1. It’s not what you had planned for the project? 2. It’s not the field you were trained in? 3. It’s not certain to work? In science, as in art, the trick is to be open to going wherever the project directs you.

Write to me with your CV if you’re interested. My email is itai.yanai[AT]nyulangone.org

Postdoc opening: My lab at NYU Langone Health is looking for a new postdoctoral fellow with wet-lab experience for an exciting project.

1. CRISPR came from basic research on bacteria. 2. Optogenetics started with a discovery in algae. 3. The GFP protein comes from jellyfish. The biggest breakthroughs all trace to scientists following their curiosity, and this is one huge reason why we must keep funding basic research!

Andre Geim is the only scientist to win both the Nobel Prize (Physics, 2010) and the Ig Nobel Prize (for levitating a frog in 2000). His secret? He says it was to set up an environment in his lab for doing experiments from a sense of play and a spirit for adventure!

Great workshop, I really value how the night science project is unfolding. They are able to talk about scientific creativity in a precise and yet inspiring way! Looking forward to bring this spirit to Barcelona

This week we held our second-ever “train the trainer” event in Heidelberg at EMBO/EMBL to pass on our teachings on the creative scientific process to 50 instructors. We're on our way to achieving our mission of bringing creativity training to all scientists worldwide!

Do you want to work with us in New York on the Night Science mission to change the culture of science? We will soon advertise an administrative position at NYU Langone Health, jointly with the Night Science Institute. If interested, you can already contact me with your CV.

PhD students: this is happening tomorrow so there is still time to sign up (already 90 participants registered!).

Doing a PhD is - at heart - one long discussion with your mentor. The discussion changes over time - with unexpected turns and ups & downs - but through it all is two people discussing a topic endlessly to make sense of it. PhD students: choose someone you like to talk to.

Sad news. Yonath was/is a legend indeed. Now there are only 4 living female @nobelprize.org laureates in chemistry. There are 20 living Nobel Prize winners just at Stanford right now.

“Focus on what you love to do, what you want to know, first of all, or what you want to achieve.. If you want to be a performer, a dancer, it's okay with me, as long as this is really built in.. Courage is very important, but for science, curiosity is not enough, it should come with the courage."

Nobel Prize winner Ada Yonath sadly passed away today. She was a legend for her pioneering work on the structure of ribosomes.

Advice for new PhD students: choose a mentor who is committed to your training, not just your project. The most important product of your PhD - even more important than the science - is YOU, a newly trained scientist.