Last week I was in Waltham, Massachusetts attending the Association of Laboratory Managers (ALMA) 29th Annual Conference. Along with some very strong presentations, there was a high level of engagement from the attendees, who were clearly there to get answers.
Lab Manager provides guidance and resources to help laboratory leaders run their labs like a business. We are the only publication specifically focused on all aspects of running a lab.
In one presentation, John Ford, of Project Solutions, spoke of the need for mentoring within the lab and the benefits derived for both mentor and mentee. Is there a mentoring program at your lab? Is it formal or informal? Has it been successful and, if so, how do you measure that success? Please share your thoughts.
An article we posted yesterday talks about the growing number of Web-based social-networking sites aimed at individuals with a specific interest or career focus – in this case, biomedical research. (http://www.labmanager.com/news.asp?ID=474) Are you there yet? Are members of your staff?
If you were at the ALMA Conference last week, tell me what you thought. What topics do you wish had been covered that weren’t.