DEAR SCIENTISTS | LETTER 1 OF 1 DEAR DEAR SCIENTISTS: Dear Scientists, I’m a PhD student, and I’ve noticed that one of my lab mates consistently takes over my experiments. They first offer just “to help” but then end up trying to do most of the work themselves, and then get recognized by our PI. I’ve tried stepping back to let them take the lead on certain things, so I don’t rock the boat and seem difficult to work with but it keeps happening. I don’t want to create tensio

DEAR SCIENTISTS | LETTER 1 OF 1 DEAR DEAR SCIENTISTS: I’m in my second year in a lab, and my assigned project just isn’t panning out. Experiments are giving results that make no sense, and I feel stuck. My PI is rarely around, so I don’t get much guidance, and I’m starting to worry about my future. I really need a project that will grow into something meaningful, but I’m not sure how to move forward on my own. — LOST IN THE LAB   DEAR LOST IN THE LAB: Dear Lost in the Lab,

DEAR SCIENTISTS | LETTER 1 OF 1 DEAR DEAR SCIENTISTS: I’m a grad student in a large lab, and lately, I’ve been dreading going to work. One of the senior grad students constantly belittles me - criticizing my approaches during lab meetings, sometimes implying that I might not understand my project, and even hinting to my PI that my project may be too advanced for me. I’ve tried to be friendly, hoping to spark meaningful discussion so they might see that they have me all wro