The Apple iPhone was voted recently as one of the 10 greatest modern inventions ever, all while being hailed as “changing the universe” due to allowing us to have everything we need at our fingertips.  The iPhone’s sister device, the iPad, has further pushed the technological envelope while easing basic tasks such as email, note-taking, reading, and other endless applications that could only be done at a computer.  One area where the iPad can have a tremendous impact in its utility is academia and the research setting—helping to increase productivity, creativity, planning, and even streamlining daily tasks. While there are many niche, specialized, helpful apps for a wide range of scientific disciplines, and an even bigger subset for science fans, few apps can truly be called indispensible for researchers.  Below are five that any academic research scientist could and should have on their iPad:

1.  Notebooks for iPad Application

Science is inherently a field of ideas and thoughts.  Nearly every experiment, hypothesis and result starts out as an idea, or a brainstorm among collaborators.  And with the mobile nature of iPads, one of their benefits to researchers is the ability to record new ideas, take notes at seminars, and get feedback from group meetings anywhere.  But what is the ideal app to group together as many features as possible for an academic setting?  The winner by far is the flexible, feature-driven Notebooks for iPad app.  Utilizing a traditional notebooks motif, this app allows you to create as many sub-folders as you’d like, and keep them separate or meld into one document.  You can also import data from external sites (and even bookmark it for later!), establish task lists, and export and merge into other documents not on your iPad.  As one of the most versatile note-taking apps available for the iPad, every graduate student should plan to make this one of their first purchases for the tablet.  ($8.99)

2.  Lab Solver Application

If there’s one thing a scientist in any discipline is doing, it is repeated calculations.  Whether you are making buffers, figuring out how to set up a serialdilution, calibrating data, or doing simple calculations and conversions in SI Units.  No more calculations on scraps of paper, referencing back to figure out Avogadro’s number, or messing up experiments because you forgot to move the decimal over one place.  They are small details, but ones you no longer need to fret over.  With your iPad by your side, this often tedious aspect of experimental design will now be an afterthought. ($1.99)

3.  Labguru iPad Application

Organization is one of the primary cornerstones of running a successful laboratory on any level, and the ability to transfer laboratory management to a mobile device is literally a game-changer for professors, lab managers and other personnel.  Labguru, an exciting new cloud management system in the largely stagnant world of management tools, is now available for iPad.  The ability to implement its plethora of organizational and management features – from tagging and archiving, to digital filing systems, to sample collection management – from a mobile device provides labs with the tools to stay operational and well-structured year-round.  Just imagine the power of keeping a lab’s projects running remotely, getting a notification on your iPad to put in a critical order, improving lab-wide communication and even scheduling experiments while on vacation! (FREE!)

4.  Lab Values Pro

Since we don’t want to exclude medical students (or research scientists based in a medical setting) from our list, this app is ideally suited for the iPads of medical professionals.  This 3 in 1 application provides all the quick referencing that a medical professional would want at their fingertips, including suffixes and prefixes.  References can be edited, link to major reference websites and can even be accessed without an internet connection.  It is also the #1 rated medical application on iTunes.  ($2.99)

5.  Dropbox Application

Named one of the 10 Apps You Should Download for iPad2 by Wired Magazine, Dropbox seems to be a universal favorite among graduate students in survey after survey on blogs and research forums.  Supplanting the need to cary flash drives or any external photocopies, Dropbox is essentially a virtual, synced file folder where you put files you want to access with any device.  So if you download 10 papers throughout the day that you’d like to read when you get home, but hate the thought of printing them out (or worse yet, worry about forgetting!), simply put them in your Dropbox right from your Mac, and when you open up your iPad later that night… there they are! It also works for videos, pictures and music. (FREE!)

Did we miss an app that you can’t live without? Please let us know your thoughts – leave a comment below!

Today we launched the free Labguru iPad app for academic scientists who juggle multiple concurrent experiments and seek to better organize their experimental notes. The Labguru iPad app syncs the bench-relevant information from experiments planned and tracked on Labguru’s collaborative research management web service, helping scientists effortlessly transition from planning and analyzing experiments at the desk to executing protocols and collecting data at the bench.

The Labguru app formats protocols for bench use, which includes an easy-to-read list of steps that can be tapped to mark progress, pre-set countdown timers, an always-visible list of currently running experiments and associated countdown timers, and space for reference material (e.g. 96-well plate diagrams) in text, table, and image formats. Results and notes, such as protocol deviations or sample labels, can be quickly added alongside the protocol steps. Progress and data are synced and organized with the relevant experiment on Labguru’s website to ensure easy subsequent data analysis and paper drafting. Download the free Labguru iPad App at www.labguru.com/ipad.

“Running concurrent experiments is the norm at the bench. We all have struggled to remember where we are in multiple protocols, timing gels and incubations throughout the day, which tube has what in it, as well as keeping our notes in the right spot for later use,” says Jonathan Gross, Founder and Co-CEO of BioData. “Our free Labguru iPad App helps you keep on top of all of those steps, timers, and notes. Experiments planned at the desk and the data recorded at the bench are synced with Labguru’s web service, so that tasks and information are organized when pipetting at the bench, analyzing data, sharing results, and writing a paper.”

Labguru’s web service is a collaborative research web application that helps academic labs plan experiments, track progress on projects and milestones, share results, organize related documents, protocols, and data, as well as manage inventories and ordering. Individual Labguru accounts are free, take less than a minute to start, and assistance is available for entering data. Visit www.labguru.com for more information.

We’re thrilled to announce that yesterday we launched Labguru, a research management tool designed for academic labs. Labguru’s customizable and affordable web application helps researchers plan experiments, track progress, share results and comments, manage inventories, and organize related documents, protocols and data. More information is available at www.labguru.com.

“Labguru helps researchers, principal investigators and lab managers see the big picture of their research without losing sight of the details vital to scientific discovery,” says Jonathan Gross, Founder and Co-CEO of BioData.

Labguru is an intuitive web-based interface and email alerts service that helps improve the way researchers:

• Plan experiments
• Track research progress on current projects and long-term goals
• Annotate key results, figures, protocols, and papers
• Build research context by linking papers with protocols, notes, specimens and other key data to facilitate planning, paper and thesis writing
• Find the location of specific reagents and samples anywhere in the lab
• Prevent inventory shortages, duplicate orders, and missed expiration dates
• Schedule use of shared equipment
• Retain knowledge as lab members leave

Labguru is free for individual use. Individuals and labs can access additional sophisticated collaboration, order management, and equipment scheduling features for a nominal monthly fee.

Dr. Eli Lewis, Principal Investigator and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Clinical Biochemistry at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, praises Labguru for fostering scientific thinking. “I found a paper that discussed a cell type one student was working on and a chemical another was studying and then linked those two students to the paper. One of the students linked it to another student and, in a few hours, a comment thread grew in Labguru as if we were having a mini-conference.”

“I enter projects and milestones that form my long-term vision for the lab,” says Anat Ben-Zvi, PhD, Principal Investigator in the Department of Life Sciences at the National Institute of Biotechnology in the Negev at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. “All lab members can now understand each experiment in context. We can also connect papers to projects and highlight where we sourced some reagent, gene or idea. For each strain we use, Labguru connects all the needed information for experiments, storage, and ordering from either public databases or data that we previously entered. That saves us quite a bit of time.”

“Many Labguru users say their workdays are again the way they should be: fun. Instead of slogging through dull daily management tasks, they spend more time on research and collaboration,” says Gross.

Labguru improves upon the most useful features and workflows in both LabLife, software for laboratory organization that BioData recently acquired, and BioKM, BioData’s prior tool for research collaboration. Researchers currently using these tools can continue to do so through 2013 and receive personal assistance when they migrate to Labguru.

We encourage you to check out Labguru today!

Don’t…

1.  Procrastinate.  The list of tasks leading up to opening your first lab and starting your professorship appointment can seem quite formidable.  The sooner you start planning and executing, the smoother the process will flow.

2.  Panic.  Your to-do list is large, but not overwhelming.  Use time, planning and organization to simplify and keep track of tasks.  Help from current and future colleagues, along with tools such as BioData’s lab start-up checklist and interactive worksheet are essential management resources.

3.  Be afraid to fail and change course.  Whether it’s those first few experiments, balancing teaching and mentorship, or laboratory management or personnel issues, some things about your new lab will work, but others inevitably won’t.  Don’t be frustrated by these learning experiences, use them to strengthen your laboratory and group for the future.

4.  Purchase expensive equipment that you don’t think will be essential for your research from start up money.  Most large equipment purchases should last for at least ten years and be used often enough to justify spending the money.  Investigate whether collaborators or nearby institutes have equipment that your group can occasionally use before investing in it.

5. Forget the big picture.  Problem solving, great theories, and big discoveries in basic research often rely on looking at an overall mechanism and its hypothetical function rather than getting hyper-focused on the details.





6.  Forget real-life necessities, such as house-hunting and moving logistics.  Use campus resources to find housing, look at schools in the area, and get established in your new home.

7.  Leave your current lab without properly archiving your lab notebook, protocols, and reagents, as well as making sure that your PI and the new scientists working on your project have had an opportunity to meet with you to go over any experiments and protocols.

8.  Overcommit to teaching at the expense of tenure.  Remember, it comes down to publishing, publishing and more publishing.  The Columbia University Teaching Center has a terrific pamphlet on mistakes new professors make and how to avoid them.

9.  Get overly bogged down in or distracted by campus and departmental politics. They are inevitable in the university subculture, but don’t have to be the difference in getting tenure.

Photo credit: Eric Yao http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericyao/. Used with permission.

Keep your focus on great science, establishing connections with your new colleagues, and mentorship.

10.  Lose focus on the science, despite all other stuff you have to do.  Remember one of the primary reasons you became a PI to begin with—to pursue great research and advance knowledge.

DO…

1.  Organize, strategize and prioritize.  From the moment you receive the wonderful news that you have been offered a tenure-track position, immediately start planning essential steps towards wrapping up your fellowship, moving to your new location and establishing your lab and research project.  Use BioData’s helpful New Lab Checklist and accompanying interactive planning worksheet, along with our revolutionary online management system to start your lab on a structured course and keep it that way!

2.  Promote yourself and your research!  The tools of the digital age—including a lab website, social media such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, and video services—allow you to publicize your laboratory, research, and connect with colleagues around the world.

3.  Make good connections among your new colleagues. They can help you write better grants, do better experiments and navigate your institutional bureaucracy.

4.  Make your first hire or two really count. Hopefully you can hire at least one really good lab technician in the beginning. This person should be able to accomplish two things for you.  First, they can continue feeding you data to mitigate the fact that you’re not at the bench as much anymore.  Second, they can help establish your lab culture and procedures.  Putting time and effort into finding someone who will do a great job is worth it.

5.  Apply for additional funding right away.  A good chunk of your start-up money will go towards new equipment and other lab expenses.  Don’t wait to submit several grants, especially because a number of grant opportunities are available for new and young professors.

6.  Take advantage of new lab promotions.  Many companies offer discounts and specials on furniture, supplies and even reagent packages for professors starting their own labs.

7.  Conduct a lot of informational interviews with everyone as soon as you arrive on campus:  Approach colleagues, prospective graduate and undergraduate students, collaborators and potential hires.  This will help you build your staff, choose students carefully, and most importantly, absorb as much information as possible from those who have already successfully established their labs.

8.  Take care of yourself.  The duties expected of a young professor, the enormous pressure of managing a new lab and staff, and the stress of moving to a new city can easily take their toll on you mentally and physically.  Take advantage of your campus gym, stay active and don’t forget to eat properly.

9.  Stay in touch with all of your old labmates, mentors, collaborators and colleagues.  They are an important support system and source of advice in your new venture, especially if you are carrying over any of your old projects or experiments.

10.  Enforce good note-booking and record-keeping practices in your laboratory from the beginning.  BioData’s web-based lab management system can easily help you manage your budding specimen and reagent collection, establish good record-keeping within the group from the start, and produce smart, efficient, groundbreaking science.