Labbing (and teaching) at a small undergrad college (as opposed to a research-intensive institution)
People have asked me if I will miss the lab and the truth is one of the reasons I’ve wanted […]
Prof Bri’s “Office Hours”
I have an office! And, in addition to physical office hours for my students here at St. Mary’s College of […]
Step up to the microplate! But which one?
The colors aren’t just to look stylish… Some plates have transparent bottoms but opaque sides – these can be used […]
Practical Python Practice Problems for People who Pipet
Learning to code is much more fun – and useful – if you practice with things that are practical for […]
Tips for increasing your PCR specificity (decreasing nonspecific product formation)
When it comes to PCR, the thing I typically care most about is specificity. I want my sequence of interest […]
Practical advice for increasing your PCR product yield
If you need more PCR product, it might be tempting to just increase your PCR reaction volume (e.g. double everything […]
The meanings and uses of “apo,” “holo,” & “complex” and structural strategies for getting a look at macromolecular complexes
apo: a poor molecule going solo!The “apo” form of a molecule (typically a protein) is that molecule by itself, not […]
What “cognate” means in biochemistry, especially in the context of translation and cognate tRNAs
“Cognate” (in the context of biology) basically means “correct” – when you see it, think “recognize” because molecules are able […]
Oligo-, poly-, and “oligos”
If someone refers to “an oligo” they’re usually talking about an oligonucleotide (a short nucleic acid (DNA or RNA) chain), […]
Strategies for staying organized with your cloning and plasmids
It’s really important to keep your cloning and plasmids organized – take it from someone who’s literally juggled nearing 2 […]
