Getting Started

a clear, comprehensive guide to lab life Author: Laura DeFrancesco Date: February 15, 1999Excerpt from At The Bench Book cover illustration from At The Bench Being a newcomer to a laboratory can be a daunting and, at times, frustrating experience. And while it is the rare grad student who hasn't gotten her hands wet in a laboratory, entering into the profession as a grad student or research technician is different--the stakes, the expectations, the demands are all raised a notch. What Kathy B

Written byLaura Defrancesco
| 2 min read

Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
2:00
Share

a clear, comprehensive guide to lab life

Author: Laura DeFrancesco Date: February 15, 1999Excerpt from At The Bench

Book cover illustration from At The Bench
Being a newcomer to a laboratory can be a daunting and, at times, frustrating experience. And while it is the rare grad student who hasn't gotten her hands wet in a laboratory, entering into the profession as a grad student or research technician is different--the stakes, the expectations, the demands are all raised a notch. What Kathy Barker has done with her newly released manual At the Bench (New York, Cold Spring Laboratory Press, 1998) is provide a ready source of information for everything from organizing lab space to designing controlled experiments to ease the rite of passage from student to professional.

While an assistant professor at Rockefeller University, Dr. Barker started putting this book together drawing on her own considerable lab experience, which runs ...

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

The Scientist Logo
Receive full access to digital editions of The Scientist, as well as TS Digest, feature stories, more than 35 years of archives, and much more!
Already a member? Login Here

Meet the Author

Published In

Share
Illustration of a developing fetus surrounded by a clear fluid with a subtle yellow tinge, representing amniotic fluid.
January 2026, Issue 1

What Is the Amniotic Fluid Composed of?

The liquid world of fetal development provides a rich source of nutrition and protection tailored to meet the needs of the growing fetus.

View this Issue
Skip the Wait for Protein Stability Data with Aunty

Skip the Wait for Protein Stability Data with Aunty

Unchained Labs
Graphic of three DNA helices in various colors

An Automated DNA-to-Data Framework for Production-Scale Sequencing

illumina
Exploring Cellular Organization with Spatial Proteomics

Exploring Cellular Organization with Spatial Proteomics

Abstract illustration of spheres with multiple layers, representing endoderm, ectoderm, and mesoderm derived organoids

Organoid Origins and How to Grow Them

Thermo Fisher Logo

Products

Brandtech Logo

BRANDTECH Scientific Introduces the Transferpette® pro Micropipette: A New Twist on Comfort and Control

Biotium Logo

Biotium Launches GlycoLiner™ Cell Surface Glycoprotein Labeling Kits for Rapid and Selective Cell Surface Imaging

Colorful abstract spiral dot pattern on a black background

Thermo Scientific X and S Series General Purpose Centrifuges

Thermo Fisher Logo
Abstract background with red and blue laser lights

VANTAstar Flexible microplate reader with simplified workflows

BMG LABTECH