Lab is the second home- Is it true for a science researcher?

 

Feel @ Home-in the lab

For an academic research scholar or a PhD student, lab can be considered as second home. I am talking about a research scholar or a PhD student in the field of science, who has to work in a laboratory to finish the scientific project for acquiring the experience or degree. In contrast to other field, a research job in academia is not time bound, means the scholar is not always bound to be present in the work place from 9 to 5, instead it may be required to physically present the whole day, sometimes the whole night, depending upon the experimental design and the work load in a predefined time frame with a deadline. Unlike the corporate job or any other administrative job the scholar is not rewarded with an ‘overtime’ payment for this additional presence, as no one got paid to stay in his/her own home for an additional hour to work. The basic difference of an academic research job and other job is the difference in the rewarding pattern. Generally, ‘job’ is emolument oriented where a person is working for a payment. The work is done by an employee is given by the employer and the direct gain from that work will be availed by the employer and the employee is paid for finishing that work successfully. In this general pattern, the employee works for others in return he/she obtains financial benefit, while a PhD student or science scholar works not only for fellowship or salary but also for academic achievement which consists of good publications, international recognition in the field of science and a prosperous academic career in future.  Therefore, the way a scholar thinks about the job is full of personal interest which will reward him/her with personal benefit apart from emolument.

But in many cases, research scholars failed to get attached with their job as the ‘personal benefit’ is not seemed to be very attractive to them from a financial perspective. Huge workload with numerous extra hours including weekends in the lab without extra salary may be one of the reasons, where the motivation uses to be faded gradually. This is accelerated if the outcome of the research project becomes blurred with continuous experimental failures with reduced chances of good publication and moreover that is reproached by the research supervisor. Often, young people newly joined in a research environment got disheartened with these scenarios and quits within a few months or years.

Do not bring office to home but bring home to office

As in the first line I have written “For an academic research scholar or a PhD student, lab can be considered as second home”, let’s make it more clarified. Experimental research work in the field of science cannot be time bound, as experiments with scientific system follows the rule of nature not the researcher’s own time schedule. For example, if a biologist has to follow the circadian rhythm of a particular biological phenomena in an organism, then he/she has to observe the organism for 24 h to collect samples in each and every hour and the whole experiment has to be done for multiple times to get robust data. That demands 24 hours presence of the biologist in the lab and there is no way to ask the organism to stop its biological process for the night so that the biologist can have proper sleep. In another example, suppose a microbiologist has to collect samples after each couple of hour in a day, then he has to collect the samples for twelve times within 24 hours and he/she has to stay in the lab all the day and night. Here is the difference of a research job from the other jobs, one may take a pause in other jobs according to the work schedule and resume it next day from the same point, but in scientific research work the scientist has to follow the schedule of nature, and nature will not follow the scientist. Here the deadline is not the matter; the matter is the work pattern.  Therefore, in long term this kind of work pattern may disrupt the interest of a researcher if he/she is not getting personally attached with the work and the work environment.

From many professionals I got a lesson that “Do not bring office to home”. This sentence seems to be practical for a professional but of course needs a modification specifically when professional jobs do not follow the basic definition of job, for example, an academic research job.  Here the sentence “Do not bring office to home” could be rearranged like “Bring home to office” which actually means to feel homely at workplace. Bring all the comfort and calms of mind to the workplace. But how it would be possible? Here is the key of being attached with the research project and the lab without being additionally paid with money. If a scholar with a focused target joins a research lab then that focus will be his/her motivation. But that motivation will sustain if that scholar feels at home in the lab. Feeling at home helps a lot to increase the success rate in the experiments and the productivity of the scholar as it helps the scholar’s mind to be in a comfort zone. This is typically ignored most of the time in a research lab. Homely feeling in lab may be achieved by the following approaches:

       a)    Feel that everything is yours

When you join a lab as a PhD student or a research scholar you are supposed to stay in the lab for a long period which may be 3-5 years, may be more than that. Therefore, it is expected that you will be a long-term member of the research group. All the equipment and furniture in the lab will take you as a guardian and will be serving you for a long term. You should consciously take the charge of each and every object provided to you from the very first day and should feel that for the next 3-5 years all these are for you. That does not mean you should claim your possession selfishly on those and would not share those with your lab mates. Think, at your home you share most your stuffs with your family members and some common objects like sofa sets, television or dining table are for all of you. Here the same feeling should work, if you think you are sharing it with your family members of your second home. Attachments will grow with the objects with time in your subconscious. Try to make a habit of taking care of the experimental equipments not only as a formal ‘good laboratory practice’ but as a careful guardian.

 

      b)    Arrange and decorate the working table as per your own choice

Your working bench is yours, and you have full right to arrange it as per your own choice. Generally, a laboratory based researcher has two working benches, one is for experimental works, and another is for data analysis or writing. Experimental working bench uses to be full of stuffs and sometimes you have to share it with other lab members, if your lab has a big group compared to space. That is fine; you may have shared your favorite couch with your siblings at your home. But you may have your personal working table for data analysis or writing, which you do not have to share with others. That is yours. You may keep your preferred alarm clock or show piece in a corner. You may stick your favorite photograph in front of your table or stick your favorite quote motivates you. You may keep your favorite books or chocolates or dry fruits in the drawer of your working bench; keep your favorite wallpaper in your computer. All these tiny things make feel you homely a little.

 

     c)    A part of your time is always yours

Try to get a ‘break time’ in your busy working schedule. You may read your favorite books during this hour. You may watch your favorite movie or daily soap or any favorite web series during the lunch hour. This will give you a relief from the continuity of work pressure. You may have a light chitchat with your colleagues or make a quick call to your old friend. Always try to take a long break for one or two if you have to stay longer or overnight in the lab. You may bring you favorite cushion or pillow and mattress if you want to take a brief power nap or take a little rest in between your overnight experiment. Keep enough water, dry foods, coffee for the night, make a picnic like environment. Your work should not be a liability, it should be a fun which will give you pleasure.

 

      d)    Find your bestie/besties

You might have multiple siblings at home and you love them all but may be the youngest one is closest to you. Similarly, you should have good relations to all of your lab members but there might be a special one to whom you feel very easy, to whom you may express most of your thoughts, you may share your grief or your pleasure.  Yes, that is your bestie. If you find more than one such people then you are luckier. This is not much different from your school days, when you found your best friend or friends in the class. This kind of relationship makes broader space to breath in your working environment.

 

     e)    You are well, all are well

James clear, in his famous book ‘Atomic Habits’, have written a very insightful concept of ‘relationship compound’. He wrote:

“People reflect your behavior back to you. The more you help others, the more others want to help you.”

In my opinion this is a universal truth which can be applied to any area. That may be your society, your home or your workplace. If you behave selfishly to your family member at your home, gradually you will be detached to your family and will be alone. On the contrary, if you are selfless, helpful to others then the whole family will be closer to you; you will build a strong bond to your family. Similarly, in your lab, if you act selflessly and help others in small-small things that will create a big impact with time and will make strong bonds to each of the members. Then, they will help you with pleasure in your tough times. You may have different people in your surroundings, some of them may be helpful, and some may not. But without being judgmental from very first day, you should act selflessly as per your best and try to help others in their work if they need.  James clear concluded,

“Being a little bit nicer in each interaction can result in a network of broad and strong connections over time”.

 

       f)     Try to take part in every event

Always try to take part in every outing, every party or small events organized in the lab. Do not be an introvert, at least when you are in your workplace, because in long term that will make you isolated and may cause a depression over time which may hamper your academic goal. Try to take initiative for any event planned for the lab members, take part in the informal meetings regarding the events. If all the members are planning for an outing, try to take at least one of the responsibilities regarding that, which may be cab booking or hotel booking or cash-management. That is required not for the lab-group but for you, because that group is yours and you are happy to be a part of the group.

 

      g)    Share you work-failure with others

Experimental works are full of failures. It is expected to fail 90% of time in you scientific experiment. That is okay; do not get upset, even if you are on a deadline. Along with your own effort to overcome it, share your failures with the other members, ask them for any suggestion. Be open minded, keep your ego away and do not hesitate to take suggestion from even an inexperienced one and you don’t know from where you will get the key to success. Do not think that your failure will make others happy, because you are in a different work environment which is not a corporate or administrative field. Your failure will not help others to get promotion.  

One may follow these steps practically, and may see the changes happening in the lab-life. Making lab one’s second home is not so tough, and that is important to get rid of obvious stresses to increase the productivity and for a successful academic future.