What’s it all about? Microfluidics
This installment of “What’s it all about?” will attempt to demystify the exciting miniature world of microfluidic technology, particularly as it pertains to cell biology and chip-sized cell culture systems. What are microfluidics? The term microfluidics can be used for both the physics-based study of … Read more
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Let’s face lab bullying, part 3
Reporting the bully Most bullied trainees decide not to report the person who bullied them. As one postdoc says: “I am afraid that the department chair, provost, or HR would not be responsive.” Trainees who don’t report their abusive supervisors/lab mates are not cowards, they … Read more
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Controlling the chaos: trainee tips for keeping the lab organized
Labs are naturally chaotic places. There are multiple people in a small space all working on different projects in their own style and on their own schedule. At best, this controlled chaos can bring forth incredible collaboration and creativity, but at worst, a truly unorganized … Read more
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The science of science careers: never too late to consider options
This is the first post in a series highlighting the collaboration between COMPASS and CBE—Life Sciences Education (LSE)–featuring some of the exciting work that is being done to understand how we learn about science and how science careers impact the people who work in both … Read more
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Out of la-la land
A friend from graduate school often referred to academia as “La-la land.” The expression has stuck with me, partially because I feel it to be true. The idealized academia bubble is a dream world to the obsessively curious. You get paid to be actively curious … Read more
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Let’s face lab bullying, part 2
Many people think that harassment is a normal part of life in academia, because “it has always been this way.” How do you explain to a funding agency that you didn’t produce papers because you worked for a bully supervisor who decided not to publish … Read more
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Burnout: solutions from 10,000 feet
As the spring semester comes to an end, I often find myself joking with our first-year graduate students, “Welcome to grad school!” After a year in the lab, they have begun to understand the demands and stressors of our program. They are gaining unwanted weight, … Read more
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Career Perspectives: Christy Trejo, Research Scientist at BioSpyder Technologies, Inc.
Please describe your current position. BioSpyder Technologies, Inc. is a relatively small biotech company that features a potent assay for high-throughput gene expression profiling. As a research scientist, I am responsible for building on the currently established assay to fit different applications. I design and … Read more
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Six ways to start something new in the lab
You walk into the lab right on time (before 9:00 am of course!), pull out your precisely written protocol from your perfectly organized binder, and get to work. After executing each step flawlessly in a space specifically dedicated to this protocol, you get a nice … Read more
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Competitive sports and science not so different after all
The Winter Olympics are one of the most exciting athletic events—it’s a culmination of the world’s top athletes putting on their best performances after years of hard work and training! Not to mention, the sports are so intense and dramatic: big air, big wipeouts, big … Read more