TOP TIP No. 3: RELATIONSHIP ADVICE!!

It’s really important to build relationships with everyone in the lab environment. First and fore most you must be able to get on with, and talk openly with your supervisor as it is them who will be guiding you through your PhD. Supervisors are not mind readers so they will have no clue if you are struggling, in which case it is your responsibility to make them aware of any problems or concerns you have regarding your work and even your personal life. Do not underestimate the effects something in your personal life may have on the way you work in the lab, so LET PEOPLE KNOW! Always do your best to be friendly with everyone as each person has their own experiences and expertise, and will therefore be able to help you in all sorts of ways 🙂

So put yourself out there and start building those bridges!

XXX

Off we go again…

Welcome back everyone! It’s the start of another semester and already we are back into the swing of things but before I get going I just want to wish you all a very belated Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Holidays are always a fantastic way to relax, catch up with all the family news, recuperate some energy for the coming term and do some background reading for the coming work- well I didn’t actually get much of that done but the intention was there!!

Anyway I have now started my second mini project and this time I am working in the SCRM (Scottish Centre for Regenerative medicine) with the joint supervisors of Lesley Forrester and Stuart Forbes, where my project is to derive macrophages from mouse ESCS and then take these cells into various liver models of injury and repair. The project offers a whole new array of techniques for me to learn and so I am very excited to get going!

The SCRM is basically a big cube with open plan office spaces running round the outside and laboratory rooms internally to these. It feels very spacious and airy which is a nice environment to work in. When I first arrived, I was spooked by the fact that the offices and labs are only separated by glass walls as I had this vision of me messing up horrendously, causing a fire or something and everyone in the offices watching and laughing… or scolding me-yikes! However this is not the case and its quite nice because if I am ever bored at my desk I can either look out of the window or watch those working in the lab like a sort of scientist zoo exhibition-it’s fun!!

Anyway everyone here has welcomed me in and we go for a daily coffee break at 11am which offers a good opportunity to get to know each other a bit better. I have founded a ‘lunch crew’ with some of my peers who work at various labs in little France campus and we arrange to have lunch every day at various canteens. It’s really fun to see them and catch up on each other’s lab progress and other work around the campus. I hope that in the future if we face any technical challenges we  may be able to impart some wisdom to one another!

So currently I am getting to grips with cell culture. I have done a fair amount of tissue culture in the past but always with biopsies of tissue not individual cells, so it has been good learning the art of cell seeding and passage (a new word which I use a lot at lunch crew to instil my importance upon the other members!). We will take these cells through a differentiation protocol and hope for the best! I really enjoy culturing cells as it feels just like looking after pets- they have to be well fed, clean and treated with love and affection, this way they will provide you with the enjoyment and success you desire!!!!!!

So that’s it for now, I will write again in a month!
This is just a pic of my new lab book and diary as the colours are so pretty together- enjoy!!
X