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Trainee Page: Suggestions for Activities in the Summer Months

• Summer students are most productive when they work on well-defined (that is the key) projects that involve data collection and analysis. The project should first be carefully reviewed with the student. Basic research projects are not usually feasible unless the student has significant laboratory experience.
  
• Identify small, specialized scientific meetings in their field of research, such as Gordon Conferences, and attend (and participate in) a meeting. This acquaints trainees with those working in the field (other trainees and junior/senior scientists) and areas of research emphasis, provides an opportunity for trainees to present a poster, and allows them to enjoy an environment that is open for discussion and debate. It also provides an opportunity to meet other scientists to establish connections, and to see that science can be fun, even though it requires work and the acquisition of a large body of knowledge. Even if the trainee needs to pay his/her own way, the benefit is worth the money.
  
• For college students, they should take the summer to try out different fields that might be of interest to them. Most government labs have summer programs as well as pharmaceutical labs, clinics, and hospitals. As for graduate students, they should be in their lab working away.
  
• Get a position to do research or anything to gain more research experience. It does not matter if the experience is basic or clinical, but this is what will set the trainee apart later in career.
  
• While we do not restrict our training to a specific time of year, we do invite all educational levels to participate in a laboratory experience.
  
• For PhD candidates, they should start experiments while they have full time commitment.
  
• For postdocs, they should use the extra help of full-time undergraduates and the extra time availability of PhD candidates to get more experiments done.
  
• Attend one good scientific meeting.
  
• Exercise.
  
• Conduct fieldwork on sea anemones in La Jolla, CA, but only during times of low surf. It is difficult to study the creatures on high-surf days. On high-surf days, I would study the habits of the Pacific dolphin via surf-board.
  
• Come to visit a research lab in Australia!!
  
• The best way to use your summer months is to totally disconnect from the academic life, to rest, and to have fun (nonacademic fun). This is applicable not only to students, but also to all professionals: no pagers, no cell phones, and no emails for at least 4 weeks. Otherwise, efficiency at work goes down progressively and sometimes has pathological consequences.
  
• Regarding medical students, I encourage the following: Establish a relationship with a mentor as far in advance as possible. Plan a project (basic science or clinical) that is both feasible and interesting. Collaborate with your selected mentor over the ensuing months to ensure that the hurdles are cleared (ie, I.R.B issues, funding, etc.) Then, when the summer arrives, the student's time will be optimized, and he/she will be able to focus on the project, gain a thorough understanding of the scientific method, and enjoy productivity.
  
• I'd suggest students backpack through Ecuador, ordo some ocean kayaking in Baja, California, during the summer. It's more important to stay "centered," and periods of down time away from science, medicine, and the lab bench are important. In the end, this leads to greater creativity and productivity, plus a more rounded individual.
  
• I think about the best activity in the summer months is to go on "vacaciones" to the Florianopolis Island in Brazil for both students and professionals.
  
• Students should use the opportunity of having no classes to attend to spend more time in the lab.
  

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