I honestly think that one of the most important things when it comes to being a good experimentalist – a piece of advice I’d most like to pass on – is to know why you’re doing what you’re doing. At every step of the way. From the big-picture (i.e. explicitly identify the goals of the experiment – I even write these in my notes), to the step-by-step minutiae (even (actually, *especially*) for kits – try to figure out what each step is doing & how). This helps you stay on track, troubleshoot if things go wrong, and even come up up with new experimental ideas.

YouTube: https://youtu.be/Q7oOeDvdcOE

It also gives you a better appreciation for biochemistry, helps you “think like a molecule,” and makes even “boring” protocols fun! 

So, before you dive into an experiment, dive into the protocol. Especially if it’s a kit’s. Kits can be great (and I use them all the time) – but before you go to use one, make sure you know at least the basics of what’s happening at each step (some things are proprietary but you’d be surprised how much you can find out with some strategic Googling – and you can look to see what primary literature the protocol sites). 

Basically, I’ve been thinking lots of thoughts about this sort of thing – what are the most important things to convey to students and mentees beyond what they can get in textbooks. And these are some of the thoughts I thought of, so thought I’d share some of these thoughts in case anyone else thinks they’re helpful. 

more on experimenting thoughtfully: https://bit.ly/experimenting_thoughtfully & https://youtu.be/R4tihl0BZcc 

more posts on topics pertaining to scientists-in-training: https://bit.ly/gradpostdocetc

more about what’s going on in a miniprep… http://bit.ly/minipreps   ; YouTube:  https://youtu.be/UydCrBN0vBE