It’s always difficult when newbie trainees start work in the lab. They’re bright eyed, bushy tailed, full of energy and itching to sink their teeth into some science. At the same, they’re usually a tad freaked out at the animals, the expensive machines that go PING!, the chemicals that smell like dead fish and the stuff that breaks easily.
A few months down the track, however, and they’re old hands with their protocols. They can recognize when things go wrong and fix them. Multi-tasking starts to become the norm. They begin to learn how to critically analyze their work.
But as soon as the PI mentions that she’s taking a vacation, all hell breaks loose.
How will they function without you?
What should they work on while you’re gone?
What if something goes wrong?
How will they interpret their data?
Will you be able to be reached by phone or email in the event that they have questions?
OMFG!!1!!! We’re all screwed!11!!ELEVENTY!11!!!!!
As a PI, one needs to have trust in one’s trainees. Trust that they won’t destroy the lab while you're gone. Trust that they’ll continue with their experiments and generate supercool data. Trust that they’ll use their initiative to continue to develop their projects. Trust that they'll pull together and help each other if something goes awry.
Sigh. And hope like hell they don’t burn the place down.
For Beth, who is my friend
6 hours ago
"A few months down the track, however, and they’re old hands with their protocols"
ReplyDeleteIdeally! However, as a grad student I spent an entire year pandering to the needs of the "new" postdoc who was less competent than any of the undergrads I have supervised. My PI made the mistake of hiring this person without speaking to him or his former PI on the phone, but the bigger mistake was not firing him in the first three months.
My grad school PI was an assistant professor that always fretted about us burning the lab down. I never did, but I considered setting her stupid postdoc on fire. When you leave is when any strive in the lab will come to a head, so it is important not to ignore any potential situations brewing. Remember that your most needy student will be leaning more heavily on your most competent/nurturing lab member while you are gone.
Also if you trust your people to buy supplies you have to trust them to understand the lab is on a budget and not freak out when they buy necessary supplies (I am assuming as a new PI you are on a tight budget). Having people afraid to make orders without your approval can really halt progress while you are away.
Not trying to scare you, and everything should work out fine. However, my former PI was a nice person who tried to do best by everyone – and this was a mistake because in doing so she failed her more deserving mentees and productivity dropped somewhat.
If you have a good postdoc, remember he or she will have copped just fine when their last PI left them home alone.
Our lab makes sick progress when the boss is out, and this is due to a few reasons.
ReplyDelete1. Thanks to the PI's absence we don't have personal or lab meetings with them and thus have more time in the lab.
2. We know they will be back soon so we want to impress then with kickass data and just grind it out.
3. Even though the lab is not pressurized, we feel less pressure when the boss is out.
Trust, or set up a nanny-cam. ;0
ReplyDeleteMy last lab the PI got round that by never taking vacation. Ever. Seriously.
ReplyDeleteHow fucking fried was this d00d!? Look where I am now.
A new girl in my lab is a total n00b that doesn't really get it. and its hard for me as an outgoing grad student to help her along when she's so insanely freaked out about screwing up even in the smallest way.
ReplyDeleteI think not having an advisor on the same continent as me for my first year of my PhD really helped... but who am I to judge? >:-0
-Frequent reader who this time wishes to remain anonymous
A agree with Genomic Repairman for all three listed reasons. One of my most productive times of my PhD has been the 10 months that my PI was on sabatical on the other side of the world.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I'm in a big lab and all hell breaks loose not when the PI is away but when the lab manager is away
My subject is not a laboratory science (math)...so I always used to love it when my advisor would go on vacation. It would give me so much more freedom.... In fact, I wrote my actual thesis while my advisor was on sabbatical in Europe.
ReplyDeleteAB
I was actually talking about this the other day about myself: how I cant believe how comfortable I am with animals, the confocal microscope etc. now that Ive been around for awhile, when I used to feel impending panic attacks when left solo with responsibility over these types of things.
ReplyDeleteLeaving the lab must be an interesting dilemma for a PI. I find that in both labs I work in there are people who work as usual, and people who totally slack when the boss is gone (and Im talking students, postdocs, and techs here). Sometimes, people dont even come in when the boss is away, and of course, no one "rats" anyone out, so without sleuthing, the PI would never know.
Totally want to second the comment above about ordering too - has to be an allowance for that when you are away!
I just ask them not to blow up the lab or break the osmometer, and good luck to 'em, because lab PIs need a break too. If they want to goof off, that's their problem.
ReplyDeleteSo you didn't make a bet with yourself about how long it would be until the keg came out?
ReplyDeleteIt was always a HUGE relief when The Boss went out of town....at least while the plane was in the air. Then came the barrage of requests. I should probably write a post about it tomorrow-- other grad student always thought it was funny how obsessed we all were with flight trackers.