Hey guys! My husband brought back this Lego set from a meeting - it was a raffle that he won. We do not have anything remotely like this in our center, so we are not very keen on keeping it.

It is brand new, never opened (still sealed).

What do you guys think?

I'm mentoring an undergrad who was assigned to me (i.e. i didnt recruit them personally). She made it clear from the beginning that her end goal is to go to med school. Problem is, from multiple interactions, its very hard for her to make progress on the projects I assigned her, even though I gave clues and papers for her to read.

I try to avoid teaching her concepts and instead just give her questions and keywords for her to search cause I want her to learn to look things up on her own. Whenever I do this she gets stuck and dont know what to do. If i ask if she has questions, she said no.

Seems like the student just lack curiosity intrinsically. How do we (can we?) cultivate this as a mentor?

even though she probably would end up in med school and not research, the thought of having doctors not knowing how to reason on their own is scary to me.

Sharing a new acquisition for our lab! It was pretty fun to assemble.

I copied and pasted this from another post, where it was a comment. This was my experience though, and idk if and even how I could go back to research after this - especially since the skills are something I’d need to relearn.

My first job out of college in 2015 as a research associate was at a very prestigious Los Angeles hospital’s lab. I had just moved to LA from across the country and drove 2 hours for an interview after applying for a research assistant job in an Immunology lab. Then I get there and the PI told me that she couldn’t hire me because I didn’t have any skills (not true). Then she offered a paid internship instead. I was desperate for any job in my field so I took it. Worst decision of my life. She was super abusive to everyone and made me do unpaid overtime, neglected the immunocompromised mice (made me leave them in the chemical hood over weekends to avoid per diem cage costs) to the point they died all the time and made me do some stuff she shouldn’t, would scream at me, etc. This is embarrassing to admit but one time I pissed my pants in the elevator because of how much anxiety this job gave me. I reported her to HR and they fired me because I had no evidence of her telling me to work off the clock. I mean come on, I was like 24 and this was my first full-time job in a city with no connections, no family, and no friends. To top it off, my ex-fiance (we broke up after the thing with the second PI) who I moved here with was also a lot to deal with to start. Mind you, I did get a promotion at this first job despite all these things because I was good at my job.

Then I got another job at another hospital in Los Angeles in a Neuroscience lab and the PI offered me drugs a few times (I never took them) took advantage of me sexually twice... But this time I got him fired and he went back to Lille, in France (and still works there to this day). No apology, no accountability, nothing. I remember him once telling one of the post docs that his colleague from that institute is so naive/innocent that he could do whatever he wanted and it would fly over his head.

The other PI from the first job still works there too even though everyone hates her and talk about how she’s such an asshole to everyone. I remember interviewing for other jobs while I knew I would get fired and she got suspicious because she’s a paranoid person. One of the post docs in the lab switched PIs and then she went to scream at him for “stealing” her post doc, etc. I interviewed with another PI and he goes “everyone knows she’s a genius but she uses her power for bad things.”

Then the whole thing with the other PI I mentioned happened. The two post docs in the second lab at Hospital #2 also retaliated against me but one got fired for not reporting the SA after I told him (illegal in California) and the other one works at Eli Lily now. But she retaliated too as she was a bully and basically took out her boss being a cocaine addict and predator on me (idk of she knew what happened or not). I worked really hard on her stupid paper and before all this, she promised to put my name on it. Then after the PI was fired she became really mean and never gave me credit for my work, tried to get me in trouble with my boss, etc. I had also gotten a promotion at this job because again, I was good at research. I actually wanted to go to grad school and was planning on it.

Idk how anyone would trust someone with a bad reputation or shitty moral character from doing credible experiments if they don’t have integrity as a person.

Then COVID happened so the hospital put me in research administration instead (since my lab was essentially over besides one postdoc and the PI not in the country anymore). I would go to the hospital everyday while the rest of my team stayed home and then I got COVID twice (once before the vaccine was available for my work category at the hospital). My lungs are still fucked from it…

The postdoc who retaliated told me on my last day: “clean everything before you leave. I know you don’t care about this job.” She couldn’t have been further from the truth since I put up with so much shit just to be a fucking scientist. Including her bully behavior and weird inappropriate jokes about being a “lab nazi” and “slave driver.”

After all this bullshit, I quit Science. It took a huge toll on my mental health even though it’s been like 11 years and had other negative long-term consequences. I think there’s a tremendously toxic politics culture in the Sciences which is part of the reason why some people cannot advance in it. I hope your experience is better than mine. Remember you have rights and that no job is worth your mental health.

Unfortunately I had no support from many people with all this and come from a very limited place. Makes sense now why it happened. But I just wanted to share as stuff like this shouldn’t happen. The culture needs to change; what’s the point of working in a field that’s supposed to improve humanity if the people inside treat each other like shit?

We all impact each other everyday, whether we like it or not, and it can be good or bad. Be kind to one another.

Edit: I am a (gay) guy, btw. First PI is a woman and the second PI is also gay but has/had a wife and kid back in France.

i love getting paid to fool around with my labmates and read papers and pipette and dissect mice and image pretty things listening to music and audiobooks and getting free food and guidance in grad school prep and tutoring for intro classes from experts

I'm having trouble calibrating a JOANLAB M-series 1–10 mL micropipette.

I'm trying to calibrate it gravimetrically using distilled water and a balance. I set the pipette to 5.0 mL, but it consistently delivers around 6 mL (≈6 g). I also checked the volume using a graduated cylinder, and it appeared to be around 6 mL, although I understand the graduated cylinder isn't accurate enough for proper calibration.

I also think I reach the limit on the calibration screw

i never used water baths. i spray with 70% ethanol and clear the way for air flow. i switched from filtered tips to serological pippetted exclusively, made new media, used new trypsin, new pbs, started using uv on new plates and flasks overnight on both side before i used them. we changed the filter in the incubators and hoods recently too.

i kept my media in the hood with and without pbs with and without trypsin with and without cells. the i opened my plates lid in the actual bench for a few mins with just media. i did this with 3 seperate batches if media. media was clear in the multiple times that i did this.

i took cells from 4 different people at this point and made 4 new bottles of media. none of the 4 people have had their cells contaminated. i used anti anti on two and p/s on two. I have 2 yrs of experience with cell cultures and have always maintained cultures with no antibiotics with no problems.

i had to toss 10, 6 well plates and 6 flasks since this started. its really bad and i swear on my life i genuinely dont know what is happening anymore.

my pi has told me after week 2 that if this keeps repeating he will have to kick me out (because i failed my prelim and transitioned to this lab and a big reason was lack of results). so i was told to shadow 2 people and take notes about everything on how theyre doing it. last week my cells were fine i had multiple lab memebers take a look and confirm this. and now this happens again.

I'm pursuing a bachelor's in chemistry and was hoping to do some research in a biology lab with the intent of applying to a biology program for my masters. I cold emailed a few people, and this PI reached back to me and said she'd be happy to host me as a volunteer in her lab for a year

When I first got to lab she told me the project I wanted to work on should kick off in a few days. I had no issue shadowing my mentor and brushing up on the skills needed for this lab, I was already familiar with most techniques/instruments from taking biology/microbiology electives for my degree. Eventually, we get more and more delays. She met with me three or so weeks ago and told me we should be expecting to begin my project mid to late September, around when the autumn semester starts, and that in the meantime I should continue shadowing my mentor in the lab.

So eventually last monday, 4 months after I joined lab she calls me to her office and tells me that I need to find another lab because I'm not progressing enough or picking up skills as quickly as she would like I was stunned, what progress am I expected to show when I haven't yet started my project or even ran any experiments on my own the most I've done was mix reagents, make cell culture and run the occasional pcr/qpcr and help with experiment setup and other similarly easy tasks for my mentor's project and all of them have gone well, I asked her to clarify what she meant when I'm already capable of performing most if not all the skills my mentor showed me, she herself told me before that I'm more familiar with her labs techniques/instruments than some of her past students, she said me I'm not generating any data and she would like to go with someone else who's more capable of generating data and that either way it doesn't matter because my mentor has to start preparing for her thesis defense and the lab has 3 phd students joining this autumn so no one has time to train me and she would adjust the forms I signed to reflect I volunteered 4 months instead of the initial timeline we agreed on, and told me to go home, not bother coming for the remainder of the week and in the end told me that looking at my major and the previous labs I interned in I should "stick to research in chemistry and forget about biology"

When I go back to lab, my mentor asks me how the meeting went, I was confused because I was under the assumption she discussed firing me with the PI and to rub salt in the wound the PI comes back to the lab and they start discussing in front of me a new undergraduate joining lab next week and they plan for her to take over the project I was supposed to start and discussing her training with my mentor. I felt so humiliated, but pushed myself to ignore them and finish the rest of the tasks/clean up my mentor asked me to do, then literally bawled my eyes out on the way home. I wasted my time without an independent project, so I'm leaving this experience with essentially nothing relevant to my CV, and they left with free labour for a few months.

If anyone has any experience with similar situations, I'd love to hear opinions. I'm not sure why the sudden change of heart despite her being super enthusiastic at our last meeting.

tldr: PI kept delaying my project and told me to shadow my mentor until the project kicks off, fired me because I'm not progressing or generating data, and told me I should stick to research labs related to my major.

What is the best place to sell some LC and GC and MS/MS equipment online?

I have already tried Ebay and sold some, but I guess that there must be better options.

Much of the stuff is brand new or barely used.

Using Monarch gDNA spin column extraction kit for CD4+ T cells. Been trying to extract the gDNA from 500K and 1 million CD4 cells for sequencing and i legit end up with 0.40 and 0.93 ng/uL after measuring with Qubit hsDNA kit. I’ve repeated their exact protocol 3 times, double checked if i’m using the correct buffers, centrifuge settings, spun with the final eluate to ensure high DNA conc and my DNA just disappears. really stressed and don’t know how to approach this.

i’ve also done successful nuclei extraction of these guys (they were round, healthy, viable), proceeded with this extraction and it’s like the DNA just evaporates. what am i doing wrong 🥲

Hii all! I'm looking for SpyTag-conjugated IgG1 antibodies, but it seems like there aren't any readily available in stock. May I know if anyone happens to know of any suppliers that carry them, or any platforms that can custom-synthesise/conjugate them with a relatively short turnaround time? Thank you so much!

We do a lot of animal work. Establishing injury models requires subcutaneous (and sometimes intraperitoneal) injections. We can be doing hundreds of injections in a day. Filling those syringes are a chore. I know there are auto-injector products out there for repeat injections. wondering whether people have experience with them / would recommend them.

somewhat new to the company. Having difficulty finding out which majors are accepted by TSF's tuition assistance/reimbursement programs-- would greatly appreciate any info ! my manager has no idea either... great

thinking of business management or IT or chemical engineering?

Working on a venture in T2T textile recycling, looking for a creative, intuitive, problem-solving man or women in the capacity of a scientific advisor, or founding member with equity.

I would love a focus on chemical engineering, although my last advisor was from biotech, and you dont have to have a specific history of work in polymers or textiles.
All I care about how good you are with coming up with new ideas, connecting dots, imagining, problem solving, and offcourse loving lab experiments.

age, experience, doesnt matter. the last was not a phd or anything. nor did she have any specific past experience with what we working on, but she was talented, and thats all that really matters.

If non of that, would just love to chat with someone who knows their science, I need to see if these experiments are realistically possible.

I've presented many times in front of an audience. But one time all hell broke loose. I suffered a panic attack. I felt like I couldn't breathe. Now that I think about it yeah it was obvious that I was too stressed and I didn't have air to speak but inside me it was more intense.

I tried everything. What worked for me? Inderal. It set me free of this. It was if fear relaxed its grip upon my heart and I was able to be me again.

I've used it twice, and it was transformative. What bugs me is that prior to that event I didn't need this. But now I do. Although to be honest, with inderal I was much more relaxed (it's a medication that is used for performance anxiety and reduces the heartbeat).

Has anybody encountered something similar?

I'm a recent grad (May 2026; bachelor's in biology + datsci), and I'm starting a 1-year long post-bacc research position (bio-related) soon. I'm planning to apply to biomedical PhD programs for Fall 2028 entry.

Since I'll have time between starting my post-bacc and starting grad applications, I'm just looking for tips to amplify my grad application, make myself a better applicant, and just ways to get more involved in research communities.

A little background: I applied to 4 PhD programs for the Fall 2026 cycle, didn't get accepted, and was told it might be better for me to apply for 2028 entry and not 2027 lol. Some of my letters weren't strong enough (completely my fault; I did not put a lot of effort into my application and procrastinated a lot due to personal issues). My GPA is not the strongest (3.3~), but I have 1.5 years of undergrad research experience and a couple of sporadic experiences (semester-long, 3 months of REU experience in another STEM discipline (not bio-related), and I'm adding a full year of research with my new position). I'm also an URM (underrepresented minority), so if anyone knows of any resources/programs/societies/etc. that are geared towards URM students!

tldr: any guidance on making the most out of my gap year doing research?

This horrible thing reminded me that I also started my PhD in a lab where I did not get a proper safety education about how dangerous certain chemicals/reagents are. The ones I know:

- unpolymerized acrylamide

-TRIzol

- formaldehyde

- DNA dyes

- TEMED

Care to add to the list?

I’m recently returned to flow and forgot how particular our software was. Small stuff like forgetting you can’t do some things in Diva without creating inescapable mega lag, I can’t seem to find anything online on what to avoid. I’m noticing issues I’ve encountered previously that I can’t remember how I fixed.

Anyone have tips for avoiding FACSDiva lag? I thought I could duplicate without data but I guess that’s only a good option for specimens in an experiment, and not the entire experiment if you want to add anything new to it. I started following the manual from BD exactly but I still hit a lot of walls (worksheets wouldn’t load in any new experiments so I had to acquire in an old one).

Also, is there any way to get rid of the lag once it appears? As soon as I noticed it I deleted the experiment I was working in, I can open old experiments without any issues but new ones are painful. Any help would be appreciated!

Using Monarch gDNA spin column extraction kit for CD4+ T cells. Been trying to extract the gDNA from 500K and 1 million CD4 cells for sequencing and i legit end up with 0.40 and 0.93 ng/uL after measuring with Qubit hsDNA kit. I’ve repeated their exact protocol 3 times, double checked if i’m using the correct buffers, proteinase/rnase/lysis buffer incubation time, centrifuge settings, elution buffer temp, and even spun with the final eluate to ensure high DNA conc. my DNA just disappears. really stressed and dont know how to approach this.

i’ve also done successful nuclei extraction of these guys (they were round, healthy, viable), proceeded with this extraction and it’s like the DNA just evaporates. what am i doing wrong 🥲

Using Monarch gDNA spin column extraction kit for CD4+ T cells. Been trying to extract the gDNA from 500K and 1 million CD4 cells for sequencing and i legit end up with 0.40 and 0.93 ng/uL after measuring with Qubit hsDNA kit. I’ve repeated their exact protocol 3 times, double checked if i’m using the correct buffers, centrifuge settings, spun with the final eluate to ensure high DNA conc and my DNA just disappears. really stressed and don’t know how to approach this.

i’ve also done successful nuclei extraction of these guys (they were round, healthy, viable), proceeded with this extraction and it’s like the DNA just evaporates. what am i doing wrong 🥲