Career Paths
Christine
Crumbley
2011: The Year of Scandals and Retractions
I read the news online daily and follow several science news organizations on Twitter. I’ve really enjoyed Nature News & Comments’ focus on retractions this year. I’ve learned a lot about the causes for retractions and the frequency of such events. An article with some really informative g...
Christine
Crumbley
Working Holidays & Resolutions
As a graduate student, it seems there is always work to do on holiday breaks. Last year, I only took a couple days off to spend with my family because I had to return to the lab to finish the suggested experiments for a publication. It was strange being in the lab because there were only a few peopl...
Wenny
Lin
Gifts and parties at the government
My roommate recently regaled me with tales from her pharmaceutical company’s holiday party, complete with lots of food and booze and entertainment. I was rather envious at the time because I was busy making baked goods for my office’s potluck holiday party.
Kate
Sleeth
Very Superstitious
While I am a very practical and logical person (well, aren’t all scientists?!). There is one area where I am a little quirky. There are certain experiments where I am very superstitious, and I will always adhere to it so I don’t jinx the whole thing!
Richard
Gardner
Academic networking, a key step in your career.
One of the most overlooked aspects of career development by postdocs and grad students is networking. In business, effective networking is absolutely essential for developing the trust and relationships that can open up new opportunities. When you are recommended by someone whose opinion I trust, th...
Maida
Taylor
Is life science really science?
Those of us working in the life sciences suffer in a world of probabilities, uncertainties, and incomplete evidence. Students of the “harder” sciences, physics and math, may be right in their assessment that the only immutable truths are in pure mathematics.
Christine
Crumbley
Enriching Your Graduate Student Experience
Today, I went to see David Baltimore speak. He has a paper coming out in Nature about vectored immunoprophalyxis, a new technique developed in his group to try to use gene therapy for vaccination against HIV. It was a really exciting talk!
Richard
Gardner
The Beginning
Hi and welcome to my blog. I’d like to thank Bio Careers for the opportunity to lend my thoughts and opinions to career-related issues encountered by today’s bioscientist. My hope is to provide some new perspectives on what it’s like to transition through the ranks of academic science, and exp...
Kristi
Ashley
What are you grateful for everyday?
I just returned from a 9 day vacation in the Caribbean. Most of the time, we see the beautiful resorts and beaches that lure us to the islands. What we don't see is the poverty and working poor struggling to make it every day. I had the chance to talk some local merchants and they discuss...
Maida
Taylor
The Black Swan: the Unprecedented Event (not the dumb movie with Natalie Portman)
I have become fascinated with rare and unpredictable events. My interest was triggered by the book, “The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable,” by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, a renowned financial economist. The theory defines so called black swan events as the following (from W...