Scientists, It’s OK to Be Well Rounded
Exploring other interests doesn’t make you less of a scientist, our Experimental Error columnist writes.
“Dear Most Honored Professor”: How Much Respect Is Too Much?
Finding the right dynamic can be a two-way street, our Experimental Error columnist writes.
Quoth My PI: “Nevermore”
For Halloween, our Experimental Error columnist reimagines Edgar Allan Poe’s classic poem for academia.
The Lord of the Stir Plates: A Cautionary Tale
Our Experimental Error columnist atones for petty behavior in lab.
Your Thesis Committee: Like a Jury, but Not Your Peers
The power differential between Ph.D. student and committee member can be daunting, our Experimental Error columnist writes.
You Can Attend This Conference If You Promise You Won’t Enjoy It
Our Experimental Error columnist was surprised to find a “Persuade Your Boss” section on a conference website.
A Postdoc by Any Other Name Is Not Always as Sweet
The maze of official academic job titles isn’t just semantics, our Experimental Error columnist writes.
When Universities Are Theme Parks, Postdocs and Grad Students Suffer
Our Experimental Error columnists reflects on a “serious flaw” in one institution’s affordable housing efforts.
Your Nonacademic Career Is Not a Consolation Prize
Our Experimental Error columnist shares how he navigated doubts about leaving academia.
So You Think You Can Dance Your PhD
What our Experimental Error columnist learned from judging this year’s contest.
Burn, Bridges, Burn? Why Scientists Remain Indebted to Former Bosses
Employment references rarely matter—except when they do, writes our Experimental Error columnist.
Scientists, Don’t Let Your Writing Resemble Something You Pulled out of Your Bot
“The fact that bots find scientific writing to be easy pickings is not a compliment,” our Experimental Error columnist writes.
New Science Jargon for the New Year
Doubtlier, gaboratory, whenure: from our Experimental Error columnist, the words you didn’t know you needed.
Some Grad Students Turn Up Their Nose at Strikes; Others Picket
Our Experimental Error columnist reports on impending strikes across University of California campuses.
Amid the NYU Orgo Fracas, Let’s Remember: Rigor and Respect Aren’t Mutually Exclusive
Difficulty doesn’t need to be demeaning, our Experimental Error columnist writes.