This week I was visiting labs in Oldenburg and Copenhagen with a colleague. I met a lot of brilliant PhD students and postdocs there, and since I spent one entire day in each lab I really had the time to have in-depth discussion with each of them. My main conclusion is that this way of keeping up with science and the new generation of scientists is so much more productive than attending big international conferences (and also much cheaper)
Also, I took note of some good ideas to bring back to the lab in Paris:
- display the recently published papers on a bulletin board (and the recent posters on the wall)
- name the experimental cabins after great (male and female) scientists, with a short biography
- have a chessboard with an ongoing game open to everyone
... I you have other simple ideas like these ones that can make the lab a more friendly/stimulating place, I'm all ears.
@leovarnet good ideas. I will propose these to my lab I think.