For beginning PhD students, few things evoke a sense of mild dread more than the Qualifying Exam (QE). QEs differ among the many schools and programs throughout the USA but generally, they act a turning point to advance a graduate student into PhD candidacy. In most other countries, there is no QE as such, but [...]

The following question was emailed to Bitesize Bio by Beheroze Sattha and I gladly took up the challenge, and I immediately knew the answer. Or so I thought. After delving extensively into Pubmed, Genes V (I know, I need a new version) and Molecular Cloning I have come up with an answer, but it is [...]

Most of us use pretty standard transformation protocols for E.coli. Yours probably goes something like this: – Thaw the competent cells on ice – Add DNA – Electroporate (or incubate then heat shock for chemically competent cells) – Add rich medium (LB or SOC) – Incubate at 37°C (or appropriate temperature) for 30-60 minutes – [...]

After picking a graduate program, the next big decision for a first-year graduate student is picking an advisor. One of the factors to consider in this decision is the academic age of the Professor and his or her lab. Do you want to work for the energetic Assistant Professor that joined the department last year, [...]

To the general public, scientists seem all seem pretty much the same. However, as someone who has studied these fascinating beasts up close I have found that there are in fact several distinct species within this genus. In order to promote public understanding, I propose a classification system that groups scientists together based on exhibited [...]

First of all, I should mention that this application is available for Mac users only, so sorry to all you PC users. PDF skim is a software application that allows you to add electronic notes onto PDF files. As the creators of the application say, it’s time to “Stop printing and start skimming”. Since I [...]

Over the past decade, resumes have played a increasingly important role in the hiring process, even though companies insist they hire people, not resumes). The problem has only been exacerbated by the current economic condition, though it is improving. The new role of the resume has caused job seekers to have to make significant changes to [...]

I often wonder why it is that molecular biology researchers stubbornly refuse to change 40 year old methods that, while they work, are not as good as newer, faster and cheaper methods out there. I suppose rational scientists often have irrational superstitions. One example of an old method that could be improved is the growth [...]

If you’re one of the proud owners of an Ipod touch or an Iphone then there some great apps available for academics that makes life a bit easier. Molecules is an application that allows you to view PDB structure files, yes it’s the 3 dimensional protein structure just like on software like rasmol, deepview etc. [...]

You are going to spend at least 4 years or more in graduate school, and around 3-5 years in a postdoc position. That’s a big chunk of your life, so apart from doing experiments, writing papers or your thesis and maybe doing some teaching, what else are you doing? To paraphrase one of my favorite [...]