightmares, every postdoctoral experience is unique, so today we share the Postdoc Story of another successful scientist.

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Dear Dora,

I’m an avid reader of both science and non-science-related books. Does it look bad to have non-science books out on my desk? I know it’s my personal space, but I don’t want my PI to get the wrong impression.

-RM, grad student

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This is one of those stories that I just couldn’t ignore. In a nutshell, it’s about using plants to interface with your computer. I know, weird, right?

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The acting world has their triple threat –  3 talents (acting, singing AND dancing) that are marks of greatness, and the science world has Dr. Holly Bik. She combines DNA lab work, computational biology, and science communications in the world of ocean science. (Personalized medicine and healthcare genomics, don’t be sad, but after 14 years of adoring you alone, now I also have a crush on Marine Biology.)

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Colleague: “Hey, can you come to my practice talk later? I’d really like your feedback.”

You: (In your head: “I’d rather count the number of salt granules required to make a liter of Tris buffer.”) Uh, sure.

And just like that, you’re signed up to listen to an unpolished talk and provide the critical feedback that will hopefully right the ship. Worse, your colleague invited that windbag from the lab down the hall who lives to hear the sound of their own voice. If only there was some way to provide structure to the feedback process. If only…

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Dear Dora,

I took over a nearly-completed project left behind by a grad student and my PI listed me as first author on the paper since I completed the project and wrote the manuscript. It is clear that several people in the lab resent the fact that I was given what they call an “easy paper” in my second year and now things are tense in lab. Is there anything I can do to ease the tension?

-Anonymous, grad student

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