Book Review of Make Time Authored By Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky

By Lauren Benoodt, PhD Candidate in Biophysics, Structural & Computational Biology

Make Time is a take on how to avoid distractions and be more focused on what’s really important from two of the people who helped to develop some of the biggest distractions, Gmail and YouTube. This book is written in a very accessible manner including some snarky footnotes that help keep the reader engaged.  

Book Review of The Asshole Survival Guide: How to Deal with People Who Treat You like Dirt Authored By Robert I. Sutton

By Isreal Moreno, PhD Candidate in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Everyone deals with jerks. They are a part of life in our country/culture. Jerks are everywhere from grocery stores to buses to airplanes to dentist offices. They can be anyone no matter race, age, gender, or wealth. However, dealing with jerks in the workplace can be the most unbearable. There are many books on workplace relationships, but one author who is able to articulate the problem and provide helpful advice is Robert I. Sutton, professor of Management Science at Stanford University. Sutton’s research is on leadership, innovation, and organizational change, but his book The No Asshole Rule published in 2007 was a soiree into a world of office relationships that hit a nerve with people. His second book on the topic The Asshole Survival Guide: How to Deal with People Who Treat You like Dirt is a playbook on how to deal with workplace jerks…or assholes as he calls them. This book is a necessary read for everyone, those with assholes in their lives and those without.

Visiting CIMER: Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research

By Tracey Baas, PhD, URBEST Executive Director

Recently, I had the good fortune to work with Drs. Lynne Maquat and Jeff Hayes, who are the directors of the T32 NIH Training Grant in Cellular, Biochemical & Molecular Sciences. We were able to procure funding for a Supplement for Future Faculty Skills Training: Mentoring and Manuscript Writing. One of the things that the supplement allowed was to send two faculty members to University of Wisconsin-Madison to be trained at a Facilitator Workshop: Learn to Implement Mentor Training through Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER). The intent is that what was learned at the training will be shared in some format here at the University of Rochester. In the meantime, I’d like to offer some basics that you could peruse to provide some different viewpoints on the ideas of mentoring and being a mentee.

Mindfulness for Scientists

By Kathleen Miller-Rhodes, PhD Candidate in Neuroscience

Scientists are excellent storytellers: we can take data and connect them into a cohesive story. Storytelling is integral in communicating research to other scientists and the public, but what happens when storytelling boils over into our personal lives? Taking time to actively think about unhealthy habits and correcting them with new healthier habits is the first step towards improved mental health. Even if you find yourself spinning stories, maybe they will take on a new tone – one that supports you rather than tearing you down. 

Yes, You Can Do a Fellowship and Graduate

By Candace Wong, PhD Candidate in Toxicology

I wasn’t actively looking for a fellowship. I was a fifth year graduate student, working hard to figure out what I needed to do to wrap up my studies to defend. However, a wonderful opportunity presented itself as a fellowship and things ended up better than I could have imagined. Returning from the fellowship, I feel much more confident in many aspects – as a young toxicologist, as a future employee, and most importantly in myself and my abilities.