I Keep Screwing Up in Research

[davidy200]

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Slight rant ahead.

So during this 2018 summer, I had a full time research position at a university. It was the first experience that I had in research and I absolutely loved it. The lab I worked in was a translational lab that started with medicinal chemistry to first synthesize drug candidates and went all the way up to drug trials in patients. I got to both synthesize the drug candidates and then test them in cells. I thought it was the greatest thing I had ever done, seeing both the chemistry and the biology I had learned in classes being used in practice. So, even though I was only required to work 40 hours a week, I would spend upwards of 60 hours during the internship. I rarely screwed up during this internship, aside from the occasional dropping of a glass beaker while washing it with acetone.

Fast forward now, I'm doing neuroscience research at my own university but now I KEEP messing up. For example for western blots, I've managed to:
1. Forget to boil the samples.
2. Overboil the samples.
3. Have samples that show no proteins concentration whatsoever on a Bradford Assay.

I feel like a waste of time and resources for my PI and graduate student I work under. Both of them keep saying its fine since I'm still fresh into research but I don't feel like its fine since I did not make these stupid mistakes when I was working during the summer. If I had to guess, I might pin it on me trying to balance 24 credit hours of classes (minimum to be a fulltime student is 12 here) while still doing 10-20 hours of research and extracurricular like volunteering as an EMT during overnight shifts. But, ultimately, I think that is a pitiful excuse for having poor research skills considering I still am excelling in all my classes and other extracurricular activities. I write down my mistakes and keep reviewing them so I don't repeat the same mistake but new ones keep popping up. I also take methodically jot down everything I do so that the grad student can check what I've done so far which he appreciates.

I guess what I'm trying to figure out is. How do I stop making dumb mistakes in research since I used to not make them during my summer research???

Thanks for reading.

TLDR;

I am currently in a research lab and I keep making dumb mistakes. I previously did not do so during my summer research lab but now I'm making them nonstop when I'm at college. How do I stop doing that?

 

[manofsteel9]

Use sticky notes- write down things you always forget and stick them to the area you do the experiments/analyses. It helps to write down very specific instructions on them as well (i.e. how long to boil, things to check for, etc.) and not to go on your phone when you're in lab. Good luck!

 

[Osteosaur]

Success in research techniques is about preparation and practice. Some skills, like learning how to do surgery or characterizing histological stains is just a matter of getting an eye for it and doing it a lot.

Preparation is something you can control.

The day before you should know where to find each material, and know you have it in stock and ready. You've mentioned "writing down mistakes so you can work on them" but are you following a written protocol or check-list line by line? You should be doing that and making note that you did it. That's how you manage mistakes like forgetting to do stuff.

EDIT: I disagree about using sticky notes. You should keep a clean, organized record of everything you do in a laboratory notebook. A bunch of disparate papers, notes, and signs can be moved or displaced and when it comes to writing up the experiment those steps may get lost or mistranslated.

 

[puahate]

I cant wait to just do computational or clinical research. Im too clumsy for basic science

 

[Goro]

Slight rant ahead.

So during this 2018 summer, I had a full time research position at a university. It was the first experience that I had in research and I absolutely loved it. The lab I worked in was a translational lab that started with medicinal chemistry to first synthesize drug candidates and went all the way up to drug trials in patients. I got to both synthesize the drug candidates and then test them in cells. I thought it was the greatest thing I had ever done, seeing both the chemistry and the biology I had learned in classes being used in practice. So, even though I was only required to work 40 hours a week, I would spend upwards of 60 hours during the internship. I rarely screwed up during this internship, aside from the occasional dropping of a glass beaker while washing it with acetone.

Fast forward now, I'm doing neuroscience research at my own university but now I KEEP messing up. For example for western blots, I've managed to:
1. Forget to boil the samples.
2. Overboil the samples.
3. Have samples that show no proteins concentration whatsoever on a Bradford Assay.

I feel like a waste of time and resources for my PI and graduate student I work under. Both of them keep saying its fine since I'm still fresh into research but I don't feel like its fine since I did not make these stupid mistakes when I was working during the summer. If I had to guess, I might pin it on me trying to balance 24 credit hours of classes (minimum to be a fulltime student is 12 here) while still doing 10-20 hours of research and extracurricular like volunteering as an EMT during overnight shifts. But, ultimately, I think that is a pitiful excuse for having poor research skills considering I still am excelling in all my classes and other extracurricular activities. I write down my mistakes and keep reviewing them so I don't repeat the same mistake but new ones keep popping up. I also take methodically jot down everything I do so that the grad student can check what I've done so far which he appreciates.

I guess what I'm trying to figure out is. How do I stop making dumb mistakes in research since I used to not make them during my summer research???

Thanks for reading.

TLDR;

I am currently in a research lab and I keep making dumb mistakes. I previously did not do so during my summer research lab but now I'm making them nonstop when I'm at college. How do I stop doing that?

Make a check list and follow it like a recipe. Do NOT try to rely on brute memory.
Mentally go over the technique in your head before you do it.

 

[yobo9345]

Seriously, don't sweat it, especially if your PI/mentor isn't sweating it. I have worked in molecular biology labs for years at this point and still make dumb-a** mistakes often--its just the nature of repetitive, tedious labor. Most reasonable people in science know this. It feels horrible to make mistakes but good results in research are the lucky exceptions not the rule. Don't be so hard on yourself and don't make a big deal about it if your seniors aren't either, just try try again. Sounds like you are doing the necessary analysis/introspection about what went wrong--I'd consider myself grateful to have a worker who showed the level of care that you do. Good luck!

 

[echogecko]

Extremely detailed protocols/checklists (that I have written myself, not borrowed from someone else) really help. Also, Westerns are notoriously tricky to get right, so seriously don't be discouraged if it takes a while to master.

 

[rasputinc]

Hey it happens. Just make sure to stay ethical and be honest and open about any mistakes- a sense of humor about them never hurts too. Humans aren't great at tedious and precise work. Even the most organized and check list oriented individual is bound to forget things or make mistakes (although check lists and memory helpers certainly are a good idea). I work in the clinical trial industry right now and can't tell you how many times I have messed up this week, let alone this month. Good luck in your future lab work!