Science is Awesome.
We are lifelong learners! We love to learn about all kinds of science and we absolutely never tire of learning more about mitochondria. My goals for the Hoppins Lab are to have a lasting impact on our field and the people that spend time in our research group. Everyone in the lab is expected to strive to meet these goals in their own unique way.
We aim to follow best practices to produce high quality science. We want to publish data that is well-controlled, reproducible, and transparent.
Test the hypothesis. Blind the experimenter. Do the replicates. Listen to the data. If your hypothesis was wrong, that’s fine. You have still learned something that will help you create a new testable hypothesis.
Science must be communicated.
There are so many ways to communicate science. We aim to share our findings with the greater community through peer reviewed publication and oral presentations. We communicate our goals and ideas with experimentally supported rationale in our grant applications. A perspective on the field can be achieved by writing review articles or in the introduction to your thesis.
Communicating to the next generation of scientists involves teaching and outreach. We support any venture that might make someone feel as excited about science as we are.
We need to communicate with the public and policy makers. You can get involved locally or nationally through existing structures like Huskies on the Hill Lobby Day or ASCB on Capital Hill.
Science is hard.
Bench research requires resiliency. We all need many tools to succeed – both at the bench and away from the lab.
Time flies. Every second counts. Weeks quickly turn into months and months add up to a year. It’s not uncommon for students to spend a year trying to get traction/direction. Most feel frustrated during this time, so we try to fail fast to determine if our hypothesis is wrong or if we have a flawed experimental design. If you find this out soon, you can quickly develop a new hypothesis or approach. Let’s get to the good stuff!
Mistakes are okay IF you learn from them and don’t make the same mistakes over and over again. If your experiments fail more than once, consider that there is a technical issue rather than “bad hands”. Check the design. Ask for help. Try new water.
We all need time to recharge outside of the lab. We’re lucky to have so many fun and beautiful things in and around Seattle. For me, balance rarely happens on a daily basis, and striving for that was unattainable frustrating. Now I think of balance on a larger time scale and allow myself to tip the balance when necessary, knowing that it will change soon enough. This can broadly include work and personal time but is also true for experimentation and writing or biochemistry and cell biology.
Science is a team sport.
Mentors are great. You should have a lot of them. No one person can support all of your needs as a trainee. Most people are very generous with their time and expertise, so don’t be afraid to ask for a reagent, a conversation, an introduction, some advice, more guidance, an opinion; basically, whatever you need, you should ask for.
We learn from each other and we are motivated by each other. We will all be more successful if we work together and share ideas. We encourage engagement in our community and with our peers at all levels.
Mentor map:
Science is a human endeavor.
Scientists are people too.
We are committed to providing a supportive and inclusive lab culture. We believe that diversity makes us more creative and curious, which makes our science more innovative and impactful.
I strive to provide individualized mentorship and career development. The skills you gain designing, executing, and analyzing experiments can be applied to many different careers. There is no right way and no single path. As a trainee, you have control over your project and your training; the key is communication. Let your mentors know what you need. Talk to a lot of people to learn about all the different ways you can be involved in science and how to leverage resources to build the career you want.