Lesson: Be Nice to Everyone at the Poster Session

Derek Lowe of In the Pipeline points to a blog post at The Chem Blog, whose author recounts once being snubbed by a grad student at a poster session because of the seemingly low caliber of the school his friend went to. Even though the Chem Blogger puts out a vindictive warning (what comes around goes around), Lowe knows that in the professional world, a big name school on the resume and an abrasive attitude toward the less knowledgeable isn't going to cut it. "There are places in the drug industry where working for particular academic bosses will give you a leg up — for a while," he writes. "It's a real advantage to be able to get in the door that way, no doubt, but once you're through the door you generally have to produce something."