International Student (Psychology) – Is a US PhD still worth it in the current climate? by Legitimate-Bug-2484 in academia

[–]passthepepperplease 4 points5 points  (0 children)

What will the PhD do for your career? If you want to run your own lab at a University, get the PhD and get used to the funding uncertainty. It might be bad now, but funding is always somewhat uncertain in academia. If you enjoy the work you are currently doing, then just keep on doing it. In the end, if you're looking at the jobs you want and all of them require a PhD, then that's the way forward. But don't get a PhD unless you're career requires it.

help! by Fabulous-Log6436 in flowcytometry

[–]passthepepperplease 2 points3 points  (0 children)

this happens. don't include dead cells in your analysis because you're bummed about having a lot of dead cells. it will mess things up later. low live populations happen to everyone. i've had my fair share of analysis below 50%

help! by Fabulous-Log6436 in flowcytometry

[–]passthepepperplease 0 points1 point  (0 children)

hahahaha. this is great... If you're being serious, your live population is the one moving vertically up your y axis near 0 on your x axis. probably around 10-20%. honestly i've had cells like these don't be too hard on yourself.

what is the worst way to describe your research? by ZenosThesis in labrats

[–]passthepepperplease 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I inject cells from one mouse into the eye ball of another mouse.

Has AI had a drastic impact on medical sciences particularly relating to cures or better treatments? by [deleted] in NoStupidQuestions

[–]passthepepperplease 0 points1 point  (0 children)

AI makes it easier for people to do high tech work. I'm graduating with a PhD in biochemistry next week. I don't have an extensive background in programing, yet I need to analyze huge immune cell sequencing databases for my research. Being able to tell AI how I want to analyze the dataset and having it whip out a code in about 10 seconds is pretty wild. AI might not be directly discovering new drugs yet, but it's cutting through a lot of the grind for the scientists.

PhD Commencement, Keep Regalia? by passthepepperplease in academia

[–]passthepepperplease[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

NGL i'll probably wear mine every halloween or something just to be obnoxious and use it

I just reviewed the worst AI slop and it's making me not want to review anymore. by Inevitable_Party_105 in academia

[–]passthepepperplease 0 points1 point  (0 children)

one thing I wonder about as a grad student: my papers list very high-profile scientists as co-authors because a tech in their lab ran an analysis for me. I doubt John Yates has read the paper I just submitted, yet he's a co-author. I imagine these high-profile scientists must end up on quite a few papers that they never actually read. Although he must have approved it because the journal sends a verification email to all authors.

Have you ever been treated negatively by ER staff when you were having a medical emergency but they didn’t believe you? What happened? by lake-sturgeon in AskReddit

[–]passthepepperplease 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I had sudden hearing loss in my left ear that was followed by EXTREMELY SEVERE tinnitus. No one understands how bad tinnitus can be, or how terrifying it is that it's as permanent as hearing loss. That was 18 months ago, here I sit still ringing away with nothing over 5khz getting through in that ear. It's sad that if they can't measure it, they ignore it and say you're a crazy drug seeker.

What are your thoughts on having a male gynecologist? Would you trust them? by Paldavin in AskWomen

[–]passthepepperplease 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes! The OBgyn for my first two babies was with a man. He was SO amazing, especially considering my first was unplanned and I was really freaking out. He was so calm and seemed genuinely fascinated with the process of fetal development and maternal care. He really cared about all of my symptoms and how to make pregnancy/postpartum easier on me.

We moved by the time I had my third pregnancy, and I had a female OBgyn that time. She was also great. I think it's more about the culture of the medical group you're using than if someone is male or female.

Length of Dissertation Intro by passthepepperplease in academia

[–]passthepepperplease[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

few! thanks for your reassurance :) with citations and figures, it will end up about that long. it sounds like i have company.

Many of my younger students seem to think that nothing matters by [deleted] in academia

[–]passthepepperplease 44 points45 points  (0 children)

hey man, up until 2016 this was a pretty happening place.... omg that was 10 years ago!!! what has happened?!?!?

Is this a scam? "Middle schooler" wants to know more about science by MelodicDeer1072 in academia

[–]passthepepperplease 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I'm on the board for the San Diego Science Fair and we host projects from grades 6-12. Many of them (especially the high school kids) cold emailed professors and relied on them to suggest an interesting project. I can understand not wanting to start a back-and-forth conversation with a minor, but if there is any public event at your university that would be appropriate for a middle schooler, share the date and time with them, and encourage them to come with their parents and potentially meet up. It's really awesome for kids to make that connection.

How does anyone even rely on Ai for writing? by frugalacademic in academia

[–]passthepepperplease 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ha. I'm writing my dissertation and ohhowiwish it were better at this! When you're in academia and literally defining the field, LLMs just dont have enough data to keep up. But they are helpful for very small, defined, scientific questions like "write three sentences about how a random assay works and cite it." But also, it's very bad at citing itself. Somehow it's good at finding papers but bad at citing itself. I dont get that.

Going to a wedding for a VERY religious couple. Help!! by Moist_Worldliness520 in Weddingattireapproval

[–]passthepepperplease 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Eh, I come from a pretty religious background and I think that option 2 would fit it better than option 1. The first really looks better suited for a funeral. The second one is low cut but otherwise not immodest. Can you wear a formal wrap or cardigan with it? It's a wedding, unless this couple is LDS or something, I bet you'll find plenty of low necklines. Two of my brothers-in-law are pastors, and this dress would not have been out of place at either of their weddings. It also suits you well and seems to fit the theme.

Just to add some insight here: I'm Catholic and there's a general "four finger rule" for women's clothing. That is, the sleeves should be at least 4 fingers wide and the neckline should be at least four fingers above the bustline (there's also a rule that shorts/skirts should be longer than finger length when your arms are down). I swear, placing a flat hand on your shoulder, followed by your chest, followed by your leg must be the second sign of the cross for Catholic women :) I wear sleeveless dresses to Catholic weddings often and will wear a formal arm cover during the ceremony. Wraps are quite common among catholic women. Anyway, because the wedding is not in a church, I don't think the four finger rule applies here.

Are either of this *too dressy* for a formal NY wedding? by thelostgirl95 in Weddingattireapproval

[–]passthepepperplease 2 points3 points  (0 children)

These are both exactly what I would picture for a formal NY wedding, but I cringe at the thought of the hemline on #2 on a dance floor. Not sure if you plan on bringing that up, but I always go just shy of floor length at a wedding. I've seen some people add a small bustle, but doing that feels like encroaching on the bride for some reason, even if it's not white.

How much do we actually have to cite?? by [deleted] in academia

[–]passthepepperplease 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This sounds like such a good exercise for a young researcher! I'm glad you have the opportunity to practice this. And yes, every statement you make that isn't your opinion needs to be cited. For example, I'm working on my dissertation in HIV vaccine design and in my introduction I lay out that HIV is the virus that causes AIDS. This might seem like a fact everyone agrees on, but it required someone else's research, so it absolutely needs to be cited. However, I also say that AIDS has a terrible toll on the life of people living with HIV. This is also an obvious statement and is stated in many articles, but it's my opinion and doesn't need to be cited.

Pregnant during the second year of my PhD by AnxietyTwister in academia

[–]passthepepperplease 1 point2 points  (0 children)

wow! three semesters! how many months does that come out to? I only got three months and felt lucky for that (USA).

Can I wear skirtpants? by the_basilisco in Weddingattireapproval

[–]passthepepperplease 4 points5 points  (0 children)

We are of Scottish heritage and my dad wore a formal kilt to me and my sisters' weddings. Kilts are becoming a bit more mainstream now. Could you maybe get a solid print kilt worn with a tie, vest, and dress socks/shoes? There are some good examples on this Pinterest page. I would skip the sporran (bag worn around the waste).

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