Masters science project destroying confidence
I posted this on the wrong section so some of you may see this somewhere.I love all aspects of lab work even the litrature search and writing it up, before the start of the project I was beeming with enthusiasm. It's a relative new area of biomedical science with no concrete findings hoping to get good results to supplement my excellent marks in my modules credits and perhaps maybe even get a publication things seemed to be looking up . Now I dread going to the lab since everything I am doing just does not seem to be working EVEN THE POSITIVE CONTROLS! no matter how hard I troubleshoot and it's soul destroying!!!! I get to the lab at 9 leave when i have to at 5 with nothing to show for my efforts i am scared now that I may have let my supervisor down who picked several students ahead of me to do this project and worse still myself and family since It may cost me that distinction. I just set up another assay so hopefully I will get some readings.Has any other science student encountered the same problem??????

Kind of: in my first year of PhD I was asked to develop a method using a certain bit of equipment. I tried for months, even though all the literature said it was impossible, cos one of our collaborators insisted on it. But it was hopeless. In the end I showed that you could get better results (or get results at all) using a different machine, and that seems to have kept them quiet.
It may be similar: perhaps the method is just not feasible.

posted to your other thread ....oops

Aww, I know how you must feel. *hugs* Ive had stuff go wrong in the lab, recently we've been having a load of cell culture trouble, affecting everyones work and not just mine. Its been getting quite a few people down.

I'd try not to worry about it too much, they dont expect perfection from a Masters project. In fact, Im sure a lot of first year PhD students have similar problems. Its just a matter of finding your feet, its just that Masters students dont have the luxury of time to endlessly repeat things.

If youre getting to the point where its seriously depressing you and affecting your work then I would personally have a word with a supervisor or welfare tutor.

Hmmmm yes you are correct I guess supervisors don't expect as much from a masters student compared to a PH d student my supervisor is quite young and when she was demonstrating some assays had some problems herself:P . Wow cell culture problems affecting more than one person!!! did you find the source of the problem?

Eventually yes and hopefully it wont come back! :S

But it was horrible: losing work and everyone getting angry at each other. :(