Study

Wanna-be studyblr. 2nd year Biology PhD student, UK.

[blondie-drawings]

can't stop thinking about those skeleton lesbians (pt 1)

[studentville-struggles]

As an experiment... if you’re on tumblr and currently doing a PhD (any stage) reblog this

[cancerbiophd]

Hi! Looking through your tags I came across a cool photo of your lab notebook, and I was wondering if you could share your "set up", and tips etc! I'm a baby scientist and would appreciate advice :)

Hey there baby scientist! I’m glad to be of help!

First things first: the fact that my lab uses binders for our lab notebook is actually not how it’s supposed to be done. The proper way is to use a close-bound notebook with numbered pages (like this one from Target), that way it’s temper evident if someone rips a page out, etc. Idk why my lab uses binders but I’m too temporary here to shake the system up /shrug/. Ok! So now that disclaimer’s out of the way…

Wait another first things first: a lab notebook has many purposes–but basically it’s so you can keep a good record of your experiments so you have something you can go back to for manuscript writing, or for audits, or someone 10 years down the road wanting to know what you did. Don’t trust your brain to remember anything. Write down all lot numbers of reagents, every little observation, every calculation, all the reasoning and logic behind why you’re doing this and that, etc etc. Basically just be in the mind-set of “ok if my lab is accused of fraudulent data manipulation, will my lab notebook justify that it was not I who effed up”. And don’t procrastinate–write in your lab notebook in real-time. Don’t let your brain work harder to remember things than it has to :)

Also keep in mind every institution or lab prefers their lab notebooks in slightly different ways, so the first thing you should do is ask your PI what format they want, and then maybe look at some examples of your lab mates. 

Now onto my lab notebook if you need ideas:

We label each experiment organized as such: year, user initials, experiment number. For example, the first experiment I did in 2016 is labeled as 16JC01. I put that label on all everything related to that experiment, such as file names for data analyses, print outs or presentation slides for lab meetings, etc so everything related to that experiment is “linked” (for example, if I’m giving my PI my fabulous Western blot printout, or I’m entering a concentration of protein in a shared lab-database–I’ll label it as 16JCxx so in the future, if anyone has any questions about it, they can easily go find that experiment in my notebook). The top right corner of every page in the notebook that’s related to that experiment is also labeled as 16JCxx.

The first page of my notebook is my table of contents. It’s a working document (I’ll fill it out as I go), so if you’re using a close-bound notebook, leave the first couple pages blank for this. It’s organized as such: experiment number, short description. You can also put in page numbers following the short description. The experiment number is just 01, 02, 03, etc as I organize my notebooks based on year (so 15JC01 is not in the same notebook as 16JC01). Of course you can use more than one notebook per year if you’re super proliferative!

And now, the colorful sticky tabs that you saw in the picture–those are all the experiment numbers. So tab “01″ is 16JC01, and tab “02″ is 16JC02, and so on. This way, when I’m looking up an experiment (say my PI whips out a print-out of something from 15JC35 and wants to know some molar concentration), I go to my 2015 notebook, find experiment #35 on my table of contents, find my “35″ tab on the side, and flip to that experiment. It saves so much time! 

I use this format when recording my experiments:

Date, Experiment Label, Title

Purpose (can also add your Hypothesis) (if I’m repeating a previous experiment, I’ll just write “Repeat of xxJCxx but with the following changes…)

Conditions/Variables

Protocol (usually typed out because they’re shared among the entire lab, so I attach it on the next page and write “See next page”–I usually write down any interesting observations directly onto the protocol so I know which step I observed it at, along with lot numbers, etc)

Calculations

Observations/Results/Final thoughts (sad faces optional haha) (I had attached print-outs of my results following the Protocol page)

Other lab-notebook-rules:

Only use pen to write (black or blue ink preferred)

Initial & date the bottom of each page as you’re done writing in them

If you’re pasting in a print-out (like a protocol or printed figure), initial the print-out so half the text is on the print-out, and half on the notebook paper (so if the print-out is removed, you can easily tell there was something there)

If you intentionally leave a page blank, use a single diagonal line to cross it out and initial & date

If you make a mistake, cross it out with a single line and initial & date

Lab notebooks are supposed to be locked away when not in use but no one really follows that rule bc it’s kinda a pain like no i am not buying a whole new cabinet when I have a bookshelf right here. But old completed lab notebooks or ones with sensitive info really should be locked up (usually in the PI’s office)

Lab notebooks are property of your institution–not you or your PI. So neither you or your PI can take it when you leave/move. What you can do though is make photocopies/scans and take those. But the original notebook has to stay. 

Because nowadays so much data analysis is done on the computer, it may be unrealistic to print those out (think genomic sequences). If that’s the case, you can reference the file directory if it’s on a public lab computer or network. 

Legible handwriting is a must! You can also type out everything and paste it in (just remember to initial it)

Well that’s all I can think of off the top of my head.. again, your best resource would be your PI and other members in the lab. Assuming they have good lab practices in their record-keeping, it’s best to use their method and be consistent across the lab. 

Hope that helped! Let me know if you ever need anything else :) Have fun!

[a-little-neuro]

I love this!! I have a quick question. Do you wait to add your experiment information after the experiment is completed or as you go? I ran into a problem where I was running 3 separate experiments on a single day and I really didn’t know how to effectively and neatly document it @cancerbiophd

[cancerbiophd]

thanks!!

i add it as i go! so the start dates of my experiments are pretty much in chronological order, but the end dates aren’t, if that makes sense. and to keep track of it all, i label all documents for one experiment with its ID, so even if i’m running 3 different western blots on the same day, my documents for each experiment stays together (which i paperclip together actually, before it all goes into the binder). 

[myfrogcroaked]

Sympathy Cards for Scientists 

by Tom Gauld (https://www.tomgauld.com/)

[academicssay]

[adventuresinchemistry]

Anyways if you’re ever tempted to discredit research about gender bias in STEM you should read this paper that shows that male faculty in STEM fields literally don’t believe other academic studies that demonstrate that there’s a gender bias in STEM

[adventuresinchemistry]

I think this, in combination with all the other studies about gender bias in STEM, really demonstrates the dangers of believing that we are above bias. Because then we’re less likely to accept literal science about the ways in which we are biased, because we’re scientists, we can’t be biased, we’re objective seekers of truth. And if we can’t accept our flaws and our biases we can’t fix them.

[kawuli]

Why Men Don’t Believe the Data on Gender Bias in Science

Opinion: A physics professor explains why male scientists devalue research that shows gender bias in the field.

But a recent paper showed that in fact, male STEM faculty assessed the quality of real research that demonstrated bias against women in STEM as being low; instead the male faculty favored fake research, designed for the purposes of the study in question, which purported to demonstrate that no such bias exists.

Those women who do make it to the upper ranks have often been told that they were only given that job or that award because they are women, implying that the field is admitting less-deserving women simply to increase their numbers. But in fact, these studies show that many of the women in science must be more capable than the men, to even have advanced in the field. And who wants to admit that?

[morbidbitchesque-deactivated201]

getting faster but ever time you get faster it gets faster

[morbidbitchesque-deactivated201]

[lovelyardie]

ok i laughed

[agingwunderkind-deactivated2022]

it made me understand math for a minute, amazing

[beatricebiologist]

[aoi-sketch]

[adventuresinchemistry]

Hey I just met you And this is crazy But here’s my data So fund me maybe

[studywithinspo]

This is the reason why I don’t have any money left

[belakhndkr]

another spread x

[educatier]

OKAY WOW

[academicssay]

The problem with academic career goals is that you might not be enough of the same person when you reach them to have it be worth it.

[missaerospaceblog]

Grad School Is Hard on Mental Health. Here’s an Antidote.

Science-communication training can give researchers perspective on their work and gird them against impostor syndrome.

I was reading this article (which y'all should check out because it is great… esp you grad students) when I cam across this excerpt that struck a cord with me so I thought I would share.

Lastly, impostor syndrome taught me that sometimes scientists are hard to understand because we’re afraid of being understood. If we can be analyzed, we can be criticized. One student confessed, “I hope the audience gets lost because then they won’t ask me hard questions.” Talking clearly about our work is an act of vulnerability — people see our real selves, and they also see our real work, with all its limitations.

[bridgetothephd]

What are great questions to ask to a potential graduate advisor about their research practices, how they run their lab, etc to see how they’re a good fit?

What are some things you wish you knew about your advisor before you selected your program?

[cancerbiophd]

Where do your students end up? (ie. post-doc, academia, industry, etc)

On average how long does a (Masters/PhD) student in your lab take to graduate?

Do you, the PI, do lab work still?

Did any of your students receive fellowships/scholarships/grants that they applied for?

What’s the structure of your lab meetings?

What’s the structure of your individual meetings with students?

Do you travel a lot for conferences?

Do you work from home a lot? (My PI does this a lot and I kinda wish I had known this beforehand, just as a head’s up)

Do you have other responsibilities that remove you from the lab? (ie. if they run a company, do clinical work, teach, etc)

What percentage of your time/resources do you aliquot per project? (Some PIs may spend more time on one project than others)

What are your expectations of students in terms of how long they’re in the lab each day? Do you expect students to work evenings, weekends, and/or holidays?

What are your holiday and sick days policies?

Do you allow students to read papers/do their writing while in lab? (I know one PI in my program who doesn’t allow their students to read papers while in the lab, because lab time is for lab time)

Who will my immediate mentor be in terms of research questions (ie. another graduate student, a post-doc, or the PI themselves)?

Are you familiar with the requirements of my graduate program (ie. committee meeting structures, qualifying exam structure if applicable, how the thesis should be formatted, etc)

This one you may want to ask the current personnel in the lab: Are there any labs/PIs that this current PI isn’t on good terms with? (This is something you may need to know when setting up your committee, for example, or collaborators). 

How do you determine the authorship on papers? (ie. How much work should I do for a project for my name to be on it?)

How many papers do you publish per year? 

How many papers do you expect your graduate students to publish during their time here?

How often do your students go to conferences/present at meetings?

Do you allow your students to have other engagements (like TAing, internships, etc)?

And in general, if you have a huge life event coming up, ask them what the process on that would be. For example, if you’re getting married, or planning on having a child, or have a family member who’s gravely ill, ask them how much time you can take off, etc. If the PI seems really hesitant or put-off by that, that’s something to consider. 

That’s all I can think of.. I’m sure there’s more if anyone else has anything to add. 

Good luck!

[the-unabridged-journals]

Some Tips on Managing Research Projects

As some of you may know, I’ve been working on two research projects for this year - some astronomy undergrad research, and my physics final-year project. Although I’ve been struggling to manage these projects alongside my coursework, I decided to compile a list of things that make life easier. These tips are for big projects that typically last over a couple of months, rather than smaller assignments.

1) Get a notebook for your project. It doesn’t have to be fancy (though if that’s what you prefer, go for it by all means), it just has to be functional. Whenever you’re working on your project, write down the date and whatever you’re doing that day. It helps a LOT to be organised in this way, especially if you have to write up a report of some sort later.  

2) Set up a plan. Often, with big projects, it’s difficult to see where you’re headed with the project and what you need to do. Having an action plan or an outline of your project helps get you focused and breaks the Big, Overwhelming Project into smaller tasks and steps that can be accomplished. This plan may require adaptions and refinement as you go along, but that’s okay. 

3) Timelines. This is easier if you have a looming deadline can the universe slow down so that I have enough time to finish everything before 9 September pls but, if you don’t, try and set up some kind of long-term schedule. Maybe you want to have all your background research done by the end of the week, have your first draft written in a month’s time. Having mini-deadlines is a great way to convince yourself to make progress and stop procrastinating.

4) Google sh*t! Seriously. If you don’t know how to do something, Google it. You’ll find a lot of answers out there. And you’ll figure out how to do a LOT of things on your own. 

5) Ask for help. If you’re stuck on something and just can’t make any more progress, even after tip no. 4, ask someone for help. If you have a project supervisor, they’re your first port of call. If not, find someone doing a similar type of project and ask them. 

6) Have the right software/equipment. If you have your own laptop, and can get the software you need for your project, get it! I did this for my astro project and it’s so easy to work on it now that I have ALADIN on my own computer and don’t have to work from uni. I’m stuck using the computers at my uni for my physics project and it is very inconvenient. If your project requires equipment, try to get the equipment ASAP.

7) Schedule time to work on your project. When I set up my week in my bullet journal, I make sure to schedule in project time. I’m also trying to work in my “down time” when I have a cancelled tutorial or something similar that leads to unexpected free time.  

8) Dowload Mendeley if you’re doing a lot of research. It autocites your papers for you (you literally just drag and drop and BOOM - all the references), generates a bibliography in whatever form you prefer. It makes it so easy to organise research papers. Use it. It’s free. 

9) Accept that it’s going to be tough and that you will mess up. Maybe you procrastinate a little more than necessary. Maybe you delete an article or forget to name your files something sensible. It happens, it wastes time, but it’s okay. You’ll get everything done properly eventually. Take a break if you need to. You’ll get back on track.

I hope these help! I am in no way, an expert in this. I’m still figuring things out for myself. Projects can be overwhelming, but they are also one of my favourite things to do. There’s so much that you can learn from doing a research project - far more than what you learn in class - and I highly recommend it as something that Science undergrads in particular should do.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask! I also have a study instagram @ munirastudies if you’re keen on following me there. Happy studying!

xx Munira