Early in the pandemic I was looking for something to do outdoors that was fun and new, finally settling on birding. Why? I have been interested in nature and photography since I was a kid but only occasionally had the chance to actually combine the two. Inspired in part by my colleague Jonathan Eisen here …
How to email a professor without making a mistake that causes problems or makes a bad impression? What do we professors expect of such emails? I sometimes forget that what seems simple to me now, like how to even start an email to a professor, can feel very different to students and other trainees. Even …
My lab and I are fortunate that in our Sacramento-Davis area there are relatively few COVID-19 cases, but what kind of COVID-19 risk mitigation plan should one use for a careful lab ramp-up plan? COVID-19 shouldn’t be the “elephant in the lab”, but should be discussed openly. Communication is probably one key to optimal ramp-up. …
Research lab ramp-up plan & real-world tips to lower COVID-19 risk Read More »
Today I’m posting about pet peeves in the science lab. This is an update to and expansion of a post from many years ago. Who doesn’t have some lab pet peeves? And, yeah, we are all probably guilty at one time or another of driving other people a bit nuts with our own idiosyncrasies that …
When my kids were younger, sometimes they’d ask why I am a scientist. How did you make that decision? Do you still like being a scientist? My answer would generally be along the lines of, “because I like figuring out how things work and maybe my research can help people”. What do you like about …
What do you like & dislike most about being a scientist? Read More »
In this Elephant in the lab series we discuss the most taboo topics in science. Past Elephant in the lab examples include such pieces as the following: Dirty dozen easy steps to killing a paper Scientist’s guide to insulting other scientists Followed by insults 2.0 that was a post including even nastier science insults Top 10 reasons …
Elephant in the lab series: common science excuses Read More »
Today I’m posting about pet peeves in the science lab. Who doesn’t have some of those? And, yeah, we are all probably guilty at one time or another of driving other people a bit nuts with our own idiosyncrasies that are their pet peeves. This post is another in my “Elephant in the Lab” series about difficult, but important …
I’ve been doing a series of blog posts about scientists called “The elephant in the lab” in which I discuss taboo, but important topics in science. Today we are focusing on the top 10 dumbest things that scientists do…and hence today’s entry in this series might be called “Dumbo in the Lab” instead of “Elephant in …
Stupid scientist tricks: what we do that we shouldn’t Read More »
Why do professors leave one institution and go to another? The reasons why say a lot about academia. This is kind of a taboo topic in science, but very important. Once upon a time…. Two decades ago when I was a technician in the Pathology Department at UCSD School of Medicine and then still when …
Why professors leave: elephant in the lab series Read More »
What scares scientists? What fears keep them up at night worrying? What makes them scream (if only in their heads)? As part of my elephant in the lab series tackling difficult but important topics for scientists, today I am talking fear! Earlier posts in this series included taboo topics about iPS cells, the dirty dozen …
Fears of academic scientists: elephant in the lab series Read More »