- What are some of the ethical issues that you are grappling with in your research? What are some of the ways in which you are responding to these questions?
I recently found out that the crystal that I’m using for my experiments costs thousands of dollars. In the first few weeks of my project, I made some mistakes that led to waste of this crystal. If I had known how costly the material was, I would have been more careful when handling it. This experience has led me to be more mindful of creating experiments that minimize waste.
- As you continue your research, have you considered alternative viewpoints in your investigation? If so, how have these alternative viewpoints enriched or changed your project?
The first week of the program, I performed an exfoliation of a crystal that didn’t yield satisfactory results. I was hoping to find flakes of a few nanometers of thickness, and instead the smallest ones I had were 50nm. I realized that I needed to change my exfoliation method. So when I did the experiment a second time, I wrote a protocol based on the mistakes that I had made the first time. I also asked a graduate student for advice. When I measured the thickness of the new flakes, they were 5-8nm! I learned from my mistakes, and ended up understanding the science behind what I was doing way more than if I had succeeded the first time.
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The issue of cost is definitely a really important consideration! While I have not had to consider this in my own research, as I have been using either free online resources or paying small fees out of pocket for access to APIs, I definitely understand the feelings of regret you might have now that you have found out how much the crystal costed. In general, I think this realization is also a great part of the learning process and that what gives things value is the knowledge and experience gained when it is lost or wasted.
It is interesting to hear your input on these questions, especially as your research is focused in a scientific setting. I am glad that you have been able to learn from an initial mistake and now you understand the science behind the crystals and the experiment. I must add that it is great that you get to be hands-on with this work, which I think is truly valuable. Although not a STEM major myself, I find the scientific methodology and experiment setup fascinating. I wish you the best with the rest of your research on crystals.
Hey Sage! I found it so interesting how your awareness of the crystal’s cost changed the way you think about your work, not just in terms of being careful, but also in designing experiments more thoughtfully. It’s cool how a mistake turned into a learning moment!
I have a question: Do you think knowing the stakes now has changed how comfortable you feel taking risks or trying new methods in the lab?
This was a really thoughtful reflection. I found your point about material cost and waste especially important. It raises a larger question about whether labs should be more transparent about the value of their materials upfront to encourage careful handling, or if that approach would cause unnecessary stress for the researchers.
Regarding the answer to the second question, I agree that failure is at times crucial to the research process. In your case, writing your own protocol and asking for advice not only improved your results but deepened your understanding of the process. I'm curious if your new protocol has been helpful for others in your lab as well.