A research laboratory filled with competent, busy people entirely familiar with its arcane customs and practices
is a daunting place for newcomers. Kathy Barker knows this world. She was a technician, an undergraduate, then
a graduate student at the University of Massachusetts, and as a postdoctoral fellow and assistant professor at
Rockefeller University, she was a mentor to grad students, physicians in training, technicians, and research nurses.
From this rich experience, she has written At the Bench, a unique handbook for living and working in the laboratory.
Much more than a simple primer or lab manual, this book is an essential aid to understanding:
how research groups work at a human level-and how to fit in
what equipment is essential, and how to use it properly
how to get started and get organized
how to set up an experiment
how to handle and use data and reference sources
how to present yourself and your results-in print and in person
Wise, light-hearted, but thoroughly practical, Dr. Barker offers advice, moral support, social etiquette, and
professional reassurance along with assume-nothing, step-by-step instructions for those basic but vital laboratory
procedures that experienced investigators know-but may not realize novices don't.
If you are a graduate student, a physician with research intentions, or a laboratory technician, this book is indispensable.
If you have to manage or mentor such people, giving a copy to each of them will greatly improve your life, and
theirs.
Table of Contents
SECTION 1. Getting Oriented
Chapter 1: General Lab Organization and Procedures
Chapter 2: Laboratory Setup and Equipment
Chapter 3: Getting Started and Staying Organized
SECTION 2. Plotting a Course
Chapter 4: How to Set Up an Experiment
Chapter 5: Laboratory Notebooks
Chapter 6: Presenting Yourself and Your Data
SECTION 3. Navigating
Chapter 7: Making Reagents and Buffers
Chapter 8: Storage and Disposal
Chapter 9: Working without Contamination
Chapter 10: Eukaryotic Cell Culture
Chapter 11: Bacteria
Chapter 12: DNA, RNA, and Protein
Chapter 13: Radioactivity
Chapter 14: Centrifugation
Chapter 15: Electrophoresis
Chapter 16: The Light Microscope
