Kirsty the Scientist

There was a video I watched a couple of months ago with an idea that's really stuck with me!  It's a video from another one of my favourite youtubers, Leena Norms ( justkissmyfrog ) where she talks about the idea that by telling others about your plans, you get the same satisfaction from the pleasing of others just by telling them, and you end up not doing the plan itself! Here's the video:  She describes the idea as a 'getting fulfillment from something without doing the thing' - the social 'praise' from telling your peers and others about something you want to do, but then you don't carry out the idea.  I think this is a really interesting thing - especially as I think I experienced this when I started this blog, although I didn't really realise or think about it at the time! I kept the blog to myself for the first few weeks, only telling friends and family once I'd written 2 weeks of posts! Initially after telling people about the blo...

It's the final countdown... ♫  So, here it is, the final stretch, I've had all the time possible in the lab, and now it's time to wrap this story up into 5,000 words.  Due to all the disruption I had at the start of my project, I was given a one week extension to my deadline date, which allowed me the time to finish off a few experiments and have a similar length of time in the lab to my peers. The day a week before my deadline was the weirdest feeling, watching the clock tick down and seeing everyone's hand in pictures fly in on every social media channel. It was so odd knowing everyone's else's hand in was finished, and here I was working away in the library still. Knowing I had all the relevant paperwork to say this was exactly where I should be, it still felt very strange! My submission day was a bit of a surreal experience. I was ready to submit the day before my deadline, which was good. Did the final checks and then printed it all out at home, starte...

POST 50!! Better make it a good one!  So as this project is coming to a close - and I turn into a fully fledged library hermit for revision - what is happening to this blog? A blog that is all about life as a undergraduate student project... when the said project finishes!  Well I started this blog as a bit of an experiment - to set myself a challenge to document an record my experiences during my project, posting 5 blogs per week reflecting on different aspects of my work and day-to-day lab life.  And I have loved it - it has been one of the longest two months of my life (in all the best ways), but this blog has kept me grounded and I'd loved having the space to reflect and store memories which I can look back on and remember this time.  So the plan is to keep up these blogs - all be it, slightly less frequently! I'd like to write more blogs about science itself, looking at current research and writing about things in science that interest me.  Whil...

This week I have really felt like part of a community. Maybe it's been the number of social events recently, or the fact that I'm now getting to know everyone really well, but it is an absolutely lovely experience to feel like part of this team of researchers at all different stages of their careers and lives. And it makes the workplace such an enjoyable place to be - no matter how much work we're cramming into a day! In other news, I've been getting some really promising results so far (although I'll only be detecting and analysing this week's experiment results next Monday as I was looking at a longer timecourse this week). So I'm actually starting to look forward to writing up some results and discussion on what I've found out so far! As I'm now about halfway through my project, aiming to get some writing done this weekend and next week and to make sure I take some of the pressure off the end of the project! I also got a surprise twitter sh...

It didn't happen - the lab has still not been moved yet... so after a quick meeting with both of my supervisors it was back to the computer screen for me! (and another few days of waiting and writing blogs about writing!)  I think my introduction is going pretty well. It has taken me a while to get settled on a structure I liked; taking all these disjointed facts and figures and finding the best story to string them all together with. Today I think I'm pretty happy with what I've got so far. Today I was also thinking a little bit about what jobs and careers will suit me (either this is insightful and reflective or this is a sign of the writing craziness setting in...). Coming up to the end of this degree also marks my introduction into the real world. Unsupported by school and the family home or university and the student loan - out on my own, for real this time. So much of choosing a career is based around the kind of life you want to live and the environment you want ...

It's a very weird and interesting to be working on such a specific topic that it has barely any search results! And all the authors you find are the same people over and over, including your supervisors! It shows you the odd specificity and specialty level we're working at...

I'm a procrastinator, I'll put my hands up and admit it! Not all the time, but if I need to write something that I really want to get right, I will procrastinate like nobody's business!  And its even more tricky when you're writing about a subject that is brand new to you, for the expert in this subject!