Favourite Fragrances...

My top 3 perfumes of all time are:

3. Ultraviolet by Paco Rabanne

2. Flora by Gucci

1. Lola by Marc Jacobs

I'd happily wear them forever! They're all quite light & fresh; I'd love something with a bit more staying power for Xmas...does anyone have any suggestions?

Rachel xxx

Fascinating Figures

When you get to that all important stage of putting your results together for a publication, it's vital to have the figures in the correct order & telling the story in the right way. Figures are the most important part of a research paper, as well as your interpretation of them. Writing papers and arranging figures gets easier with time & practice, here are a few helpful tips that I found useful when I was starting out in the writing game...

1. Smile! If you've gotten this far then congratulations! Paper writing is a daunting task that like everything, seems much more complcated and difficult before you start it. But it's all about practice and lots of drafts & re-drafts, it's a skill that can be developed and honed over time. You have the hard part over with, I'm sure getting that data together took a lot of time, stress & heartbreak, so enjoy this brief respite from the bench!

2. Put the figures together first. Once you have them ordered, it's much easier to write the results section, as you know what to say/describe and when. The same goes for materials and methods, much more straightforward when the figures are in place.

3. The first figure should be ticking the boxes/showing preliminary data/highlighting the result that made you study this topic in the first place. This may seem like an obvious statement but sometimes panels are added to figures as an after thought or aside when they should have been right at the beginning.

4. Use panels wisely. Don't jam 8 panels together just to fill space, some results can stand alone, others are better grouped together as they highlight eachother's findings or may be several ways of showing a similar thing. On the other hand, 6 individual results may not be enough on their own (unless they're fantastic) so it's hard to know how to best lay things out, once it's clear and easy to follow, that's the main thing.

5. Size matters! Font is hugely important; figures are often shrunk right down to accomodate the size of the journals pages, so it's vital to have huge lettering and numbering-especially on axes and labels. I use font 20 and above, it looks a bit ridiculous in word but it makes reading the paper a lot easier in the long run.

6. Make sure figures in the correct order; which experiment should naturally follow the next, what way is it best to present the data such that the story is told well etc.

7. Legends are also a fundamental part of getting figures right. Don't overload them with info about the method, but make sure every part of the graph is explained clearly. A short succint statement about the main finding is good too. Reviewers can often ask for more or less text in legends so check what's the norm for the particular journal you're aiming towards.

Of course your boss will have final say on which way things will appear in the publication, but it's good to have a headstart & always helpful to practice for that big day when we'll have to do things on our own! But that scary time is far far away...for now!

Any questions or comments, just let me know.

Rachel xxx

Boots Glorious Boots!

Boots are THE daytime footwear of the season (and always an option for those really miserable nights out), they keep your feet dry & warm, plus they look stylish with jeans & dresses alike. There are so many amazing pairs of boots available on the high street this season, I've yet to get my Winter/Xmas boots this year but it'll be a close call between the following:

1. Topshop Damask Over The Knee Boots in camel:

http://www.topshop.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?beginIndex=0&viewAllFlag=&catalogId=33057&storeId=12556&productId=2038193&langId=-1&sort_field=Relevance&categoryId=208544&parent_categoryId=208492&sort_field=Relevance&pageSize=200

2. Office Blowfish Jasper Buckle Knee Boot Taupe

http://www.office.co.uk/womens/blowfish/jasper_buckle_knee_boot/17/9722/25432/1?fs=9722

3. Aldo Voller Knee High Boots in Taupe

http://www.aldoshoes.com/uk/women/boots/knee-high-boots/81475867-voller/37

4. Barratts Ravel Leather High Leg Boot

http://www.barratts.co.uk/en/ravel-leather-high-leg-boot-170778

5. Aldo Doiley Knee High Boots in Medium Brown

http://www.aldoshoes.com/uk/women/boots/knee-high-boots/80710685-doiley/26

Let me know if you've picked up some fabulous boots in the past while, especially if they were a bargain! And help me to pick my favourite out of these boots too...I just can't decide!

Rachel xxx

Presentation Station

Part of the job as a scientist, be it an undergrad, postgrad or employee, is presenting your work, either to members of your lab group, or others in your field of research at conferences. This can be quite a daunting and nerve-wracking experience, especially when it comes to question time afterwards. Like everything in life, presentations get easier with experience and practice, but pangs of nerves will always get you; the most important thing is to be familiar with what you're saying and to try to relax-you will know your work better than anyone, and if there is a tricky question, there's always an answer to it. Here are my tips for making presentations as smooth and enjoyable as possible.

1. Less text-more figures. When first putting slides together, the first inclination is to write up all the text, so you know what you're going to say, and the audience can read along with you. This makes sense, but it is quite counter productive, as the best presentations are the naturally flowing ones that talk around figures and results and don't just involve reading sentences from a slide. Write notes about what you want to say & put key words and phrases on the slides to emphasise what you're discussing.

2. Use animation. If you have several panels or sentences on one slide, it can be distracting for the viewer to see everything at once, and it makes it harder for you to talk through it while trying to remain clear and understandable. Use fade in animations, let one item appear at a time, talk about it, then the next item should appear. This makes your job much easier and also helps to remind you in which order you should be discussing things.

3. Reminder tricks. This is a handy one if there's a lot of data on a particular slide, or if you have one 'hit home phrase or sentence' that's difficult to remember. Arrows that appear before you go onto the next slide are a great way of pointing out the key finding on a slide and can be a fail-safe way of remembering that key point that's really going to sell your results.

4. Practice! The more you go through your presentation out loud, the more comfortable you become with it. Practice with your fellow PhD students or members of the lab group, especially if you have a meeting with your supervisor coming up. If the first time you go through it is in front of your boss then you're bound to get tongue tied (speaking from experience here) so go into an empty office or presentation room with the lab gang and get familiar with it.

5. Have certain answers prepared. Ask others in the lab or your supervisor for potential questions. It's hard to predict what will be asked, it can be something specific and technical, or something much more broad, dealing with translational or physiological significance. You will know the answers to these questions, just keep your mind clear and answer as succinctly as possible; keep everything short and on point. If something comes up that you're not sure of then the old faithful 'that's a very interesting point, and something we hope to look at in the future, however, we have no data on this particular aspect at the moment' is always a handy last minute save!

6. Relax & enjoy it. If you've been selected to speak at a conference, it is a fantastic achievement and speaks highly of your work. Speaking in public is very scary, but often the thought of it is a lot worse than the oral itself; most people say that after the first slide you get into a rhythm and it goes by smoothly. Nerves can also be a good thing, the adrenaline rush makes sure you're awake and on the ball. We all look forward to the day when there are no nerves before a presentation, in my case I can't see that happening until I'm at least 40 though!

These tips don't just apply for science, no matter what the topic, good presenting is easy to achieve and is a fantastic skill to have in all career paths.

If anyone has other tips or advice please feel free to share.

Rachel xxx

Winter Warmers

So the clocks have gone back which means it's darker in the evenings & also a lot colder! I quite like winter though, and it's easier to be working in the lab when it's miserable outside, sunny weather when stuck indoors is just too depressing. I've put together a list of a few of my favourite winter accessories that are vital for keeping warm yet looking cool. All are from the high street and should suit every budget. In particular I love the red fluffy snood from Topshop, it looks so warm & comfy, plus red is a fabulous colour for Winter. Good accessories are the best value-for money buys as they can be worn so often, plus they can brighten up an outfit. We should all be saving for Xmas, but it's ok to spend on warm woolies that we really need, and it's also fine to get several colours and styles, coz we'll get lots of wear out of them, right?! Ah the compulsive shopper always finds a way to rationalise every single spend ;)

Rachel xxx