Many of the questions that we ask in research are to ultimately find an answer or understand a biological process in humans. However, human research is often too difficult, risky and expensive to undertake. Enter: model organisms.
Model organisms provide researchers with a way to conduct experiments and get answers without many of these problems. (However, any graduate student could name a few disadvantages to their model organism). In celebration of some of the many model organisms in the scientific field, BenchFly – in collaboration with a few graduate student guest bloggers – is dedicating this week to some of our favorite model organisms. So enjoy reading about your model organism or discover the field of a new one! Don’t see your organism discussed? Submit your post to us at info@benchfly.com!
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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…
This recipe stems from the sandwich meal made popular by Italians in Chicago. It is a meal that is easily put together in the morning and requires little cooking skill. When you arrive home from a long day at lab it is hot and ready for you to eat! Like any legendary meal, if you talk to ten different people about how to make Italian Beef you will get ten different recipes. I will give you the one I use and tell you how you can tweak this easy meal to suit your taste buds.
Italian Beef Ingredients
- 3-4 lbs. roast (rump or sirloin tip works best but I have used arm roast as well)
- Jar of Italian Giardiniera (pickled vegetables in vinegar)
- Jar of Pepperoncini peppers
- 1 envelope of dry Italian dressing (zesty)
- Italian Dressing
- Water
- Slow cooker
Add a little water to the slow cooker (just enough to cover the bottom). Add the roast. Then add the Jar of Giardiniera and Pepperoncinis with juice. This is where your taste buds come into play. This can get really spicy, so only add as much as you can take. A good rule of thumb is to add 3 oz. of Pepperoncinis per pound of meat for a lightly spiced dish. For a crowd with a taste for more fire, add a 16 oz. jar and juice for a spicy kick. The same goes for the Giardiniera as it is often made with red pepper flakes that can add some heat. I often make the Italian Beef without the Giardiniera, it just depends how long it has been since I hit the grocery store. Then cover the meat with about half Italian dressing and water. Cook on low ~12 hours. If in more of a hurry you can cook on high for 4-6 hours but the meat may not turn out as tender.
After the meat has cooked, it should easily fall apart (you can flip and pull at it anytime throughout the process). Spoon meat over toasted Italian rolls for an open-faced sandwich and add provolone or mozzarella cheese to the sandwich if desired.
Buon appetito!
Katie in the process of completing her Ph.D. in Developmental Biology at Washington University in St. Louis, studying the effect of diabetes on pre-implantation biology in mice. Outside of lab you can find Katie playing softball or kickball, often with a frothy beverage in her hand. Recently married, Katie tries to balance work with home life by spending her free time with her husband and their animals: two English Mastiffs and two spunky alley cats.
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Pets can prove to be a good choice in graduate school. In fact, studies have shown that pets (mostly dogs) can help to battle loneliness1, reduce stress2, and improve mood3, three areas that any grad student could use a little help in. However, if you don’t do your research first, you may feel the opposite of these effects. That’s why we are providing a guide to deciding whether a pet is right for you at this stage in your life.
Disclaimer: This is just a starter guide – it will require some research on your part before actually getting a pet. But when you come home to your ever-loving pet, you will be more than rewarded for your hard work!
Is a pet right for you?
“But it’s sooooooo cute! I want one!” You really have to stop and think about your situation here. Some important areas to consider are living situation, time, and money. First of all, does your house, apartment, condo allow pets? Is your roommate, girlfriend, boyfriend agreeable to having them around? These questions are also important when taking into account the time needed to care for a pet. You might be responsible for house breaking, training, grooming and even walking your pet multiple times a day. Does your schedule allow for this? Is this something you are willing to commit to? And of course you can’t forget the end all be all, money. As a graduate student you are mostly likely already living on a tight budget, so the question becomes can you really afford a pet? Consider the costs: homing fee, food, training, accessories, spay/neutering, cages and at the minimum an annual vet bill.
All of this is not to discourage you but to highlight the commitment required to being a responsible pet owner.
What kind would suit you?
You probably have in mind the type of animal you want (dog, cat or maybe porcupine) but the immense differences between the breeds within these groups are often overlooked. For example, the food bill for a Chihuahua is considerably less than that of a Great Dane. And the grooming time required for a short hair cat is nothing compared to the daily brushing required by long haired cats. So, scientist, it is important to do your research here. Most information about breeds may be found online. If the animal you are considering comes from a mixed background, find out everything you can on the particular breeds thought to be represented. Another option you must consider is age. Are you looking to adopt a newborn animal (puppies & kitties are awfully hard to resist, but contrary to popular belief they do grow up to be adult animals) or an older (read: probably already trained!) animal? Again, weigh your options against the three areas in question #1.
Where will you get it?
Pets are available through a variety of channels: shelters, breeders, websites, newspapers, friends and the occasional cardboard box outside the supermarket. Once again, a little research goes a long way. Check out the place/people that are offering the pet. Ask for references, tour the facilities, and check out the other animals offered for adoption. It is important to scope out the former living conditions of your pet to ensure they have been care for properly and that you are not supporting a place that is cruel to animals, such as puppy mills.
How do you care for it?
If you already have a pet, congratulations! Now the trick is to balance your time while completing your dissertation without going home to a huge mess, like a chewed up sofa (yes, the sofa, down to the wood frame). Your pet is most likely more similar to you then you realize. Keep in mind that your pet (1) needs to use the bathroom, (2) needs to exercise (to avoid aforementioned atrocity) and (3) needs your attention.
All of these issues vary based on age, size, and breed. For example, most kittens will use the litter box relatively soon; however, your puppy may require more time to be house trained. This means you may be heading home one to two times a day to let them out! If you have a roommate, discuss your schedules and decide who is on duty (ha) that day. High energy animals also require more exercise. (Too bad there aren’t dog sized hamster balls!). Be sure to walk them as much as your schedule allows, maybe before and after you go into the lab.
If you attend a training session you will learn techniques for leash walking, which will allow your dog to socialize (win, win!). Dogs can benefit greatly from dog parks, just be sure to read up on the proper etiquette before you attend. And most importantly give your pet some love. Remember, research has shown that they are improving your life too!
1. Anthrozoos 2006:18(4).
2. Psychosomatic Medicine 2002:64(5).
3. Aids Care 1999:11(2).
Katie in the process of completing her Ph.D. in Developmental Biology at Washington University in St. Louis, studying the effect of diabetes on pre-implantation biology in mice. Outside of lab you can find Katie playing softball or kickball, often with a frothy beverage in her hand. Recently married, Katie tries to balance work with home life by spending her free time with her husband and their animals: two English Mastiffs and two spunky alley cats.
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The new generation of scientists is breaking the mold when it comes to the image of our personality, intellect and, of course, fashion. Today is the start of Fashion Week in New York. In commemoration of this event, BenchFly is laying down some rules to ensure the survival of this updated image.
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Fashion Faux Pas:
1. No black socks and sandals. Ever.
In fact, no socks and sandals. This is Rule #1 for a reason.
2. If you wore it yesterday, you shouldn’t be wearing it today.
What’s that smell? Did someone forget about their bacterial cultures?
3. Just because it fit in high school, doesn’t mean it fits anymore.
Just trust us on this one.
4. The free shirts that vendors give away are not that cool to wear in public.
Although these shirts are great for the gym, they just don’t have much appeal as everyday wear. Speaking of working out, gym shorts are meant to be wore at the gym, ONLY!
5. Put away the backpack. Its okay, mom won’t get mad.
You just had to have the L.L. Bean backpack with your initials on it in the 9th grade, we get it. Use this as an excuse to look a little more professional and get a new, more sophisticated bag for your laptop, like a shoulder bag.
6. Absolutely no Crocs.
I don’t care how comfortable they are, they are ugly.
7. The infamous wolf shirt. Or lions, tigers or bears, Oh my!
We know you are concerned for wildlife and animals are pretty cool, but donate to the conservation department and turn this shirt into rags.
8. Athletic socks are for athletic shoes…only.
There’s almost no chance that a basketball game is going to break out in the lab, and even less of a chance that those loafers would do you any good…
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We’re certainly not implying that scientists need to be “runway ready,” but these suggestions will help eliminate some of the worst public offenses. Should you see any of your fellow scientists blatantly disregarding any of these rules, be sure to share this article with them, quickly!
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Have any additional “do’s or don’ts” you’d like to add?
Katie in the process of completing her Ph.D. in Developmental Biology at Washington University in St. Louis, studying the effect of diabetes on pre-implantation biology in mice. Outside of lab you can find Katie playing softball or kickball, often with a frothy beverage in her hand. Recently married, Katie tries to balance work with home life by spending her free time with her husband and their animals: two English Mastiffs and two spunky alley cats.
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You have recently married that special someone and you want to spend every waking moment with them. Or you’ve decided this is the year you’re finally going to run that marathon. Whether it’s a human, a hobby or an alternative passion besides science (I know it’s hard to believe), finding time to balance your lab life and social life can be hard.
The solution:
No need to worry, follow these steps and you’ll be well on your way to that magical place they call…”balance”. Your social life can science life can finally stop bickering.
Step1. Optimize your time
My motto is work smart, not hard. Yeah, so maybe I shouldn’t be Facebooking Kevin from ninth grade to see if he has a girlfriend these days before I start my experiment. Although optimizing your time doesn’t mean you are constantly running an experiment. I find planning is the key to saving time. Spend a few minutes at the beginning of each day looking over what you plan to do and preparing your reagents (and checking BenchFly to see how to do that protocol again!). If you’re just getting started in research, take it slow. Don’t try to load up the day with 15 experiments. Start with one and really concentrate. When you feel you can handle a little more, try two…and so on. Messing up 5 experiments because you couldn’t remember which timer went to which experiment is basically the same as doing no experiments that day. Actually, it’s worse because you wasted reagents…
Step2. Communicate
Talk to your boss, your significant other or your yoga instructor. Communication is vital to success in all avenues of your life, but it is particularly important in science, where an unexpectedly slow-growing bacterial culture can make you two hours late for dinner. In the lab, make sure you and your boss are on the same page about what is expected of you (to produce x amount of data, to be in lab 9-5, whatever it is) and do it! Most of the time, the expectations are reasonable, but if they’re not, it’s better to know that as soon as possible. At home, communicate with your significant other about your commitments and discuss when the two of you can get away together for some much needed salvation. If yoga, rock climbing, or pottery is your passion, talk to the instructors or others who enjoy this activity. Find out how much time you’ll need to commit in order to nail the one-legged king pigeon pose, climb the impossible wall or create a pitcher that even your mom would be proud of.
Step3. Escape
“Nobody really expects you to have a social life in grad school!” Although, this may feel like the case- it is not true. In fact, even efficiency-guru Stephen Covey says people who have extracurricular activities are happier and more productive when they are at work. I mean seriously, how much perspective can you have on your project when you’ve been thinking of it incessantly for the last 90 hours of the week. Sometimes the best solution to a problem is to just walk away and come at it again with fresh eyes the next day. So next time your PI asks where you were you last Friday afternoon, you can say working on your productivity (not at Tom’s Pub). Just don’t tell them you heard it from me!
Katie in the process of completing her Ph.D. in Developmental Biology at Washington University in St. Louis, studying the effect of diabetes on pre-implantation biology in mice. Outside of lab you can find Katie playing softball or kickball, often with a frothy beverage in her hand. Recently married, Katie tries to balance work with home life by spending her free time with her husband and their animals: two English Mastiffs and two spunky alley cats.
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