Tips & Tricks

Many students are surprised to learn that they don't actually own their research notebook. Depending on the institution's rules, your PI might not even own it--it could be considered property of your college or university.

Some PIs are fine with students making their own copies of a notebook at the end of their research experience, but others are not. Regardless, most will require you to leave the original copies in the lab for a variety of reasons.

Ever have one of those great moments in the lab that you try to explain to a friend who doesn't do research and their response is a blank look or an understated, "That's....great....?"

Moments such as getting the exact amount of chemical you need in a single scoop, pouring the exact number of pipette tips out you need to fill the last box, or having the exact number of microliters left in a tube to set up your reaction. Sometimes those little moments brighten our day, but non-lab friends simply don't get why they are exciting.

Wannbebio is the next blog written by an undergrad that we’ve chosen to feature.

Its author, James Iremonger, who lives in Edinburgh, started his blog during his first undergrad studentship. He describes Wannbebio as “a place to write about biology in general, as well as anything else (heavy metal, films, cats, abject nonsense).” So far, James has worked on several research projects such as urban parasitic fungi, bacteriology, and shellfish immune response to thraustochytrid pathogens.

Warning: We're about to brag.

Today, one of our former undergrads, Madi, heads to Oxford University to start her next adventure as a graduate student specializing in immunology.

When she finishes her grad degree (it will take about one year), she'll head back the USA to attend medical school. Talk about an incredible personal year--living abroad, doing research, and earning another degree.

Sometimes researchers, particularly those who are new in a lab, try to set deadlines for all research goals. Although progress is important, and so is setting goals each semester, not every goal needs a deadline.

A few weeks into the new semester (or quarter if applicable) is the perfect time to do a quick self-assesment. Ask yourself this simple question: "Am I finding enough time to study?"

If you do this self-assesment before your first set of exams, you still have time to make some changes, if needed. If you wait too long, it might be too late to do much about it, and will only cause you more stress.

A few years ago, I interviewed a student who didn't put much effort into making their resume a professional document.

As they were only a second-year student, I didn’t expect their resume to be packed with awards and accomplishments—after all I knew that an in-depth research experience would give them the opportunities to do just that. But I did expect a basic level of professionalism.

If you're offered a research position but it’s not the perfect one for you don’t feel guilty for turning it down.

An interviewer will be polite if you decline a research position—and most will actually be grateful that you did so. Although that might sound odd, a research mentor only wants to work with a student who will be a good fit for the available project, and that starts with the student having a strong interest in the opportunity.

Whether this is your first semester on campus or your first semester in a new lab some awkward nervousness is to be expected. If you find yourself a little overwhelmed remember that almost everyone new is going through the same thing. Not sure that's true? Look to the PEEPS for a little bit of wisdom.

Those marshmallow bunnies have it all figured out.

The first few weeks of a new semester are often the most exciting. They are also, typically, the most expensive in both time and lab reagents.

Even if you only took a short break between the end of the last semester and the start of a new one, simply getting out of a lab routine can throw off your game.
Therefore, before you start an experiment this week, no matter how confident you are, take an extra few minutes to read over the entire protocol before you start.