An Ounce of Prevention: Failure Resistant Experimental Design

Among the most frequent complaints heard from graduate students is that “My project isn't going anywhere”. Poorly planned and hastily executed experiments can condemn students to repetitively returning to the place from which they started. For impressionable young trainees, such frustrations can quickly erode their self‐confidence and color their view of a potential career in science. While the unexpected, including moments of frustration, is integral to research, the frequency of these events can be reduced. While the art of experimental design has been overshadowed to a considerable degree by our capacity to generate literal masses of data using powerful ‐omic techniques, careful project planning and thoughtful experimental design remain the keys to success in most laboratories as well as crucial vehicles for student training. Designing question‐driven experiments that lead to definable, interpretable outcomes educates students in the logical, physical, and chemical principles that underlie incisive research. The ability to make experiments stepping stones in a logical progression demonstrates for students that progress and satisfaction also are integral to a research career.