Job growth for pharmacists is predicted to increase by 3% by 2024. If you’re either in school working towards a career in pharmaceuticals or have just entered this field, you need to learn a lot, and rather quickly! Here is some important information and a few helpful tips that you should be aware of as you begin your career in pharmacy:

• • Becoming a pharmacist takes time — If you hate school and want to land a good job in a few short years, pharmaceuticals probably isn’t the industry for you. It typically takes at least eight years of college education to earn a Pharm.D. and become a pharmacist.

• • Pharmacist hours can be irregular — Though the majority of pharmacies might operate during normal business owners, there are plenty of others that stay open throughout the night. For instance, a lot of hospital and even retail pharmacies operate 24 hours a day to serve patients. As you increase your experience and move up in the ranks, however, you’ll likely gain more autonomy over your schedule.

• • You’ll have to triple check everything — Since you’ll be dealing directly with patients and potentially dangerous medications, it’s imperative that you check, double-check, and triple check everything you do. Get in the habit of having a checklist you run through when verifying prescriptions, regardless of whether it’s the first fill or a refill. You need to check both the patient’s name and date of birth to ensure that the right person is getting the right medication.

• • Reference your bound lab notebooks — Throughout your educational career and well into your career as an actual pharmacist, you should frequently look back and go over your notes. Additionally, you’ll always be adding new information so it’s best to have plenty of quality bound lab notebooks.

• • There are some additional requirements — There are plenty of requirements you’ll have to meet in order to become a pharmacist or pharmacy technician, including a high school diploma (or GED), criminal background check, formal education and training, fees, exams, continuing education, and certifications.

If you want to check out some high-quality bound lab notebooks or learn more about the scientific community, give the Scientific Notebook Company a call today.

We’ve all spent countless hours studying for a big exam the next day. Though cramming throughout the night might seem like it’s the best way to actually memorize the material, that’s not exactly the case. The information might be fresh, but if you’re only memorizing and not actually understanding the material, you aren’t doing yourself any favors.

If you’re in the scientific field and you’re studying to for either your first ever test or your last exam before you begin your career, there are plenty of great ways to actually understand and memorize all the materials that you are researching beforehand.

Here are some tips that should help you improve your studying habits:

• Consult with other students — Though you’re going to be primarily studying by yourself, it’s a great idea to get with two or three of your fellow students and go over everything together. Sometimes it helps to get someone else’s perspective on a difficult topic like pharmaceuticals. You don’t have to meet every day with your study group, but meeting once or twice a month can help tremendously throughout your educational career.
• Stock up on research notebooks — Say you’re going into the pharmaceutical industry, which is projected to grow to be worth approximately $1.12 trillion by 2022. From the moment you begin your studies, you’re going to constantly be referring back to your original notes, which is why it’s so important to keep diligent notes and keep them organized throughout the years. You’ll likely need to reference your early notes even 10 or 15 years down the line, so make sure you have plenty of laboratory notebooks. Keep in mind, you should have all your research notebooks organized from day one so it’s easy to look back and find all the information you need before an important exam.
• Take better care of yourself — College is one of the most stressful times of anyone’s life, but it’s key to not let these stresses consume you. In order to succeed and stay ahead in difficult scientific and competitive fields, you need to make sure you’re healthy. No more late night snacking, whether you’re studying or not. Plus, you should be getting plenty of sleep each night and spending time with friends so you’re not constantly worrying about your studies.

If you are ready to improve your studying and scientific habits and want to check out some high quality research notebooks, give the Scientific Notebook Company a call right away!

As of 2016, there were approximately 9,550 biochemistry degrees awarded to college students. If you’re attempting to get a degree in a scientific field, you’re probably already well aware of how much time and effort is required. Not only do you have to study, perform various field practices, and stress yourself out beyond belief, you’ll likely have to develop and execute an advanced scientific project.

These projects are extremely time-consuming and often even more difficult than final exams. Hopefully this guide well help you at least get started on your upcoming major project. Here are some tips on how to get the ball rolling on an advanced scientific project this year:

• Decide on an area of interest — If you’re going to be spending weeks and even months working on a topic, it’s best to make sure it’s something that not only has a lot of information, but interests you as well. Start with a general topic like biology and then you can dive deeper until you find your project’s main thesis.
• Acquire plenty of science notebooks — Laboratory notebooks are essential for any student, researcher, or employee working in a scientific career. Throughout your project, you’ll be doing hours of research and it’s imperative that you keep all that information organized and documented from day one. A quality science notebook can help you organize all your thoughts and findings, but make sure you have plenty because you’re going to need a lot.
• Consult with a mentor and other students — Even if you are the only one who is responsible for performing the research and completing the project, it’s best to reach out for help throughout the process. Other students are doing projects of their own, but you should be able to compare notes and ideas that will help everyone. Similarly, mentors are great resources. They can help you better understand how to handle each piece of equipment you’re working with as well as offer research advice.
• Create a project outline and go from there — Transferring all your notes to a concise outline can help you organize your actual project and prepare you for your upcoming presentation. Start with an introduction, write down all your methods and your experimental to-do list, write your predicted results, state your findings and project relevance, and close with your bibliography.

Good luck on your next major project — if you want to check out some great science notebooks, give the Scientific Notebook Company a call today.

You’re familiar with dust devils. You might have even heard of water devils, too, but gravel devils? For people living in or near the Andes Mountains, it turns out this isn’t an unusual sight. Grab your scientific notebook and let’s get started. We’re going to learn more about this amazing phenomenon and what causes it from the ground up.

What Is a Gravel Devil?

Despite the name, a gravel devil isn’t necessarily always made up of gravel. Most contain crystallized gypsum and other minerals that shimmer in the light. This is what makes the gravel devil appear to sparkle in sunlight or when exposed to beams.

How Do Gravel Devils Form?

Gravel devils can form in a number of ways. The most common formation occurs over highly acidic pools of water near inactive volcanoes or lava flows. Gypsum crystals form from these areas as water evaporates, melding into crystalline structures that then get picked up by the wind. Like dust devils, wind conditions must be just right—changes in pressure and wind direction are almost always responsible.

Why Are Gravel Devils So Important?

Gravel devils are ecologically and archaeologically important for a few different reasons. Scientists who study them gain important knowledge about how different crystalline materials traveled around ancient Earth, and that can give us an intimate glimpse into a past world we’ll never see.

Studying gravel devils also reveals interesting information about which parts of Earth had the harshest winds many centuries ago. As some of the crystals can reach up to 10” or more in length, it could potentially teach us new information about how mineral deposits occur and how winds impact the surface of the Earth today. Through approximation, it might also help us to predict how high winds might further impact Earth long into the future.

After Travel: Interesting Outcomes

The process through which gypsum crystals travel (via dust devils) is interesting enough, but what happens once winds die down is also equally compelling.

Gravel devils spin up due to changes in the environment (mostly related to wind). The sheer force of those wind changes and the surrounding wind patterns dictate how far they will travel before they lose power. Some studies identify that gravel devils can potentially travel as far as 5 kilometers while carrying exceptionally large crystals, only dumping them on the ground when pressure or wind force finally changes.

Mountain air currents are just one of the reasons the Andes Mountains experience this phenomenon at a higher rate than other areas of the world.

Research shows that dust devils periodically dump crystals onto the ground in large mounds, creating cairns made entirely of crystals. Gypsum’s innate ability to meld with itself then kicks in. Over time, the crystals begin to warp and grow, combining with one another to create massive crystalline structures.

Science is incredibly interesting. Whether you’re a geologist yourself or working in a different field, SNCO wants to help you seek the supplies you need most to be effective and efficient. Contact us today at 800-537-3028 to ask about our range of scientific notebooks, cleanroom supplies, and research aids.