Summer is synonymous with one thing: Body odor on the subway?… Yes, but no. Unfortunately large men sporting unfortunately small speedos?… Again, yes, but not what we’re looking for. BBQ?… Bingo. A BBQ is the quintessential summer activity. But unlike pouring gels or running flash columns, firing up the grill is not something we practice everyday. So the idea of a group of people standing around watching us freestyle on the grill can be stressful, even to those of us who love a BBQ. Here are two essential grill accessories that will transform us into an instant BBQ master and trick our friends into thinking we know what we’re doing…
Become an Instant BBQ Master With Two Accessories
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My PI Tells More Stories than Mother Goose
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Dear Dora,
My PI constantly tells potential collaborators that we’ve got results we actually don’t have, despite my frequent attempts at correcting him. I’m worried it’s going to backfire on us and make me look bad. What do you recommend?
– KA, postdoc
Eating 3 Meals a Day Is Harder than Physical Chemistry
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Although we may feel like prisoners in lab sometimes, the clearest confirmation that this is not the case is that we’re not guaranteed three squares a day. That, and there’s a significantly lower chance of getting stabbed with a shank in lab. If it were up to a nutritionist, we’d eat three meals a day separated by healthy snacks like fruit or nuts to keep ravenous hunger at bay. But for most of us, life gets in the way of this practice and more often than we’d probably like, we end up skipping a meal.
Poverty Nutrition II: Beans & Rice (And Their Infinite Variety)
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Having spent several years as a fellow starving grad student alongside Dr. Barrilleaux, who wrote an excellent post on creating cheap and nutritious breakfasts using eggs, I was pleased to be asked to follow her in discussing affordable nutrition for graduate students. I think that the perfect food for lunch or dinner for a hungry student (or for anyone- this is what I eat for lunch on most weekdays) is a combination of beans, rice and vegetables.
BenchFly Laboratory Techniques: Now on the Go!
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Today our laboratory techniques join the ranks of the Whopper, the Tall Latte and the Burrito as items that can all be enjoyed on the go (hopefully without the heartburn…). As the Apple vs. Flash video war rages on, the real victims are often us – the innocent internet users – who find many of our favorite websites aren’t fully functional on our cell phones. And in an on-demand world, that’s just not acceptable.
Working for a Micromanager is a Macro Pain
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Dear Dora,
My boss is a serious micromanger and it’s driving me crazy. Is there any way to get them to loosen the reigns, or am I stuck?
– Amy, grad student
Poverty Nutrition: A Fugue in Egg Minor
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As the recent recipient of a shiny new PhD, I’ve spent almost 20% of my life so far as a member of the impoverished and undernourished graduate student demographic. One of the things I wish I’d figured out earlier is how to eat well on a stipend—especially when it comes to breakfast, the neglected meal. For this guest post, I’ve compiled three breakfast options that cost less than $1 each, can be prepared in the time it takes to brew a pot of coffee, and contain only basic, cheap ingredients. I won’t bore you with the calculations, but I can certify that each breakfast comes in easily under a buck.
Longevity Genes: Do You Want to Know?
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If you test positive for the longevity genes, you may want to call Willard Scott and put your name on the waiting list for your 100th birthday announcement sooner than later. Last week Sebastiani et al., out of Boston University, published their findings titled “Genetic signatures of exceptional longevity in humans.” Given an individual’s DNA sequence, researchers can predict with 77% accuracy if a subject has the magic DNA to live to 100. It’s a remarkable finding that opens many doors – including some we may want to keep closed…
The Weekend Conversion Factor: Price per Drink
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At the end of a long day in lab, sometimes it’s nice to unwind with an old friend. And by old friend, we mean a drink. But the tough economy (and our tougher stipends) are seriously killing our wallet – and our buzz. So we figured it’s time to put those analytical skills we’ve been developing for years to good use and find out which drink is actually most affordable.
How to Give a Good Talk
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The ability to communicate effectively is one of the most important talents of a good scientist. Whether it’s standing in front of a poster, giving a ten minute talk at a meeting, or writing the next Citation Classic, scientists who connect with their audience create a better impression of themselves and their work than colleagues who don’t. The good news is that although there are examples of outstanding, naturally-gifted communicators (see Barack Obama) scientific communication is an acquired skill. The more you work at it, the better you’ll get.
