PhD support group?

misskool

crazyscientist: we use a protease inhibitor caplet cocktail thing from Roche, I'll try doing the washes without tween, there's so little of my protein I'm trying to detect that the Tween probably isn't helping. Didn't think about just doing pbs washes.

Drfluffly: I am looking for a serine protease tagged with V5 and FLAG. Wondering if we should block with BSA instead.

On the note of writing, I have a large chart with all the figures and results so I can see the overall results and discussions, helps with writing it all out!
Definitely agree that introduction should always be the last thing to write.

DrFluffy

Are you using the EDTA free tablets or the 'straight' ones? EDTA can !!!! your blot up...

I used the Roache complete EDTA free tablets, with no problem... (which is more than I can say for my bloody !!!!ty MAB!)

misskool

I never looked at that!! Just trusted the last person who ordered them. Might go and check it out.

DrFluffy

They're especially problematic if you're partially purifying your protein using his tags and nickel beads or similar....

misskool

Ah...I'm not doing anything as complicated as that. I am expressing the protein using a good promoter (but is not massively expressed) in Drosophila and trying to pick it up to see where it goes.

DrFluffy

Giving BSA a go might be an idea - you need pure Fraction V BSA - use it at 1-2%, else you can get back ground issues...

Edit - I think we used Roche stuff. [Stay away from anything Sigma claim to be pure - run it on a 2D gel, and it is far from ]

studentphil

One question, is a PHD key for your careers in science or could you get there with just an MSc?

misskool

depends on what you intend on doing with your career, if you intend on being a lecturer, you pretty much have to do a phd. postdoc salaries are capped if you only have an msc. It's pretty much a given that if you want to continue in research, you'll have a phd.
That's the only reason why i'm doing mine. I was doing research for 1 1/2 years. enjoyed it and thought i should do more with it.

crazyscientist

I block with 5% Marvel in TBST if you want to give that a try??

Studentphil i sense a little sceptisism at the 'value' of our efforts? I aim for a career in industry where some might say a PhD is key to avoiding the 'glass ceiling'.

crazyscientist

misskool wrote:

postdoc salaries are capped if you only have an msc.

you can't be a post-doctoral scientist if you don't have a doctorate.

but yes, i believe research assisant type posts would have a capped salary,