Tips for Success

Be Curious, Not Clueless:

Ask questions. No one expects you to walk into the lab knowing how to operate every instrument or troubleshoot every protocol. They do expect you to show curiosity and initiative. Ask why things are done a certain way. Ask how things work. Labs are built on the shoulders of those who weren’t afraid to ask questions (even the “dumb” ones). Curiosity is how scientists are made.

And remember: You are a scientist, not a bartender. If you don’t understand the purpose behind your pipetting or your reagents, you’re just mixing liquids.

Keep a Lab Notebook (Religiously):

If you didn’t write it down, it didn’t happen. Period. Even the most brilliant result will fade from memory faster than your lunch if it’s not documented. A detailed, organized lab notebook is your best defense against confusion, lost data, and awkward conversations six months from now.

Your institution may use LabArchives or a similar digital platform. If so, embrace it! It keeps your work searchable, organized, and shareable. Log everything: observations, mistakes, protocol tweaks, strange smells — future-you (or your lab mates) will thank you.

Pipette Like a Pro:

Your pipette is not just a fancy straw. Learn how to use it correctly:

• Never exceed its maximum volume.

• Never push to the second stop when drawing liquid up — that’s for dispensing only.

• Calibrate regularly.

• Respect the limitations of your tools; misuse ruins accuracy and ruins experiments.

Practice precision and care. The difference between 0.1 mL and 1 mL might feel tiny… until your results are off by orders of magnitude.

Check Your Work Twice (Your Controls Three Times):

Double-check everything: your labels, your concentrations, your reagents, your incubation times. Mistakes happen, but vigilance reduces how often they happen to you.

Controls are your experiment’s moral compass — they tell you if things are working as intended. Triple-check them. Bad controls mean wasted time, wasted resources, and a very grumpy PI.

Stay Humble:

Science is humbling by nature. Experiments fail. Cells die. Reagents expire. Equipment breaks. Sometimes the protocols that “worked perfectly last week” refuse to cooperate today.

It’s not personal. It’s part of the process. Stay resilient. Learn from failure. Adapt. Document what happened. Share your setbacks. Celebrate small wins — they’re how big breakthroughs begin.

Humility keeps your mind open and your ego in check. It reminds you that growth in science isn’t linear — it’s iterative.

Communicate:

Don’t disappear into your experiment. Update your mentor. Share your progress. If a reagent is running low, say something — the next person won’t appreciate finding out mid-assay.

Make sure to also book the machines you need for the day ahead of time. This helps others know who is using the analysis machines and when, letting them schedule their day properly, and letting your qPCR run all the way through instead of accidentally opening the lid to put their sample in. 

If you break something, spill something, or make a mistake, own up to it immediately. Trying to cover it up only makes things worse. Lab teams respect honesty and responsibility. No one expects perfection, but they do expect transparency.

Avoid surprises — unless it’s someone bringing in cake. Then surprises are fine.

Be On Time (Seriously):

Respect shared equipment schedules. Being five minutes late might seem minor to you, but it creates a ripple effect of delays and frustration. Time in the lab is precious and often carefully scheduled; don’t waste it for others.

Punctuality shows respect for your lab mates, your mentor, and the work itself. It’s one of the simplest ways to build trust and goodwill in a professional environment.