(1/2) A Day in the Life of an Academic Researcher

A little bit about what it's like in a research laboratory at a university. I'll answer questions about the people, the money, the culture, and the day to day activities. The images are a bunch of random screen grabs. Some are photos I have taken, but I won't say which.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Research
• Lab
• Academic
• Culture
• R01
• NIH
• post-doc
• biology
• education
• molecular
• discovery
• Thunderf00t

[iDeist]

boring

[C0nc0rdance]

*sniffs* I smell trolls.  Smells like ignorance.

[Larty42]

I'm a new university student in physics, thinking about becoming a scientist. Not exactly sure what I'm getting myself in to...

I have been thinking about studying biophysics or astronomy, but I haven't decided which one to choose. Suggestions, anyone?

[C0nc0rdance]

It's always a great idea to pick a mentor. Interview people (professor or grad student) from both departments. Get a sense of what is going on in their fields, what kind of obstacles they face, what the funding is like. My guess is that astronomy is the more challenging of fields to find faculty spots in.

If you wanted a career in industry, the highest paid, highest demand degree is chemistry, hands down.

I made a video on "How to Become a Scientist" that might help.

[ScientiaVeritasEtLux]

haha, I laughed at the part where you pointed out that the kid with the shorts must not have been burned by phenol before. That's exactly what happened to my high school biotech teacher when he was young. He wore shorts and got a tiny little drop on his knee, but that was enough to get him to follow the rules from then on.

[C0nc0rdance]

For those who have never been burned with a phenol spill, the phenol numbs the area even as it is chemically burning the skin. It just feels slightly cold, but meanwhile it's destroying tissue. Don't screw around with phenol.

[generaleskimo]

No, I always pictured a "lab" as Gordon Freeman running down steel hallways killing things.

[BJ219]

Wow. My 19 year old cousin who barely passed high school makes more money doing oil production than these post-docs.

[EasyEs]

@C0nc0rdance I would suggest any young people who want a career science take a look at petroleum geoscience. It requires a great deal of proficiency in physics and chemistry, as well as geology (duh). There is high and growing demand, and the pay is very high. With a Masters it is easy to find a job with a salary of +100$K starting.

A great career that I highly recomend for anyone who loves science.

[KeyOfAm]

Ill be honest C0nc0rdance. I think this video has JUST help me choose my path in life. Thank you so much for this video.

[AnonymousElektron]

@DocStrange0123 excuse me the New World Order is a conspiracy and it is real, I assure youl.

You can sit her,e all you like and disagree but it isn't.

These sickos are trying to build a new world order and want us to get chipped.

[DocStrange0123]

@AnonymousElektron delusional much? NWO blahblah... you conspiracysts are pathetic... of course everything is moved by economic interests and corporations yadda yadda yadda blahblhablha... but it's pathetic, a frog jumps and it's a conspiracy... someone sneeze in Hawai and NWO is behind it... please... you are boring us with you bullshit...

[AnonymousElektron]

New World Order tinkerers.

Your time will come, fools.

[Dacijo]

@generaleskimo as he was saying near the end of the video, its best if the stake out an area of specialty.

[8DX]

Already watched this, but its such a nicely made and well explained view of scientific institutions that I can easily watch it again and again. Lovely.

=8)-DX

[MNSDaz]

fascinating!

[TheThroughaway]

grad students only work 30-50hrs/week?!?! are you crazy? for microbiology graduate students, after the first year which is spent taking full course load as well as rotating in labs, students work full time. a better estimate is working 50-70 hours/week in the lab, which does not including the after hours spent reading current literature or writing. advertising grad school as a part time affair is not appropriate for students considering grad school. it is in no way a part time investment.