With the start of the academic year, I want to repost my expert learning article. Soon, graduate students will start their first lab rotations. A lucky few will walk in, and things will work seemingly magically on day one. For most, this marks the start of a sometimes arduous journey of learning to be an expert experimentalist. As a PI, have you ever wondered how to make this journey less arduous? 1/🧵
https://www.molbiolcell.org/doi/10.1091/mbc.E22-11-0517
#Mentoring #AcademicLife #LabLife #GraduateSchool #GradSchool #PhD
@MCDuncanLab loved this article—shared it with my lab mates! What an awesome framework for intentional skill development.
I’ve been thinking about something complementary to this framework: focusing on the physical aspects of our job. I’m still amazed at how gracefully my first research mentor interrogated a solution by gently pipetting it against the wall of the tube as she held it up to the light. It took a long time before my own pipettes felt like extensions of my hands!
This is an excellent point.
Two related points:
Ergonomics with benchwork. Mostly addressed only after an injury and it's too late. My second rotation was PI was obsessive about people's posture using the microscope because her first student slipped a disc due to bad microscope posture.
I encourage mise en place style of benchwork, by which I mean everything has a specific location that makes sense for the workflow.
It reduces errors and allows some gracefulness.
@MCDuncanLab new fear unlocked re: slipped disk! I also really like the mise en place idea. I could definitely benefit from organizing my space more.
@askennard @MCDuncanLab Ergonomics are important! I think about half the electron microscopists I know have had back or hip surgery and a lot see chiros or masseuses regularly. I've also known two people who had to go to PT for carpel tunnel from pipeting.
@fisher_ke wow that is a silent epidemic! 😬 I’m pretty sure I exacerbated some ulnar nerve issues earlier this year with pipetting. Gotta be vigilant!
@askennard Posture and repetitive motion are definitely 2 things to be aware of - especially once you hit a certain age. It's also worth it at some point looking at better chairs (the microscope chairs in Lil's lab are my gold standard) or things like automated or semi-automated pipets.
@fisher_ke @askennard Even a multichannel pipette can help, esp doing serology. We had 6 in my lab. For some, standing at the bench is better than sitting. One of our more commonly used microscopes was elevated for that purpose (standing). For desk work, ‘standing’ desks help alleviate back issues.
Several of us did a daily 20-30” break and walked a 1/2+ mile outside (in good weather). It was mentally & physically invigorating.
@MCDuncanLab Absolutely! Had an occupational therapist examine my labs and office (prescribed by my physical therapist) bc of neck and shoulder issues (>2 yrs of daily 3-4 hrs on microscope). Her recommendations for office and lab ergonomics/organization were so helpful the dept head asked her to do a presentation for everyone.
Carried over to 2 future labs despite colleagues teasing me for strict lab organization, equipment & ergonomics. 🙄
@MCDuncanLab @askennard
My personal experience: after back to back sessions between stereoscope #drosophila head dissection and confocal microscope all day(circa 2018, I don't do this anymore), I was limping the next day...perhaps not slip disc but sciatic pain..that was bad enough
I hurt my wrist with a long session of tetrad dissections and its been over 23 years and it still bothers me.
@MCDuncanLab @askennard My #Phd supervisor spent a considerable sum on highly supportive and adjustable chairs for the lab as we were using stereomicroscopes for #Celegans work. It wasn't common practice but it made a huge difference to being able to work in that field.
@askennard @MCDuncanLab I thought that was normal! 😳
@lzvolk @askennard @MCDuncanLab I've found that I have to explicitly teach students how to write on a small tube. Most arent aware of their hands and how to stabilize them for detailed work.
@rspfau @lzvolk @MCDuncanLab absolutely! There are so many things like this that are usually taught ad hoc and not systematically. How to stabilize your pipetting hand, how to aspirate liquid slowly and with control, how to minimize bubbles in viscous solutions, how to dip your pipet to a consistent depth every time, how to set your pipet volume (always turning the dial clockwise at the end). Small steps that add up to an intricate dance!
Absolutely! One thing I do now with everyone who joins my lab (even postdocs) is to do a how-to pipette session.
I think many of my early grad school failures were due to problems with pipetting.
I've started adding in, make sure to wear your glasses if you need them. Until I started needing reading glasses, I did not realize how much being able to see well is part of good pipetting. Now I realize that some ppl's struggles come from vision issues.
@MCDuncanLab @rspfau @lzvolk as a postdoc I would love a how-to-pipet session. You always learn something new from someone else’s hard-won experience!
Best advice. Read the pipettor manual they are actually amazing resources.
Eg:
'To attain maximum accuracy, set volume must be approached from a higher value. If the desired value is lower than the previous volume, adjust the value to 1/3 turn above the required setting..."
Also these two pages:
@MCDuncanLab @askennard @rspfau Proper pipetting should be a part of a new lab member’s initiation. As well as proper sterile techniques when using a ‘clean’ hood.
I don’t care how good they think they are. Had a few grad/post-docs come to my labs claiming they were ‘experts’, and then wondering why their experiments fail or (most often) they find contamination.
I don't have great handwriting. I use Shamrock brand sticky dots which are great for everyday samples. They make it easier to label clearly.
I would like a label maker for stock tubes, but the last time I tried to buy on it was backordered for a couple of years.
@MCDuncanLab @rspfau @askennard Color-coded, too. 😏
In keeping with my pipettors, my shamrock color is breast cancer awareness pink.
@MCDuncanLab I think some scientists (guilty!) ignore our bodies and try to pretend that we are “brains in a vat,” but I wonder how our science would benefit if we practiced our movements at the bench more intentionally, as athletes and ballet dancers do.
And what would a more physically grounded curriculum for bench work look like?