In the spirit of Independence Day, we’d love to fire up the BenchFly grill and cook you up a burger, but alas, we’re foiled by the limitations of Internet technology. Until we figure out a way to eject a perfectly flame-broiled offering out of your disk drive, we’ll have to focus on the other aspect of Independence Day… independence. In the lab, autonomy is highly valued. As we progress through our training as students, scientists and professors, we hope to enjoy increased freedom to pursue our interests and set our own agenda. But like any profession, there are plenty of lines to cut before we are truly liberated.
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Lab Independence Day: What are We Celebrating?
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Elevator Etiquette: The Essentials
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Had George Washington been born 200 years later, his famous quote on the necessary virtues of a society would no doubt have read “Religion, morality and elevator etiquette are the essential pillars of civil society.” Few situations are as uncomfortable as when someone violates the unwritten social contract we all have with the moving box. However, based on thousands of rides in thousands of elevators, it is clear that elevator etiquette is as dead as General Washington.
Grant Writing: Is “Grant Creep” Choking Out PIs?
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Regardless of the field, most projects struggle to manage a phenomenon known as “scope creep”, where a defined set of tasks slowly expands – one seemingly-miniscule step at a time – into something much larger than originally planned. It often happens innocently enough as in the case of a home repair, “Since you’re planting that bed of flowers anyway, maybe we could just add a small bush on the side… and another row of flowers in the back… and another small bed on the side of the house… and…” Before you know it a small, self-contained project has tripled in size and cost in the blink of an eye.
Can Positive Thinking Affect Your Experiments?
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Scientists are a notoriously critical bunch. We have to be, it’s part of our job. Yet, our dependence on “seeing the data” often makes us among the more skeptical members of society, as we have a tendency to dismiss that which cannot be explained through a logical mechanism. But are these instincts actually preventing us from becoming better scientists?
The Only Internet Password Protection You Need
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With “Twitter hacking” in the news recently, it’s a good time to reflect on a key question regarding our own computer security: How comfortable are you with your current Internet password protection strategy? Does it cause you undue stress to even think about how vulnerable you are to hackers who may steal your passwords and break into every aspect of your life?
Lab Funding Outlook: Time to Move Forward or Pull the Ripcord?
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Last week’s poll on the future of lab funding was less than positive. In fact, the optimists must have been busy congratulating eachother on future successes because it seems they missed the poll altogether. In truth, a negative forecast is to be expected from time to time in a naturally cyclic economy, so the results themselves should not be cause for alarm. However, responsible scientists – looking at the data – may conclude otherwise.
Wunderlist Task Management: Give Your Brain a Present
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Damn, what was I supposed to do today? It was important – that much I can remember. Was it ‘procrastinate instead of preparing for group meeting’? Nope, did that. ‘Take a two hour lunch because it’s Friday’? Did that, too. Oh yeah! I was going to make a to-do list…
Robin’s ‘Rita: A Bubbly Twist on a Flat Classic
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We’ve all heard the old saying “Liquor then beer, you’re in the clear; beer then liquor, never sicker.” But what about beer in liquor? Turns out, the answer is “happy quicker!” This weekend the summer season officially kicks off and what better excuse to take a break from the bench than to celebrate with a summer classic – the margarita.
Lab Funding: What Does the Future Hold?
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These days it seems the only thing lower than the grant funding line is Arnold Schwarzenegger’s approval rating. In 2010, many of the National Institutes of Health agencies exhibited funding lines around the 8th percentile. Ouch. For many of us, the grant writing process has become an exercise in futility – damaging our motivation as significantly as our pocketbook.
WANTED: Your PI
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We’re working on a project here at BenchFly and would like your help to complete it! We will be showcasing PIs and would like to include yours in the mix. To be included in the final project, please submit a picture that adheres to the following basic guidelines.
