Skip to main content

We’re Up All Night to Get Data-UCSD Graduate Program Parody Video!

Graduate school in biosciences is tough. We know that. Four, six, even (heaven forbid!) eight years of your life dedicated to diving deeply into a research project can leave one, well, a bit “loopy” sometimes and you just need to blow off steam.

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American


Graduate school in biosciences is tough. We know that. Four, six, even (heaven forbid!) eight years of your life dedicated to diving deeply into a research project can leave one, well, a bit "loopy" sometimes and you just need to blow off steam. An option to add some levity to the seriousness of all that pressure not available to me when I was in grad school is to create a parody music video. Bad Project stands out in recent memory, as does UCSD's creation from last year Lady GABA's "Poster Face".

But how many grad students have time for that, especially in crunch time in preparation for the annual Society for Neuroscience conference (SfN) held each November? Most neuroscience students are busily collecting data for their poster to make a good impression.

Or are they?


On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.


See for yourself, (and, **ahem**, no, I NEVER nodded off late at night while on a microscope in grad school. Nope.)

This video was created to promote UCSD's graduate program's "break from data" social at SfN. If you are heading toward SfN and are ready for a break from PCR, patch clamping, microscopy and cloning, it looks like just the thing.

Kudos on the quality of the video! This year's video was produced by 123comicbro on youtube. It looks like we might be able to count on UCSD's graduate program for scientific video entertainment for years to come. At least I hope so.

Joanne Manaster is a university level cell and molecular biology lecturer with an insatiable passion for science outreach to all ages. Enjoy her quirky videos at www.joannelovesscience.com, on twitter @sciencegoddess and on her Facebook page at JoanneLovesScience

More by Joanne Manaster