by Aida on March 2, 2010

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 (read on...)

by Aida on February 15, 2010

Everyone else in the lab is so much smarter and more capable than you and feel that your accomplishments so far in your career are no big deal. On top of that your ligation didn't work... again.., your boss is always on your back (read on...)

by Suzanne on January 4, 2010

Happy New Year! Now that 2010 has begun, it's a good time to start thinking about how you want to spend your travel money (or which meetings you want to nudge your PI about spending their travel money on for you). So to help (read on...)

by Suzanne on December 21, 2009

Perhaps at no other time of year like the winter solstice is the mixture of religious beliefs and daily life more intertwined.  Most people, regardless of race and country of origin, come from a faith that believes in God or a (read on...)

by Suzanne on November 9, 2009

In a previous article, I listed some ways that people annoy their co-workers and many of you added some of your own pet peeves. Now I would like to discuss some ways to be the lab favorite, also known as the "golden child". Does (read on...)

by Victoria on August 18, 2009

Most people that do scientific research for a living seem to have mixed feelings about their job. Many that I know are routinely day dreaming of quitting. This contrasts with the well-established, romantic image of the dedicated (read on...)

by Suzanne on July 29, 2009

If you ask any finished graduate student, most of us starting a Masters or PhD program were very excited at what awaited us and if you were anything like me, you were foolishly idealistic and thought you were going to pull on a (read on...)

by Nick on July 16, 2009

Criticism is not just valuable, it is essential for a person's development as a scientist, or anything else for that matter. Well that's not entirely true. Not all criticism is valuable, it has to be the right kind of criticism. (read on...)

by Nick on June 16, 2009

Really great presentation skills. Some people in science seem to have them, and some don't. I am one of the don'ts. Sure, I can get up in front of people and talk when needed, but it won't be a polished performance by any means. (read on...)

by Paul on June 3, 2009

As well as having had some negative work experiences, I've also had the pleasure of working with some wonderful people, including some of my previous bosses. Life is too short to deal with some of the idiosyncrasies described in (read on...)