How to survive a laboratory

How to survive a laboratory

 

 Picture it... you have just got your degree, and you've entered a brand-new lab. You may be there as a PhD student or a research assistant or a placement but as you look around all the chaos - sorry, organised chaos, you may come to the sad and incorrect realisation that you know nothing at all. You can't remember how do the experiments you claimed you were an expect in, you have no idea how to even find the equipment you will need, everyone seems stressed and you are not sure how to ask them for help -or even what to ask, and you have no idea how to find your way to your lab bench from your desk. 

The good thing is that everyone who has ever stepped into a lab has felt the same thing! Scientists are not a particularly original bunch when it comes to feelings and emotions in laboratory environments. Everything you feel right now has been felt before thousands of times and will continue to be felt thousands of times after you. That means that there are tried and tested methods to help you survive. 

This is a list of fun but hopefully helpful tips on how to help you survive the lab. Well, unless you decide to knock back a whole bottle of hydrochloric acid, you are probably not going to die but maybe this list will help you through as a somewhat functioning, well adjusted, and slightly stable individual. 

                        

 

1. No one cares what you wear. Or whether your hair is a mess. Within reason. 

The great thing about working in a lab is that you will be wearing a lab coat for the majority of the time. So, you don't have to worry about dressing professionally or smartly. Also, labs can get hot in the middle of the summer so odds are any makeup you might have put on will be running off. Also, there is not much point doing anything elaborate with long hair as it must be tied back from your face most of the time. Plus, lab-workers will be doing long and weird hours. You will be on your feet and stuck up there for ages. You might as well wear something comfortable. The only thing anyone really cares about is whether you are safe so sensible shoes, covered skin and tied back hair are the only real criteria. Open toe shoes or sandals are a no-go as they leave your toes uncovered and acid or sharp objects can fall on them. Shorts are a no-go for that reason. But tank tops are fine - your arms will be covered by a lab-coat. Bottom line, wear and look like what you want, just do not be a safety hazard.

                                           

 

2. Get used to failure. It is your life now. 

There will be days where every experiment will fail. You will get useless data; you will get very weird data. You will do every single step exactly how you are meant to do it, but it will not work. That's science for you. People will always say 'learn from your mistakes' but there might not even be any mistakes to learn from. A better saying is 'learn from it' -and that you can do. You can learn how to accept that it did not work and learn strategies on how to handle that. Mine was usually grabbing a large latte with hazelnut syrup and a load of cheesy chips from the canteen. 

                                              

 

3. No one will judge you if you scream in pure delight when your experiment works. For that matter, no one will probably bat an eyelid. 

The days where your experiments work are some of the best days you will ever experience. The days where the experiment works and you get the data you wanted are even better. It is euphoric. You are meant to go in there totally unbiased with an open mind regarding the results -you shouldn't expect or hope for anything. But everyone secretly does. Those days of success may be few and far between, but they are enough to mitigate the days of disappointment. Those feelings never get old or fade and your hundredth day of success feels just as good as your first. Everyone has felt it and continues to feel it, so you feel like screaming in delight, go ahead. No one will blame you and will most likely feel happy for you. 

4.You feel like an outsider? Good- so does everyone. Be more worried if you feel like you belong. 

Sadly, imposter syndrome is a very real and an insanely common occurrence in science labs. Everyone will feel it. There is always someone who you think is smarter, more coordinated, and more 'with-it' than you are. Even more sad is that there is no 100% effective cure for it. All you can do is just keep going. Eventually, the feeling will fade. Do not be scared to talk about it to other members of the lab. They will not judge or be snarky. Odds are that they will say something like "Oh thank god- it’s not just me! I feel that way too!"

                                        

 

5. Western blots are trauma- inducing.

If you have to do them, you are in for at least two exceptionally long days. And that's just if they work. If they fail, you can cancel most of any other plans you may have made. Unfortunately, they are a very common method for analysing proteins. Feel free to groan and sulk about it- no one will ever say "oh my god, I really love doing a western!" or "you mean I get to do a western today? I've been hoping for this!" but then get on with it. There's no point in delaying it, and the feeling you get if they work is indescribable. If they fail, you will get sympathy and commiserations from everyone in the lab. 

 

6. If someone is bent over a microscope or a gel or a slide and muttering, just leave them alone.

Even if the lab is on fire. Just leave them be. That works for any equipment actually. Any muttering in the lab can be roughly translated to; 'I'm stressed, I'm grumpy, I need coffee and I will scream if anyone comes near me'. Add a calculator and a pen and the translation can change too 'oh my god, I hate maths, I have too many cells, how am I supposed to count all of them, and if anyone interrupts my count, I will send them all the way to hell'. 

                                                       

 

7. Everyone puts their finger in the vortex. 

Seriously, everyone will have the intrusive thought to put their finger in it when no-one else is around. It's a weird thought but everyone has it so it’s pretty normal. Do not bother trying to fight the impulse. Just put gloves on first- you never know what actual science people have used that vortex for. 

                                                     

 

 

8. Turn up for your bookings - or cancel them. 

Most labs use booking systems for specialised and key resources. This includes cell culture hoods, centrifuges (especially if they are used for long spins), microscopes and anything attached to a computer. There will be periods of time where labs are insanely busy, and everyone is frantically trying to get their hands on resources so they can finish their experiments before their deadlines. No one will be happy if a much-needed resource is left unused because someone has booked it and then forgotten about it. Or a person misses their own slot so hijacks someone else's. So, turn up on time, apologise if your experiment runs late and let the person booked in after you know if you finish early or think you will be late. And for the love of God, if your plans change and you know longer need it, cancel it! Or at the very least, let people know that you no longer need it. Communicate! 

                                                     

 

9. Be flexible with your bookings.

 Experiments don't always run to time and things will go wrong. It is inevitable that even the most organised and together person will run late. So will you. Your experiment will require extra time. Unless your timings are drastically important to your experiment, and a certain chemical must be added at a certain point, let people creep into your booking time. They are already stressed enough as it is and there is no point in you making them more stressed and wasting more time in having a conversation/heated discussion/ argument about it. Have a small amount of empathy and do them a favour. They will not forget it, and odds are, you will need them to return the favour. 

 

 

10. Do your lab duties. 

Some labs have specialised cleaners or assistants that handle all of this. Some labs operate on a rota system and two or so members a week are assigned to handle all the general cleaning and maintenance duties. This might be emptying or replacing bins, autoclaving equipment, and rubbish, topping up liquid nitrogen storage tanks or even stock-taking. 

If you are on lab duties, it can be a drag and can be a bit of an annoyance, especially when there are other things you would rather be doing - but it is not actually that time consuming. Suck it up and do it. The lab will thank you for it and you will see how essential it is when it’s not done. 

                                     

 

11. Finally, enjoy it! The lab is one of the best places a scientist can ever be. There will always be some drama, some fun conversation, and some humour. Not only that, but you will be making contributions to the development of science. And every contribution no matter how small is important!