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Writing an academic paper
So, you’re about to write your first scientific article. Exciting and congrats! Every paper is hard to write, but the first is definitely the most difficult. Especially since the guidebooks out there are kind of stuffy, long, and boring. This blog isn’t about that. We’re going to make writing as fun as it can get.…
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Moving schools during grad school!
Sometimes it feels like life hands you the short end of the stick. You spent hours and hours finding a university with a program you like. You’ve been here for a while, made friends, fostered a community, and then you get news that your advisor is moving. Now what? This is the situation I found…
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Mentoring new students for the first times
So you’re feeling nervous about mentoring your first student (regardless of whether they are a grad or undergrad). Well you’re not alone. Mentoring is difficult and requires patience on both ends. For yourself, you’ll need to adjust to work being a little slower. Instead of pipetting and moving on to the next thing you’ll need…
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Structuring a scientific presentation
So today let’s talk about presentations. There is a lot to cover so buckle up and take notes. Scientific presentations with real ✨data✨ can be a challenge. You want to share all your super exciting really awesome data with the world but without enough context your data is meaningless to your audience. Instead of throwing…
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Choosing a lab group for grad school
This is a huge one that everyone has a different answer to, but I’m going to share my opinion on how to make it marginally easier to pick a lab group. I know I said earlier that research focus should be a top priority when applying to graduate schools, but once you’re in. Faculty (and…
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Graduate School Interviews
With interview season around the corner I wanted to put all my thoughts and advice about grad school interviews in one place. I know you’re probably very stressed right now. But stop for a moment, unclench your jaw, and take 3 deeps breathes. You’ve got this, you’re going into the interview because the selection committee…
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Things to think about when applying to graduate programs
Applying to grad school is sooo much different than applying to an undergraduate program. For undergraduate degrees most people are told to look at the rankings of the institution and that the better the rankings the more valuable your degree. This is not exactly the case for graduate school. Ranking of the institution plays a…
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Sloth and algae, an unexpected relationship
Happy #WorldAlgaeDay! Did you know that blue-green algae can be found in sloth fur? The algae provides sloths with camo and nutrients in exchange for shelter and water. Sloth hair is long and coarse. Two-toed sloths have deep grooves that run the length of each hair. Three-toed sloths have irregular cracks that increase in number…
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Rhizosphere
Let’s talk about the plant microbiome! We often think of microbes as pesky little guys that cause disease, but many microbes are actually beneficial for plants (and our own) growth! The plant microbiome can be split up into different parts Phyllosphere- above ground Rhizosphere- below ground Endosphere- internal tissue Many researchers are working on understanding…
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Honey bee microbiome
Let’s talk about the honey bee’s microbiome! The bee gut can be split into 3 different regions each with a different microbial profile. Snodgrassella alvi, Gilliamella apicola, the two species of Lactobacillus, and Bifidobacterium are actually found in worker bees worldwide! So what does the bee microbiome do? Some of the bacteria helps bees break…