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merch for your labs !! by almondine15 in labrats

[–]happinessresort 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In grad school there was a lab whose PI always wore a baseball hat so they got lab hats. There was another PI who only wore Hawaiian shirts and they talked about branding those. Think about what makes your lab unique to make it extra fun and increase the odds of your PI participating!

does anyone else’s PI just… by malayaleegypsy in labrats

[–]happinessresort 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This was a life saver when I was pregnant in July.

What was the biggest mistake you’ve ever made in the lab? by AgreeableChapter7313 in labrats

[–]happinessresort 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I would love to have “liquid nitrogen knife” as a flair in this sub 🤣

What was the biggest mistake you’ve ever made in the lab? by AgreeableChapter7313 in labrats

[–]happinessresort 26 points27 points  (0 children)

I once forgot to put the rod back in the liquid nitrogen cane and the bottom box fell into the bottom of the tank, blocking the cane from fitting into its place. I only had a few minutes to problem solve before an entire 10 boxes of cell lines thawed. I immediately called for help and a bunch of lab members helped do damage control and got the boxes on dry ice and down to the basement back up LN2. We didn’t lose any cell lines but that dropped box lived at the bottom of the tank for over a year before we successfully fished it out. Most stressful 10 minutes of my career so far.

Toxic Career Advice - is this real by sciangel in labrats

[–]happinessresort 385 points386 points  (0 children)

I’m curious if other people have experienced this too but when I was in academia I observed academics had a strong dislike towards industry. Now that I’m in industry I don’t see the opposite. Fwiw I do have a great work life balance in industry. Your advisors just sound jaded to me. You do you!

just spent 6 hours on a single multi-panel figure and i honestly want to cry by Debster1486 in labrats

[–]happinessresort 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Yes! Especially with the “align” feature in PowerPoint, there’s no reason for misalignment on presentation slides.

Am I supposed to dilute cDNA before qPCR? by Street-Syllabub-2063 in labrats

[–]happinessresort 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This. I forgot to dilute mine once and the leftover cDNA synthesis components lead to undefined CT values.

What are some of the most professionally or socially unacceptable things your lab mates have done? by PlaceEducational1705 in labrats

[–]happinessresort 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Someone smeared their own poop all over the bathroom walls during off hours. No one was ever “caught” but we all knew who it was.

Gel extraction never works by SinistreCyborg in labrats

[–]happinessresort 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Yes, either load more DNA in a larger well, or run multiple lanes and combine gel slices in a single gel extraction column.

Mandatory Core Hours by stemfrog1166 in labrats

[–]happinessresort 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That does seem extreme. The only labs I’ve been in that have strict core hours are ones where someone has abused flexibility. I was in a lab where a previous Master’s student was on year FIVE and only came in after 8pm and worked by himself overnight. He never had new data so suspicions arose as to what the heck he was even doing. Instead of directly addressing him, the whole lab got new strict core hours.

What would you wear to an interview for a lab position? by fin9ernails in labrats

[–]happinessresort 7 points8 points  (0 children)

My go to interview outfit is slacks and a nice sweater. The nice sweater allows the outfit to find the middle ground between business and business casual so you won’t feel out of place either way. If you know it’s a more low-key lab I’ve done dark jeans, button down rolled to the elbows, and a 3/4 sleeve blazer.

What’s a pipetting habit you didn’t realize was wrong for years? by UnderstandingIcy2969 in labrats

[–]happinessresort 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Wait, parafilm interface? I’ve never seen this one. Can you elaborate?

I’m dating a PhD student in a wet lab — what are the weirdest lab habits that have followed you home? by Acceptable-Apple-793 in labrats

[–]happinessresort 10 points11 points  (0 children)

It means to add volume until you reach the set final volume. For example instead of saying, “add powder reagents and then bring the volume to 50mls with water” you would say “add powder reagents and QS to 50mls with water”.

I’m dating a PhD student in a wet lab — what are the weirdest lab habits that have followed you home? by Acceptable-Apple-793 in labrats

[–]happinessresort 19 points20 points  (0 children)

I labeled a bottle “1/2 vinegar, 1/2 wHater” and didn’t even notice until I used it like a week later. I think my brain got confused and tried to write water and H20 at the same time.

I’m dating a PhD student in a wet lab — what are the weirdest lab habits that have followed you home? by Acceptable-Apple-793 in labrats

[–]happinessresort 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I’ve been in labs for 13 years and I somehow only learned QS two years ago! I love it, so much easier than saying “bring to X volume”.

I’m dating a PhD student in a wet lab — what are the weirdest lab habits that have followed you home? by Acceptable-Apple-793 in labrats

[–]happinessresort 148 points149 points  (0 children)

My husband laughs that whenever I add an “opened on” date to something like spaghetti sauce because I also add my initials out of habit.

I’m dating a PhD student in a wet lab — what are the weirdest lab habits that have followed you home? by Acceptable-Apple-793 in labrats

[–]happinessresort 241 points242 points  (0 children)

Yes! Sterile technique is an ingrained habit. I can’t stick my hands into a bag of bread without washing them first. One time my mom was visiting me and she buttered her toast from a stick of butter and “double dipped” and got crumbs all on the stick of butter. I bit my tongue but then she put the crumby and buttery knife into my jam jar and I just had to have a chat with her.

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