Skills for aspiring scientists (such as people wanting to go to grad school) to develop early on

So you think you want to be a scientist? Maybe you're an undergrad or postbac hoping to go to grad school? Here are some skills to try to develop as early as possible (at least in my opinion & in an ideal world)

A lot of this can be found here: https://bit.ly/bumblingbiochemisttoolbox
https://thebumblingbiochemist.com/unc...

* Wet lab skills
* Biochemistry, molecular biology, etc. specific:
* PCR: http://bit.ly/pcrtrain &    • PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) - a c...  
* Molecular cloning: http://bit.ly/molecularcloningguide &    • Molecular cloning overview - techniqu...  
* Gel electrophoresis: https://bit.ly/agarosegelcompare & http://bit.ly/sdspageruler &    • Agarose gel electrophoresis - and a c...   &    • SDS-PAGE: an overview  
* Protein purification would be ideal if possible
* Protein purification: http://bit.ly/proteinpurificationtech &    • recombinant protein expression & puri...  
* Familiarity with the concept (if not actual practice with) of fundamental experimental techniques like western blots & co-IPs
* co-IPs & other pull-downs: https://bit.ly/pulldowns
* western blots: http://bit.ly/westernblotworkflow
* Comfort in making buffers and solutions
* buffers: http://bit.ly/phbuffers &    • Choosing and preparing pH buffers - p...  
* other solutions: http://bit.ly/sciencestocksolutions & https://bit.ly/startwithstocksolutions
* Proficiency with lab math (unit conversions, dilution calculations, master mixes, etc.)
* Practice doing things like μ to m (e.g. μL to mL) quickly in your head
* https://thebumblingbiochemist.com/let...
* http://bit.ly/c1v1equalsc2v2
* https://bit.ly/metric_calcs
* https://drive.google.com/file/d/1v7pf...
* https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TqCR...
* EXPERIENCE - this is a key thing they look for. They really want to see you doing research outside of the classroom setting.
* https://bit.ly/gradpostdocetc

* Computer skills
* Familiarity with using databases (Genbank, UniProt etc)
* https://bit.ly/databases_guide & https://bit.ly/3RYWlS6
* Proficiency with using spreadsheets (e.g. Excel)
* mastermixes: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
* Ideally: some computer coding/programming (e.g. basic command line & Python)
* https://bit.ly/why_program &    • Random tip - Use a Clipboard Manager  
* Ideally: use of a vector graphics program like Adobe Illustrator or InkScape (free alternative)
* https://bit.ly/adobe_illustrator_fund...

* Use of scientific literature
* Use of a reference manager program (e.g. Mendeley, Zotero)
* https://bit.ly/referencesreference &    • Mendeley and other reference manageme...  
* Finding scientific papers (PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, etc.)
* https://bit.ly/organizing_papers &    • Finding, organizing, reading, & takin...  
* Finding & differentiating primary literature (research articles) and review articles
* And reading and taking notes on both!
* spreadsheet for taking notes: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
* Tracking down references
* Using InterLibrary Loan to request papers through your library
* https://bit.ly/interlibraryloantips &    • Quick tip: use interlibrary loan to a...  

* Scientific presentation
* Ideally, poster presentation(s)
* If you can get on a paper, that’s awesome. But if you can’t, it’s not a deal breaker at all!
* CRUCIAL: Being able to explain what and why you’re doing in the lab and put things into context
* https://bit.ly/explainingyourscience &    • Explaining your research to other sci...  

* In general: Show initiative and be resourceful!
* Taking initiative to look up answers, look up protocols, etc. THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT BUT OVERLOOKED!
* Google is your friend. Stack overflow, even Reddit, can be great sources of info and help when you get stuck.
* Work on strategic Googling to more easily find what you need. As long as it’s not a test or something like that, it’s not cheating to look up these things! I do it all the time!
* https://bit.ly/scientificgoogling &    • Tips & tricks for Googling strategica...  

* Familiarize yourself with the grad school process & start looking into potential programs
* You can typically find almost all the info you need on their websites
* https://bit.ly/gradpostdocetc