I’m doing functional imaging experiments using a CCD camera to record stimulus-evoked activity in the mouse brain. The experiments basically consist of surgery, then eight hours of sitting in place and pressing the same six keys on the computer over and over and over again, hundreds of times, day after day. Whenever I get tired of it, I remind myself of the guys who mapped out the nervous system of c.elegans, sitting in front of a little microscope looking at little samples for months and months, and I think to myself, man, I should have picked a more profound problem to spend all this time studying. :)
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Dara Sosulski's blog by Dara Sosulski
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Oh the tedium...
- Date:
- Monday, 29 Dec ember 2008 - 03:46 UTC
Last updated: Monday, 29 Dec 2008 - 03:46 UTC
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Comments
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As a PI I take the attitude that these things are Good For The Soul. You learn how boring they are, so you have sympathy for other people with similar tasks in the future.
Most of my PhD was spent cutting up leaves, and putting them in boxes.
Bob, I agree, there’s actually something very zen about the repetitiveness, and the focus you have while doing these experiments… honestly, I think the worst part is having to sit still in one place for so long, it reminds me of going to church with my parents when I was growing up…
Does life actually get more interesting after doing a PhD though? Aren’t all jobs composed of many repetitive elements? Those of us who are lucky get the odd splash of excitement, eg putting a twig into a box instead of a leaf.
Many people apply for jobs at Nature, thinking it is a glamorous, exicting life, and easier than doing research in terms of hours, workload, routine, etc. Talk to any of the successful candidates a year later…… ;-)
I miss those repetitive tasks in the lab. They are zen, and you can let your thoughts wander.