Daniel, Author at Hello PhD

110: The Secret Life of Pets (in Grad School)

February 24, 2019February 24, 2019 Daniel 1 Comment

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After a tough day of negative results and an ornery PI, it can be nice to come home to someone who thinks you’re amazing, loves you unconditionally, and wants nothing more than to cuddle with you on the couch.

Of course, we’re talking about pets; dogs, cats, gerbils, rabbits, birds, horses and, I’m told, snakes and reptiles, can brighten even the darkest day.

But despite their well-known restorative powers, pets can be a lot of work. Does a grad student or postdoc really have time to take care of another creature?

This week, we assess the pros, and cons, of caring for pets in grad school.

109: HelloPhD Guide to Grad School Applications – Understanding Your Offer Letter with Dr. Emily Roberts

February 4, 2019March 12, 2019 Daniel Leave a comment

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It’s been an exhausting journey, but you’re nearing the end. You slogged through reams of application forms, personal statements, and letters of reference. You gave up every weekend for two months, traveling to interview at different schools.

But the blessed day has finally arrived when your inbox ‘dings’ with the sound of a grad school offer letter!

It’s time to take everything you’ve learned about research programs, college towns, and faculty advisors and add another layer to your decision making: Can I actually afford to go to grad school?

108: My Green Lab with Allison Paradise

January 21, 2019January 21, 2019 Daniel 2 Comments

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It’s Monday morning and you arrive in lab a little late. No worries, you drop your tissue culture media into the warming bath, turn on the hood, and head down the hall while things ‘warm up.’

Next stop is the -80 freezer. You dig through the drifting piles of frost and snow, around the boxes of samples with labels that wore off ages ago, and find your quarry. You throw your weight into the door, and manage to get it latched – just barely – and head to the lab.

Once there, you dump yesterday’s gel buffer down the drain and start measuring out agarose and ethidium bromide for today’s experiments. With the gel poured, it’s finally time for coffee. Then maybe you’ll get around to splitting your cells.

It may be an easy morning for a cell biologist, but it was pretty rough on the planet. This week we explore some simple tweaks this busy scientist could make to be greener and more sustainable!

107: Industry Insights – Career Evolution at 23andMe

January 7, 2019January 7, 2019 Daniel 1 Comment

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When you’re a graduate student, your conception of ‘industry’ has a lot in common with your understanding of a black-hole.

First, you’ve been told it’s a scary and unpredictable place. (“Did you know they can just change your project or fire you at will?”)

Second, it’s a one-way trip. (“Once you step off the tenure track, there’s no going back!”)

And finally, information doesn’t escape its gravitational pull. You get plenty of visits and seminars from academic postdocs and PIs, but how many times has your department invited an industry scientist?

This week on the show, we escape the industry event-horizon by interviewing three very real, and very successful PhDs currently working at 23andMe.

106: HelloPhD Guide to Grad School Applications – Acing Your Interview with Dr. Beth Bowman

December 16, 2018December 16, 2018 Daniel 1 Comment

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See our previous episodes in this series:

With most jobs, you’ll need to submit a polished resume along with a handful of ebullient references. Maybe you’ll pass through a phone-screen with HR and then spend 20 minutes with the hiring manager.

To get into grad school, the interview process will take days.

Grad school interviews often start with a flight to a new city. You’ll have a casual chat with the grad student assigned to retrieve you from the airport, then meet the fellow candidate with whom you’ll share a hotel room.

The moment you get settled, you’re off to dinner with some faculty, followed by an early bedtime. That’s because tomorrow morning, you’ll pass through a series of orientation sessions, faculty interviews, a tour of the city, and finally, a late-night out with the current students in the program.

You’ll fly back home the next day, grateful to be sleeping in your own bed. And just when you get settled, you’ll need to hop on a plane to reach the next school where you’ll start the process again.