Life as a scientist

The lab has the following books:

Surviving Your Stupid, Stupid Decision to Go to Grad School

"Natural Obsessions", a book by Pulitzer prize-winning journalist Natalie Angier, is a good start for anyone who wants to know more about how cutting-edge research is done --- by some human beings with ambitions, feelings and weaknesses.

"Time, Love, Memory: A great biologist and his quest for origins of behavior" by Jonathan Weiner, another Pulitzer prize winner, tells the life stories of Seymour Benzer and his friends and disciples. Seymour Benzer was called "scientist of scientists" and his not winning Nobel Prize was a great regret for many people.He passed away in 2007. [The book that changed my life]

"The Double Helix" by James Watson and "What Mad Pursuit" by Francis Crick told first-hand stories of the early days of molecular biology. I recommend anyone who is interested in modern biology to read both books.

"Arrowsmith" and Microbe Hunters (de Kruif, Paul; Paperback) were both classics that inspired many among the first-generation molecular biologists. Today's readers may find them a bit outdated with regard to both scientific topics and the ways how biomedical research is done. However, some time-tested general truth can still be seen in the two books.

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Check out the website of Nobel Prize Foundation. Many laureates told interesting stories of their lives and discoveries in their autobiography and Nobel Lectures.

Oral History Archives hosted by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

Oral History Collections at the Science History Institute.

Stories about scientists in Cancer UK: Blue skies and bench space---adventures in cancer research