PhD support group?

misskool

we use pbs-t, does anyone know what the difference is with pbs or tbs?

misskool

crazyscientist wrote:

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,

Whoops...sorry, yes, I meant research assistant type jobs

DrFluffy

I need a doctorate to get anywhere in my chosen medical field - I want to do 'academic medicine' - research and patients. Especially interested in translational research. I've just done it the other way round from the norm!

DrFluffy

misskool wrote:

we use pbs-t, does anyone know what the difference is with pbs or tbs?

Apparently some ECL kits do not work with PBS (that is what I was always told anyway)... We always used TBS, or TBST with the Amersham kit...

crazyscientist

misskool wrote:

we use pbs-t, does anyone know what the difference is with pbs or tbs?

PBS is phosphate buffered saline

TBS is Tris buffered saline and so has no phosphate to interfere with proteins. TBST is the same with Tween-20 added.

I use TBST and then TBS with the Amersham ECLPLUS kit

misskool

I just remember reading somewhere that PBS causes more chelation of proteins and stuff that TBS doesn't. It could be just a scientific urban legend but I may change to TBS now...

studentphil

cheers guys, I was just interested!

It is just business a DBA is prettymuch worthless

misskool

But an MBA is very useful.
Or so people tell me.

studentphil

misskool wrote:

But an MBA is very useful.
Or so people tell me.

I suppose science is a bit different to busineess and other sectors and the doctorate matters more. Surely you can have a good career in science with just MSc or BSc, if not, then I can see why science has such problems with undergraduate uptake. Not everyone can afford a PHD sadly, so the MSc might be their limit and if they can not get a good career with just that.

misskool

A lot of science graduates don't continue with a career in science. Most of them move on to greener fields such as consultancy and accounting. In my year, from 100 students about 20 of us through various paths have stayed in science. A few have science related jobs involving publishing and scientific communications.
Purely science careers are not particularly well paid and have a very undefined as well as difficult career structure. Many science courses are oversubscribed (well, at the uni where i did my undergrad and the uni where I am at now).

The problem is perception of the general public of science and how it's being potrayed to young people. A lot of science PhDs are funded, not everyone who wants to do one will be funded but they have significantly more funding than humanities and social sciences which is unfair but if there's a will, there's a way.

Also, you didn't define what a good career is?