Making low-stakes mistakes is how we learn

‘It looks like a murder scene in here’. Those were the words from my supervisor after I had dropped a round-bottomed flask containing a deep-red ruthenium complex on the floor, leaving solvent splattered on the surrounding cupboards and fumehood.

In a crude attempt to quickly remove some of my solvent, I had connected the flask to a vacuum line, bunging some cotton wool in the connector to stop the vacuum from sucking my product upwards. Returning after lunch to remove the flask, I, for no apparent reason, decided to unclip the flask before removing the vacuum. With the vacuum’s pull no longer holding the flask in place, the flask dropped, rolled on the countertop and fell to its shattering death.

This was the first time that I had broken a piece of equipment. I remember my heart pounding, expecting a reprimand and a form to pay for the damages. Instead, my supervisor calmly asked what was in the flask, told me where the spill kit was and checked that I wasn’t injured. Luckily, there hadn’t been anything in the flask that was explosive or toxic.

At the time, my slip-up felt disastrous. But my supervisor helped me see that it was okay get things wrong. In fact, most people working in science have made similar blunders throughout their careers – ones that feel huge at the time but have little impact. Other examples might include embarrassing typos, pronouncing something incorrectly or forgetting to hit save on an important document. (I have done all of these.)

Being public about our blunders makes us reflect on what we’ve learnt

Making these ‘low-stakes mistakes’, particularly as a student, intern or early in your career, ultimately means that you’re not going to make them again in the future. Crucially, minor slip-ups early on can prevent major incidents in complex or dangerous situations later down the line. These moments also act as valuable lessons on being cautious, not rushing and asking for help when needed.

Scientists are known for not sharing their mistakes. A highly competitive academic environment perpetuates the false idea that researchers must be perfect to stand out. Admitting that you’ve made a mistake is seen as embarrassing and as a threat to your career. But being public about our blunders makes us reflect on what we’ve learnt and helps others realise that they aren’t the only ones who have made these ‘silly’ mistakes.

For that reason, the Chemistry World team has now shared some of their low-stakes mistakes. These range from adding the wrong chemical to an experiment, releasing ants in to a lecture theatre and breaking a mercury thermometer.

If you’ve ever been in a similar situation, help us change the narrative by sharing your stories with us and what you’ve learnt from them using the form below. We will publish some of these in an article later this year on the Chemistry World website. Whether your low-stakes mistake is from long-ago or from last week, do get in touch.