Is "Maybe next time" code for "Maybe never"? ????♀?
Greetings!
It was my dad who started preparing me for the learning mindset I’d need to adopt as a scientist. Whenever I’d moan about having to study while other kids were playing outside, without fail, he’d say:
“This is how life is, you never stop having to learn new things—I’m in the same boat as you!”?
I always found his response exasperating, though of course, he was right.
Being a scientist means nothing is ever set in stone. You don’t just have to keep up with all the new findings that come out on a daily basis. You’ll likely also have to spend time un-learning methods that you picked up over your early career, where you may have been taught a particular way of doing things that’s “okay,” but isn’t optimal.
Except that finding the space to learn?when you’re stressed out by projects with tight deadlines isn’t easy. On top of the time and energy you invest in learning a new method, putting it into practice for the first time can take longer than expected.?
It’s no secret that as a company, we’re big advocates for adopting Design of Experiments (DOE). It’s a methodology that, overall, takes less effort, and gives you better quality data and deeper insights—all by looking at how multiple variables (known as factors) interact with each other, instead of looking at one factor at a time (OFAT). Taking the time to learn it sounds like a no-brainer.?
But then you think, “Hey, I really have to show some results at that next team meeting. I think I'm going to stick with OFAT just this once, and maybe next time I'll try DOE.” Only next time the pressure's still on and it feels easier not to, and the same thing happens again and again. Yet by sticking with OFAT, you’ll spend more time in the lab, and you’ll get less valuable information out.
So, how do you break that cycle?
To me, it's about alleviating some of that pressure. You need to be given that time to learn. Though many organizations realize the benefits of upskilling their employees, there's still some way to go.
In the meantime, every minute you can carve out for learning is still better than none at all.?
'Til the next one,
?? Speaking of minutes, have you got 6?
That's all our resident DOE experts Michael (aka Sid) Sadowski and James (JAJA) Arpino need to teach you the DOE fundamentals.
Start learning DOE in just 6 minutes a day with their free 8-day email course. Did we mention it's live???
????? "We're lending you our experience"
The most difficult part of DOE comes when you're putting it into practice, and you hit a point where you don't know what to do next. A compilation of others' experiences to fall back on always comes in handy... ??? ???
?? An ode to the TEMPEST?
Our automation specialist Daniel Yip's?latest review paid tribute to the TEMPEST? from FORMULATRIX ?. From input and output plate stackers to a lightning-fast plate shuttle, he's got high hopes for how it can help scientists automate high-throughput experiments.?
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