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When I was a boy….

When I was a boy…. Summer, 2006. Past Years. 2002 - When to begin writing. 2003 - Effective time management. 2004 - Principles of responding to critiques of your your manuscript or grant. 2005 - Overview of the lab’s projects Future directions for the lab

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When I was a boy….

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  1. When I was a boy…. Summer, 2006

  2. Past Years 2002 - When to begin writing 2003 - Effective time management 2004 - Principles of responding to critiques of your your manuscript or grant 2005 - Overview of the lab’s projects Future directions for the lab Strategies for success at the bench When to submit your manuscript How to run a lab

  3. WARNING: Taking advice can be hazardous.

  4. Marching Orders Post-doctoral success and how to make the most of it. How to design productive experiments and projects and how to get out of an experimental slump “How he decides to balance personal life and outside goals with science.” Time management and how to acquire resources for projects, etc… All thoughts about science and life in general How do you pick an interesting scientific question? How do you convince yourself and others that what you are doing is relevant (especially for disease-related science)?

  5. My Take How do you do good science? How do you pick an interesting scientific question? How do you convince yourself and others that what you are doing is relevant (especially for disease-related science)? How do you design productive experiments… How do you manage time effectively? Post-doctoral success and how to make the most of it. “How he decides to balance personal life and outside goals with science.” Time management and how to acquire resources for projects, etc… Are there specific strategies that promote scientific success? Post-doctoral success and how to make the most of it. …how to get out of an experimental slump …how to acquire resources for projects, etc…

  6. My Take How do you do good science? How do you pick an interesting scientific question? How do you convince yourself and others that what you are doing is relevant (especially for disease-related science)? How do you design productive experiments… How do you manage time effectively? Post-doctoral success and how to make the most of it. “How he decides to balance personal life and outside goals with science.” Time management and how to acquire resources for projects, etc… Are there specific strategies that promote scientific success? Post-doctoral success and how to make the most of it. …how to get out of an experimental slump …how to acquire resources for projects, etc…

  7. Good Scientific Questions Features of one: The question is specific and can be addressed experimentally. The answer truly resolves an issue and progress is palpable. Others in the field agree that the answer is important. The answer is relevant to other fields (the broader the better). If you are right about #2 and #3, the answer will attract attention at meetings and among editors and employers. The answer is likely to give rise to new and interesting questions (perhaps, a career’s worth).

  8. Good Scientific Questions Features of one: The question is specific and can be addressed experimentally. The answer truly resolves an issue and progress is palpable. Others in the field agree that the answer is important. The answer is relevant to other fields (the broader the better). If you are right about #2 and #3, the answer will attract attention at meetings and among editors and employers. The answer is likely to give rise to new and interesting questions (perhaps, a career’s worth). Picking which one: 1. Motivation/Creativity: What is your passion? Feasibility: What are your tools and talents? (Career/Feasibility: What do others think?)

  9. For example…. Let’s take Arc… Specific resolvable subquestions: Transcriptional regulation, intracellular trafficking, nuclear function. Each of the questions can be straightforwardly related to an overarching question of obvious significance to neuroscience, “What are the molecular mechanisms that mediate plasticity or memory.” Probably will reveal new mechanisms of long-term adaptive responses relevant to other fields. So far, the reception at meetings, by grant agencies, and editors seem to confirm our impressions.

  10. My Take How do you do good science? How do you pick an interesting scientific question? How do you convince yourself and others that what you are doing is relevant (especially for disease-related science)? How do you design productive experiments… How do you manage time effectively? Post-doctoral success and how to make the most of it. “How he decides to balance personal life and outside goals with science.” Time management and how to acquire resources for projects, etc… Are there specific strategies that promote scientific success? Post-doctoral success and how to make the most of it. …how to get out of an experimental slump …how to acquire resources for projects, etc…

  11. Relevance General Issues • Mechanistic experiments are preferable to descriptive experiments • Recognize that there is tension in science between relevance and rigor (reductionism) • The more in vivo, the better • Especially pernicious problem for pathophysiology Specific Issues • Unbiased approaches that allow the system to tell you what is important (chemistry/genetics) • A prospective approach to quantitatively relate factors to fate

  12. My Take How do you do good science? How do you pick an interesting scientific question? How do you convince yourself and others that what you are doing is relevant (especially for disease-related science)? How do you design productive experiments… How do you manage time effectively? Post-doctoral success and how to make the most of it. “How he decides to balance personal life and outside goals with science.” Time management and how to acquire resources for projects, etc… Are there specific strategies that promote scientific success? Post-doctoral success and how to make the most of it. …how to get out of an experimental slump …how to acquire resources for projects, etc…

  13. Designing “Productive” Experiments Productive = Informative + Publishable Informative Experiments • What is it? Minimally, one that is non-trivial and controlled • How do I maximize information yield? - controls, interpretations, conclusions - alpha vs. beta experiments Publishable Experiments • What is it? Where rather than whether? • How do I maximize publishability? - novelty - fit with a larger story (be proactive, have an outline, write a fellowship)

  14. My Take How do you do good science? How do you pick an interesting scientific question? How do you convince yourself and others that what you are doing is relevant (especially for disease-related science)? How do you design productive experiments… How do you manage time effectively? Post-doctoral success and how to make the most of it. “How he decides to balance personal life and outside goals with science.” Time management and how to acquire resources for projects, etc… Are there specific strategies that promote scientific success? Post-doctoral success and how to make the most of it. …how to get out of an experimental slump …how to acquire resources for projects, etc…

  15. Time Management How do you do you balance personal life and outside goals with science? • As far as I can tell, it never gets easier • No magic • Be pro-active • Decide what you want your life to be about • Set tangible goals (annual, monthly, weekly) • Organize your time to maximize your effectiveness • Budget your time, determining how much time to devote and which activities you decline

  16. Time Management Moving beyond the checklist • Enhancing relationships and accomplishing results rather than focusing on things and time • Efficient with things & effective with people Urgent Not Urgent Stress, burnout, putting out fires Vision, balance, achievement, fewer crises Ineffectiveness Important Not Important

  17. My Take How do you do good science? How do you pick an interesting scientific question? How do you convince yourself and others that what you are doing is relevant (especially for disease-related science)? How do you design productive experiments… How do you manage time effectively? Post-doctoral success and how to make the most of it. “How he decides to balance personal life and outside goals with science.” Time management and how to acquire resources for projects, etc… Are there specific strategies that promote scientific success? Post-doctoral success and how to make the most of it. …how to get out of an experimental slump …how to acquire resources for projects, etc…

  18. Measures of Success Papers (Quality, Quantity) Time Productivity = • Presentations & networks are important but productivity is the commonest measure • Critical for getting a job, getting resources for a project (i.e., fellowships, grants) • Productivity in science can be frustratingly non-linear and weakly related to hard work • Productivity often grows as training progresses

  19. Slumps Everyone has them! Diagnosis Treatment Technical problems Technical issues OK but no interesting results - Are you spread too thin? - Are you too focused? - None of the above Simplify, be systematic, read, take a different approach, talk with people who have it working Varies - Focus more - Consider adding a project - Commiserate, endure, and recreate or abandon the project

  20. Strategies for Success at the Bench Find a question that genuinely excites you Know and invest in yourself, learn how you learn best Experimental design: Simple, simple, simple, but not too simple Do controlled experiments (Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) Design your experiment with the end in mind Fail fast, so you can succeed Regarding new techniques, be fearless but not stupid A year in the lab can save a week in the library Apply principles of good time-management: budget your time, be disciplined, work hard but take breaks too Efficient with things, effective with people Interact! Discussion and collaboration can be the quickest way to significance and its fun

  21. Strategies for Success at the Bench Find a question that genuinely excites you Know and invest in yourself, learn how you learn best Experimental design: Simple, simple, simple, but not too simple Do controlled experiments (Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) Design your experiment with the end in mind Fail fast, so you can succeed Regarding new techniques, be fearless but not stupid A year in the lab can save a week in the library Apply principles of good time-management: budget your time, be disciplined, work hard but take breaks too Efficient with things, effective with people Interact! Discussion and collaboration can be the quickest way to significance and its fun

  22. Strategies for Success at the Bench Find a question that genuinely excites you Know and invest in yourself, learn how you learn best Experimental design: Simple, simple, simple, but not too simple Do controlled experiments (Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) Design your experiment with the end in mind Fail fast, so you can succeed Regarding new techniques, be fearless but not stupid A year in the lab can save a week in the library Apply principles of good time-management: budget your time, be disciplined, work hard but take breaks too Efficient with things, effective with people Interact! Discussion and collaboration can be the quickest way to significance and its fun

  23. Strategies for Success at the Bench Find a question that genuinely excites you Know and invest in yourself, learn how you learn best Experimental design: Simple, simple, simple, but not too simple Do controlled experiments (Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) Design your experiment with the end in mind Fail fast, so you can succeed Regarding new techniques, be fearless but not stupid A year in the lab can save a week in the library Apply principles of good time-management: budget your time, be disciplined, work hard but take breaks too Efficient with things, effective with people Interact! Discussion and collaboration can be the quickest way to significance and its fun

  24. Strategies for Success at the Bench Find a question that genuinely excites you Know and invest in yourself, learn how you learn best Experimental design: Simple, simple, simple, but not too simple Do controlled experiments (Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) Design your experiment with the end in mind Fail fast, so you can succeed Regarding new techniques, be fearless but not stupid A year in the lab can save a week in the library Apply principles of good time-management: budget your time, be disciplined, work hard but take breaks too Efficient with things, effective with people Interact! Discussion and collaboration can be the quickest way to significance and its fun

  25. Strategies for Success at the Bench Find a question that genuinely excites you Know and invest in yourself, learn how you learn best Experimental design: Simple, simple, simple, but not too simple Do controlled experiments (Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) Design your experiment with the end in mind Fail fast, so you can succeed Regarding new techniques, be fearless but not stupid A year in the lab can save a week in the library Apply principles of good time-management: budget your time, be disciplined, work hard but take breaks too Efficient with things, effective with people Interact! Discussion and collaboration can be the quickest way to significance and its fun

  26. Strategies for Success at the Bench Find a question that genuinely excites you Know and invest in yourself, learn how you learn best Experimental design: Simple, simple, simple, but not too simple Do controlled experiments (Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) Design your experiment with the end in mind Fail fast, so you can succeed Regarding new techniques, be fearless but not stupid A year in the lab can save a week in the library Apply principles of good time-management: budget your time, be disciplined, work hard but take breaks too Efficient with things, effective with people Interact! Discussion and collaboration can be the quickest way to significance and its fun

  27. Strategies for Success at the Bench Find a question that genuinely excites you Know and invest in yourself, learn how you learn best Experimental design: Simple, simple, simple, but not too simple Do controlled experiments (Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) Design your experiment with the end in mind Fail fast, so you can succeed Regarding new techniques, be fearless but not stupid A year in the lab can save a week in the library Apply principles of good time-management: budget your time, be disciplined, work hard but take breaks too Efficient with things, effective with people Interact! Discussion and collaboration can be the quickest way to significance and its fun

  28. Strategies for Success at the Bench Find a question that genuinely excites you Know and invest in yourself, learn how you learn best Experimental design: Simple, simple, simple, but not too simple Do controlled experiments (Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) Design your experiment with the end in mind Fail fast, so you can succeed Regarding new techniques, be fearless but not stupid A year in the lab can save a week in the library Apply principles of good time-management: budget your time, be disciplined, work hard but take breaks too Efficient with things, effective with people Interact! Discussion and collaboration can be the quickest way to significance and its fun

  29. Strategies for Success at the Bench Find a question that genuinely excites you Know and invest in yourself, learn how you learn best Experimental design: Simple, simple, simple, but not too simple Do controlled experiments (Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) Design your experiment with the end in mind Fail fast, so you can succeed Regarding new techniques, be fearless but not stupid A year in the lab can save a week in the library Apply principles of good time-management: budget yourtime, be disciplined, work hard but take breaks too Efficient with things, effective with people Interact! Discussion and collaboration can be the quickest way to significance and its fun

  30. Strategies for Success at the Bench Find a question that genuinely excites you Know and invest in yourself, learn how you learn best Experimental design: Simple, simple, simple, but not too simple Do controlled experiments (Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) Design your experiment with the end in mind Fail fast, so you can succeed Regarding new techniques, be fearless but not stupid A year in the lab can save a week in the library Apply principles of good time-management: budget your time, be disciplined, work hard but take breaks too Efficient with things, effective with people Interact! Discussion and collaboration can be the quickest way to significance and its fun

  31. Strategies for Success at the Bench Find a question that genuinely excites you Know and invest in yourself, learn how you learn best Experimental design: Simple, simple, simple, but not too simple Do controlled experiments (Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) Design your experiment with the end in mind Fail fast, so you can succeed Regarding new techniques, be fearless but not stupid A year in the lab can save a week in the library Apply principles of good time-management: budget your time, be disciplined, work hard but take breaks too Efficient with things, effective with people Interact! Discussion and collaboration can be the quickest way to significance and its fun

  32. Getting Published Review papers for journals Write a fellowship You can never start writing early enough - Key finding, critical assay - Begin with an outline, asserting key points - Imagine the figures (in detail) - Results first, introduction and discussion last OK already! But I don’t know how to start! Benefits: finish sooner, finish better, & it mitigates the risk of being scooped

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