Articles by Stephanie Mohr

File PhotoA rampant infection of "benchitis" has spread through my body. You might not have heard of this malicious disease but you'll probably recognize the symptoms. An infected individual comes in late, goes home early, sits for hours in front of the computer e-mailing friends, or makes comments such as, "If I have to run one more gel today I'm going to go crazy!"It's been my experience that a postdoc needs to have a lot of self-motivation to succeed. So much rests on what we can accomplish o

Strange smells, weird lighting, people with serious expressions on their faces as they quietly work on their research. Sound like the lab? Maybe. But I'm talking about the library, a place I have recently rediscovered. Not the online searchable library, not the downloadable PDF file library, but the real library. You know the place. It's that old, familiar building full of books and journals, 1970s-style study carrels, and the constant hum of photocopiers.My story starts here: I know a lot about

File photo This week I cleaned out a former colleague's lab bench to make room for someone new. Once I got started, the other people in the lab joined in. We cleared out solutions that were no longer sterile, called hazardous waste pickup to come get a bottle of diluted fixative, and recycled journal articles that can be stored as PDF files on a computer. Before I knew it we were engaged in a time-honored tradition: team cleaning. It's a thankless job but hey, sometimes it just has to get do

Courtesy of Stephanie Mohr It's happened again: One of my colleagues in the lab has announced she's pregnant. As a postdoc, I've based most of my life decisions on what's best for my education and career. So far, starting a family has not factored into the equation. Most of the time this seems right: I worked very hard to become a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard University. I am proud of the accomplishment. Why not continue on that path? And