Save Money With These4 DIY Science Lab Hacks
If you are a scientist, then you have probably fallen in love with one project or another, and you want to see it through. Lab researchers do some quite important work, but we often tend to forget that the success of the projects doesn’t depend solely on them. In this case, it doesn’t depend solely on you, even though you definitely need to learn more about how to successfully run a research lab.
When I say that things don’t depend solely on you, what do you think I have in mind? Well, to save you from guessing, I am going to cut right to the chase and tell you what I mean by this. Doing lab research requires you to have certain equipment and tools. And, those tools and pieces of equipment cost money.
So, in short, your success can be predetermined by the amount of money you have, or the amount of money someone is ready to invest. That might seem a bit unfair, but that’s just the way it is and we all need to make our peace with this fact. Of course, most scientists get their funding through certain grants, and it is a good thing that those exist.
Due to grant cuts, though, scientists all over the world are finding themselves struggling to get those amounts of money they actually need to fund a specific researching project. That is why everyone is trying to save money and be much more efficient with those grants that they receive. Given that you are here, I suppose it is safe to assume that you are trying to do the same thing.
If you’re not sure of the importance of scientific research, this should help you get a clearer idea on it: https://ourpastimes.com/the-importance-of-scientific-research-12293333.html
Add DIY To The Mix
Now, if you really want to be more efficient with the money you have, you will need to learn some DIY science lab hacks. Those hacks can help you save some money, which you’ll then be able to use on certain things that definitely cannot be a part of any DIY projects. As a passionate researcher, I am sure that you like the idea of learning those do-it-yourself hacks, because those will help you improve your skills, as well as save the money.
If you are ready to learn about those things that you can do yourself, and thus improve those skills and save some money, here’s what you should do. Basically, just continue reading, because I’ll share some of those lab DIY hacks below. That way, you’ll get much more prepared for your entire project and you’ll learn how to be careful with your budget and not waste it on something you might not need.
1. Save That Cracked Gel Rig
When you notice a crack on your gel rig, you will probably immediately assume that it needs to be replaced, because there is absolutely no way that you can run the gel in such a container. This can slow down your work, and we all know that time is money. Plus, you’ll need money to replace the rig. Well, there is a temporary solution that you can use until you can actually buy a new gel rig. In short, you can fix the actual crack with 4% agarose, or even higher.
2. Quickly Cool Your Gel
When looking for ways to quickly cool your gel, you might resort to a water bath. That’s a great method, but here is another thing you can do. Use your microwave. Yes, you’ve heard that right. Keep in mind, though, that you should get some more advice on lab DIY for researchers, so as to learn how to use the microwave the right way.
3. Use Your Own Pockets (Literally)
Here’s another thing you can easily use for your science projects. Your pockets. And, no, I don’t have mean your wallet by that. I literally mean jeans pockets. Those little coin pockets can be used to thaw tubes.
4. Repurpose The Pipette Tip Containers
Did you know that those pipette tip containers can be repurposed? Instead of throwing them away or whatever, you can use them as PCR racks. Remember to tape or stack two of those together, so that the PCR tubes don’t pop out.