• Question: do you regulary do experiments, what tipe of scientist are? is your everyday life at your lab exiting?do you have your own lab

    Asked by dangerrmouse to Adam, Joanna, Louise S, Louise W, Marcus on 13 Nov 2012. This question was also asked by katiemichaels, caitlinc.
    • Photo: Joanna Giles

      Joanna Giles answered on 13 Nov 2012:

      I do experiments every single day (Except this week as I am at a science meeting in America – a bit far away from my lab in Cardiff!). I would say that I am a biochemist because I look at how proteins in the blood interact with each other and my degree was in Biochemistry.

      Everyday life in the lab is exciting, and I am always busy so the days do seem to fly by. I don’t have my own lab. but I do have my own project and funding so I have space in a lab and we share lots of equipment.

      Thanks for asking 🙂

    • Photo: Louise Walkin

      Louise Walkin answered on 13 Nov 2012:

      I also do experiments everyday, although some days I am waiting for cells to grow so I sometimes have to work at my desk and not be in the lab. I’m not sure what type of scientist I would call myself, my degree was in physiology, and now I study genetics. I basically call myself a Research Scientist and then say what I specialise in exactly.
      I find every day exciting – mostly becuase no two days are the same! Science is a very exdciting field!
      I don’t have my own lab, the most senior scientists run the lab that I work in (they are my boss!). It would be nice to have my own lab one day. I’d make sure that it was nice and colourful with lots of exciting equipment! 🙂

    • Photo: Marcus Wilson

      Marcus Wilson answered on 13 Nov 2012:

      I usualy do experiemnts everyday, but at the moment I am writing soem of my results up. Im itching to get back to lab work.

      I also call myself a biochemist, Im more intersted in how proteins work on DNA rather than the DNA itself.

      sometimes it can be very exciting, especially because when you get a result to a new experiemnt you are the only one in the whole world that knows that new little bit extra about nature.

      Im just at the start of my career so i don’t have my own lab, Im one of 15 people in my boss’ lab. I hope to have my own lab one day.

    • Photo: Louise Stanley

      Louise Stanley answered on 13 Nov 2012:

      I am a bit different to the other scientists here in that I am not part of a research lab but work for the NHS diagnosing patients with genetic diseases. I don’t get in the lab much doing practicals as we have other people who do that part. My job is to figure out what the results mean and give the results back to the doctor. I don’t have my own lab but my sister does! You can check out her website here

      http://www.lifesci.dundee.ac.uk/groups/nicola_stanley-wall/

      She does a lot of activities with school children with bugs and stuff!

    • Photo: Adam Paige

      Adam Paige answered on 13 Nov 2012:

      I do lots of experiments but not every day anymore. I used to in my last job, but I also spend a lot of my time teaching university students now. I have students working in the lab doing projects a lot of the time, so I spend quite a lot of time in the lab supervising them and helping train them. And a LOT of time on the computer planning teaching, marking reports, writing grant applications and answering emails.

      Working in a lab is really exciting, though the experiments often do not work properly and have to be improved and repeated. So some days are depressing “it didn’t work” days, whilst others are really exciting “i have found out something new” days.

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