At GoldBio, we appreciate the lighter side of lab life. Whether it’s the quirky ties that a professor may wear, or the fact that the lab is just going to be messy at times and we all have to (temporarily) embrace it, our time spent in the lab should be as enjoyable as any other office setting.

So we created a contest for those who wanted to show off the fun or weird “things” associated with their lab shelf. Some of these are personal mementos, some are just conference giveaways - but they’re all items that help bring a little charm to our daily work spaces.

Here are the entrants, beginning with our winner, along with their description of the submitted photo -

"Safety First in the Minion Lab! Dr. Chris Minion Lab at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa!" [via Jeannett]

"Some students in the lab created these flags for me out of lab tape. More flags are to come. Celebrate diversity!" [via Alexis]

"Gerald the seal and Ms. Mermaid reminding me it's Valentine's Day - PhD students rarely get to enjoy such holidays." [via Brooke]

"Are you suggesting coconuts migrate?" [via Frannie]

"My collection of scientific memorabilia and vendor swag!" [via Erin]

"Friends from my country home visit the lab." [via Cris]

"Personal green fishy oasis" [via Marta]

"Aliens have invaded the lab." [via Samantha]

"Everything is awesome when you're part of a team!" [via Nancy]

"Einstein and friend with some lab mice." [via Cris]

"Our lab works on mice and rats. I found these fake skeletons at CVS around Halloween. Presenting Bones and his girl, Bonita (with the bow on the left)" [via Sarah]

"Lines of force 3-D" [via Anthony]


Thanks to all who participated! All images were submitted with permission, via our Facebook Photo Contest page. Gold Biotechnology did not do anything to edit these photos beyond resizing.