How to (Try to) Get a Lot Done in the Sciences

“Overall, I had previously felt that I was a fairly productive person. I was getting a lot done, but I had periods, especially on the weekends, in which I felt panicky and could not rest because I sensed that there were work-related items that I should have been doing.”

Sound familiar? Read how Heather Whitney approached that problem: How to (Try to) Get a Lot Done in the Sciences (The Chronicle of Higher Education).

 

Your Voice: Your Passport to Authority

In an article in Science Careers Sabine Louët discusses how your voice affects other’s perceptions of you, noting that “[a] more relaxed, decisive, and authoritative voice can be a definite asset in a scientific career.” And you’re not limited to the speaking voice you’re born with: exercises can help strengthen your vocal repertoire. Interested in knowing more? Read Your Voice: Your Passport to Authority.

 

Is YouTube the new venue for exposing research misconduct?

“An anonymous whistleblower has created a YouTube video that details alleged duplication of images by a prominent Japanese scientist.

“The nearly 6-minute video, complete with background music, presents a series of still shots of over 60 allegedly duplicated and manipulated images in 24 papers, including 19 instances in a single publication, by a group led by molecular signaling specialist Shigeaki Kato of the University of Tokyo’s Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences. The publications go back to 2001, include numerous co-authors, and have appeared in NatureCell, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and other journals…

via ScienceInsider

 

Resources on Management and Mentoring

Advisor, Teacher, Role Model, Friend: On Being a Mentor to Students in Science and Engineering. National Academy of Sciences. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1997.

At the Helm: A Laboratory Navigator. Barker, K. Cold Spring Harbor NY: Cold Spring Harbor Press, 2002.

How Introverts Can Excel in the Workplace Taute, S. The Smart Blog on Leadership, 4/4/11.

Kiersey Temperament Sorter

This free on-line personality sorter can be a useful tool for helping you identify your personality style and its impact on your interactions with those with whom you interact. It also can be useful for job hunters.

Love’em or Lose’em: Getting Good People to Stay. Kaye, B  & Jordon-Evans, S. Berrett-Koehler, 1999.

Making the Right Moves: A Practical Guide to Scientific Management for Postdocs and New Faculty, 2nd edition Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Resources on Job Hunting and Careers

Five Steps to Building Your Network

Want to expand your network? Read this! The post as well as a number of the comments offer excellent advice on networking.

JobHuntersBible.com

The companion website to What Color is Your Parachute? (see below). It contains numerous resources and links. You don’t need to have bought the book to access the site.

Kiersey Temperament Sorter

Understanding yourself is the first step in finding a satisfying career. This free on-line personality sorter may help you to examine your personality style and corresponding strengths and weaknesses.

LinkedIn

A web-based networking tool.

Science Careers

Here you can search for positions (for jobs and postdoc training) as well as well as read articles of a variety of career issues.

Salary Explorer

A searchable database of faculty salaries — an excellent resource for job hunters! A subscription to the The Chronicle of Higher Education is required. Pitt and UPMC users can click here, other users should check with their institution’s library.

What Color is Your Parachute? A Practical Manual for Job Hunters and Career Changers, updated annually. Bolles RM. Ten Speed Press.

Contains a wealth of information about job seeking in general. See the companion websiteJobHuntersBible.com.

Tooling Up: Making the Cut Jensen, D. Science Careers Magazine, 3/18/11.

In this and his many other “Tooling Up” posts, Dave has a great deal of sage advice for for individuals seeking a job in biotech or industry.

Policies on Research Ethics

45 CFR part 46 (DHHS regulations on the use of human subjects in research.

Belmont Report: Ethical Principles and Guidelines for the Protection of Human Subjects of Research

National Institutes of Health. (2009)  Update on the Requirement for Instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research. (NOT-OD-10-019)

Society for Neuroscience. Guidelines: Responsible Conduct Regarding Scientific Communication.

World Medical Association. Declaration of Helsinki.

Guidance for the Description of Animal Research in Scientific Publications


Guidance for the Description of Animal Research in Scientific Publications 

(Free PDF download from the NAS website!)

Publisher’s description:

“The publication of research articles involving animal studies is central to many disciplines in science and biomedicine. Effective descriptions in such publications enable researchers to interpret the data, evaluate and replicate findings, and move the science forward. (more…)