We had an indoor weekend due to the major storm passing through. Luckily we got mostly spared and our thoughts are with the ones touched by the storm. I noticed quite an uptick in tweets about how long the day is when you cannot go outside (with your kids). Here is what I did - and yes this is very nerdy:

We spent a lot of time measuring things. The idea is very simple (and very familiar if you are a scientist or in a relationship with a scientist..). In parenthesis, I am cross-linking the steps with a scientific paper.

• You ask a question that has a numerical answer (introduction).
• You guess what the answer is (hypothesis).
• You find a tool to take the measurement (methods section)
• You take a measurement to determine the answer (result section).
• You compare your guess with the measurement (discussion section).
• If they are different, you come up with a story why (discussion section).

You do not need a fancy research lab to do this. All you need is a bit of imagination and some (cheap) sensors. Also, cell phones do include a lot of sensors and there are apps that can be used. I am not including them here since I am a firm believer in limiting screen times for kids, independent of content (yes, we can argue you about this..). There is something special in terms of the learning and the entertainment when you carry around a measurement device and read from its display.

Here are some sensors that work well for such activities. Note that none of them are toys. Please stay safe and use them in an age-appropriate way. All of them are less than $25 on Amazon (except the CO2 sensor). Please see here to learn how my site uses affiliate links. Below are some sample questions that kept us entertained and curious.

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Here are some basic but (too kids and adults like me who are still kids) fun questions. Always add the question "Why?"

Temperature:

• Is it warmer inside or outside?
• Are different rooms of different temperature?
• Does the temperature change during the day?

Humidity:

• Is it more humid inside or outside?
• Is humidity different in the bath room?

Electricity using the plug in "KillAWatt" (only for adults, under strict adult supervision, outlets are nothing to play with)

• Is the voltage the same for different outlets?
• Is the frequency the same for different outlets?
• Does voltage change when all lights in the house are turned on or off?
• Does the frequency change when all lights in the house are turned on or off?
• How much power does a tea kettle draw?

CO2 Concentration

• How does CO2 concentration change when the windows are open / closed?
• Does turning on the gas stove change CO2 in the kitchen (adult supervision, safety etc)?

Sound pressure

• How loud can you be?
• How quiet can you be (preferred!)?
• How loud can your instrument be (piano, violin, etc)?
• What is the difference in loudness when the distance to the noise source is increased?
• 
  

Luminance

• What is the brightest light we have in the house?
• How dark can we make a room?

PH

• What is the pH of various drinks?

Electricity using the multimeter

• What is the voltage of a charged AA battery?
• What is the resistance of different materials?

And so on. Have fun happy Monday!

I spend a lot of time thinking about how I can improve and learn to  in whatever I am doing. This constant searching of new and better ways how to live and work brings me a lot of joy because it gives me the feeling of moving forward, of spending time in a meaningful way, and of challenging myself to be and do better than I currently am.

Over the years, I have shared with you some of these thoughts, many related to academia and how to become a better leader in the world of academic research. Today, I want to summarize some of these thoughts by sharing with you 3 key rules to get to the next level:

Rule 1: Never settle. It is so easy and comfortable to settle. However, the price you pay for that will be a heavy burden to carry, namely the feeling of having missed out on life in its richness. Signs that you have settled with yourself and your life are

• "This is just who I am.."​
• "I have tried to [get better] but it does not work for me"
• "[External circumstances] define this and I have no influence over them"
• etc.

Instead, I recommend you tune your sensory systems to recognize areas in your life where you have settled and question yourself if you really found the optimum or if you have settled at less than the optimum for your momentary convenience. If you realize you have, it is time for the next rule.

Rule 2: Small incremental steps of improvement. It is easy to sit down and make a list of few big things that we want to change in our (professional) life, make an ambitious plan (to be implemented on Monday) which will be already in complete disarray by Tuesday. Rather, figure out a 2 minute thing you can easily do and hold yourself accountable to do it everyday. Start with kindness and generosity. Here are some examples that have worked very well for me:

• Make sure before you leave the house to say bye in a meaningful and mindful way to everyone in your house.
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
• Randomly ask one of your co-workers how they are and actually listen to the answer with empathy.
• Send off a positive tweet when you read an interesting paper (try to tag authors).
• Surprise someone by buying them coffee.
• etc.

Rule 3: Never ever cut a deal with yourself. Often, we work hard to improve something and feel that in return we deserve some slack for something else. I can tell you that this principle will never make you happy since you are ultimately engaged in a constant negotiation process with yourself that costs lots of energy and drains you. This is one of the reasons why dieting never works. We chose the light vegetarian option but then deserve that delicious desert. Nope. Will .. not ... work. Make things that matter to you non-negotiable, before you realize it they will have become habits and happen on their own.

Give it a try and let me know below in the comment section how these three rules are working out for you!

One of the staples of an academic lab is the so-called "lab meeting". I remember lab meeting as this frightening event where suddenly all eyes are pointed towards you and your science gets assessed by your peers and your professor. Will it be thumbs up or down? Will I get asked to do another year of boring control experiments? You get the idea. These are typically weekly meetings that often last one to two hours and assume various formats but it often boils down to trainees getting up and giving updates on their science. In my group, we spent some time thinking about lab meeting and decided to make some changes, here are our thoughts, in the hope they may help others make lab meetings more productive and fun.

• Whatever type of lab meeting you have, still way better than a lab that does not have lab meetings. To me that has always been a sign of major dysfunction if the group does not manage to assemble at a some reasonable interval to discuss science-related matters.
• Often, trainees spend substantial time polishing slides, preparing introductions to their science, and practicing their presentation. Although this helps to improve presentation skills, it has several disadvantages. First, the actual time spent discussing science is limited. Second, it creates this artificial (and wrong) perception that only polished stories can be shared with the group. Rather, the point should be to get plenty of input EARLY in the project when things by design are not yet polished. Overall, steering towards shorter updates - starting early in the project life cycle - is ultimately more helpful and also more interesting.
• Another anxiety-inducing lab meeting style is to go around the table and have everyone give a short update. I am not a fan of this approach since invariably two things happen. First, the trainees who had a rough week (and yes doing science is often rough) leave the meeting demotivated. Second, there is always this one person who hogs plenty of time in the hope to impress the professor with how hardworking and dedicated they are. Not ... a ... fan.

So what is the solution to all this? I am sure there are many and please post below your thoughts - I am eager to read what you have figured out that works. This is all about the learning, also for me. In any case, we have settled on the following format, wich we call innovation meeting to illustrate that it is a new format focused on early-state discussions:
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We meet weekly for two hours and we have a shared spreadsheet where people add what they want to discuss to a queue together with an estimate how much time it will take. Every week, we work through that queue during the meeting (being flexible if urgent stuff has come up to ignore the order of the queue). There is explicit encouragement to present small and preliminary things, perhaps a single plot, a question about experimental design, a confusing result etc. So far, the meetings were highly productive and lots of fun since everyone learned a lot. Mission accomplished...

As some of you may now, we have started the Carolina Center for Neurostimulation last year to accelerate the convergence of our brain stimulation research with clinical brain stimulation such as FDA-cleared transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) for treatment-resistant depression. Figuring out how to interface the realities of clinical care with research has been a rewarding learning experience for me. If you are a scientist interested in translational research, I highly recommend you hang out with clinicians who treat patients with the disorder you are interested in. For me, spending time in the clinical realm through shadowing and collaboration has been truly eye-opening.

Today, I am delighted to announce that the UNC Department of Psychiatry together with our Center has worked hard behind the scenes to augment the TMS options offered to patients with depression. Processes in the background have been streamlined to minimize time-to-treat. In the near future, there will be options to opt-in and contribute to research on biological variables that predict the treatment response and on augmentation of TMS with other potentially synergistic modalities while receiving TMS. More details to come as we are finalizing our research plans. In the mean time, if you are interested in clinical TMS for you or your loved ones, please do not hesitate to contact our Department to schedule a brain stimulation consultation by calling (984) 974-3854. 

Small Print. Please note that I am not a medical doctor but a researcher. Please direct all your medical questions to your healthcare provider. In case of a medical emergency, please call 911.