The irreverent science writings of Matthew Partridge (MCeeP)
Teaching in universities has always been a strange thing. Anyone that has been through the university system is oh too aware of it’s inconsistencies, eccentricities and tweed. But things have suddenly changed….
There are lots of reasons that you may need to take a break from working in the lab at some point. Over this year an unprecedented number of people have spent a significant time away from their labs and are only just now starting to go back. This is a Read more…
So last week we put out an article about all the ways you can keep doing research in these lockdown times. The tips range from ones that you can spend hours a day doing, to simple things that take just a few minutes a day. But, I don’t think we Read more…
We may all be stuck at home but there is still science to be done! Admittedly it’s currently very hard to do science that involves large lasers or going outside for more than an hour at a time, but with a bit of creativity there is still research we can Read more…
From my first experiment in primary school (when I dissolved salt in some water and wrote down how long it took) all the way up until the last time I made a saline buffer, I have been writing things down in a lab book. Well I say “writing” obviously most Read more…
In my lifetime as a researcher I have made more buffer solutions than I’ve had hot baths. That is to say that, if all the water from all the baths I’ve ever had was compared to the volume of buffer solutions I’ve made, it would be like comparing a glass Read more…
In the first lab I worked in I had a colleague that taught me an introduction to basic lab health and safety. I was lucky to have someone go through it all with me as most people I know started in labs with a slap on the back and a Read more…
Health and safety (H&S) inspections are a fun annual tradition in research that we all immensely look forward to in much the same way as I look forward to having my foot stepped on or falling on some sharp wood. A H&S inspection has two aims. The first aim is Read more…
As a science university student I’d conservatively guess that around 80% of my science time was sat on my bum. I seemed to spend most of my time in lectures or sat at a lab bench confused as to why my Petri dish of cheese mould was on fire. Even Read more…
The world of lab consumable sales is a competitive battle field of cut throat companies all fighting over a handful of confused researchers. Each company looking for a weapon in their arsenal to give them an edge. Much like that metaphor those poor researchers end up feeling stretched and confused. Read more…