About Magellan

The Magellan program at Washington and Jefferson College is a program that funds students to complete research anywhere in the world. I decided to do a Magellan internship and stay close to home in Durham, North Carolina.

Part of the Magellan program is not just completing my internship, but also completing an independent project. I originally was going to interview researchers at other labs, however I changed my mind. I knew my time was valuable at this lab and I didn't want to miss a day. However, I was also intrigued by the way this lab sustains itself. There are a few lab technicians, a secretary, and a few researchers. The secretary is the one who puts all the orders in for what is needed, and everyone communicates to her. We have lab meeting once a week to check on everything and make sure what we need to get done is getting done. So, as I was working on my internship I began to realize how research and business in a way intertwine, which is why I decided to change my independent project to an essay on the intersection of business and research. You can read my essay below.

The Intersection of Research and Business

Business is a concept and idea that can apply to almost any subject matter. It is a unique subject in that it can carry over to almost everything we do in life. Each day, we are involved and interact with so many businesses that we don’t always appreciate how prevalent it is. Or at least, I didn’t. As I was completing my research internship, I began to realize how research labs function as a business. It surprised me how efficient the lab was because they applied concepts of business to their lab. Since the lab consisted of a small group, it was of vital importance to stay on top of orders for necessary items and for everyone to clearly communicate what was going on in the lab. In this essay I will break down Warren Buffett’s “9 essential rules for running a business” and how they applied to the lab I worked at (Crippen).

              Rule number 1: “Keep calm in the face of volatility” (Crippen). Keeping calm among the unpredictable is a common theme found at every research lab and in any research paper. Often in research, things change or something unexpected happens; which can easily through off the whole game plan. This could happen very easily, especially when a lab is dealing with the unpredictable nature of animals. Another unpredictable factor are pilot studies which are studies that have never been done before. There were a few pilot studies going on at the lab I interned at. In these pilot studies, nobody is really sure what the outcome would be, let alone if there would be any differences in what we were testing. In this lab, sometimes one of the tasks didn’t always go according to schedule because it would test the rats’ memory and some rats would not be able to complete the testing because they never grasped the original concept. However, this was completely normal given the nature of animals and their unpredictability. Although things didn’t go smoothly or as planned, it was the mentality of expecting the unexpected that kept us calm if something changed.

              Rule number 2: “Keep good company” (Crippen). The lab consisted of a few people who have worked together for around 10 years and also newer members who all hold very impressive degrees in neuroscience. Everyone was extremely pleasant to work with because we all worked as a team to make sure everybody accomplished their tasks. Our weekly lab meetings were always a good time to catch-up with what was going on in the lab and if there were ever any issues with equipment we would go over it during that time. Overall, the teamwork and good communication in the lab helped the operations run smoothly and provided a conducive working environment.

              Rule number 3: “Keep your focus” (Crippen). While this lab had a few studies going on at the same time, the focus was always on the same main goal. This main goal was always to focus on the behavior of the animals and whether or not addiction or dependency had any effect on them. Everyone was also always focused on getting their important tasks done, which included running tests, recording data, and keeping the animals happy and healthy. This collective focus on the main goal ensured that everyone was doing their part to help achieve the goals of the lab and complete many research projects.

              Rule number 4: “Keep costs low” (Crippen). Since this was a research lab, we never cut corners when it came to the cost of research or the well-being of the animals. However, this lab allows high school and college students to intern which is very helpful to them. Not only does this allow more testing to occur in a more efficient amount of time, but it also allows the main researchers to focus their time on inputting data and writing protocol. Since internships are unpaid, this was a very successful way for the lab to keep its costs low. It was also a good idea as it provided valuable experience to the interns; something that I appreciated while working at the lab.

              Rule number 5: “Keep employee incentives simple” (Crippen). The lab was always organized which helped everyone get along really well. There was also a doughnut shop right around the corner from the lab; sometimes people would bring donuts to the meetings or set them out for everyone in the morning. Everyone was also very willing to work with schedules; for example, when one of technicians was working on applications for graduate school, the facilitators of the lab allowed her to create a flexible schedule for her work.

              Rule number 6: “Keep out of trouble” (Crippen). Research is an extremely regulated field as it has to be both ethical and efficient. The lab always made sure to abide by all the rules set forth by various organizations. If the rules were not followed, there would be many consequences as the rules are set in place for a reason. The rules are especially important when dealing with animals because the lab wants to do everything it can to make the research as ethical as possible. I was really impressed by all of the protocols set forth by national organizations and the university. There was a lot of training I had to go through for protocols about handling animals and chemicals. The training ensured that all members working at the research facility knew the correct protocols to follow.

              Rule number 7: “Keep your undervalued stock to yourself” (Crippen). Although this research lab did not deal with real stock, the amount of information they have is important. They make sure that they are utilizing the correct resources at all times, and receive stipends from multiple organizations.

              Rule number 8: “Keep it small” (Crippen). This lab did a particularly good job at this; the small size of the lab enabled them to regulate different activities and jobs that required focus and precision. I think this ties into the “Keep your focus” rule number 3, because they kept their focus razor-sharp in terms of what research studies they did. This aspect helped them keep the number of lab employee’s small. Once I learned how to run the experiments and what schedule they were run in, I could complete work on another study because the protocol for the experiments would be the same. Although they would be different sometimes, for the most part they were similar which allowed the same small skill set to be used.

              Rule number 9: “Keep your reputation” (Crippen). This lab has a very good reputation because everyone there is always focused on getting the job done and making sure everything is working properly. It is not only important on a personal level for researchers to keep their reputation, but it is also important to keep the lab’s reputation excellent as a whole. This way, more stipends can be received for future studies.

              Overall, this lab followed all of the 9 rules in its own unique way. I was really surprised by the efficiency of everyone working together, which was partially due to the fact that everyone was so willing to help. I noticed this even when I arrived to complete the paperwork and be trained; everyone was welcoming and excited for me to join the team. Not only were they enthusiastic that I was helping them, they were also enthusiastic that I would be gaining a lot of experience to use later on in my career. It surprised me how much business concepts intersected with this lab; I now see that is why they are so successful. It is fascinating to think, that even in labs, business concepts are extremely crucial to successful research.

Sources:

Crippen, Alex. “Warren Buffett's 9 Essential Rules for Running a Business.” CNBC, CNBC, 21 Nov. 2016, www.cnbc.com/2016/11/21/warren-buffett-9-essential-rules-for-running-a-business.html.