【大約在十年前，著名的華人生物學家蒲慕明先生曾經有一封非常著名的email在網上廣爲流傳，這封email是蒲先生寫給自己實驗室所有博士生和博士後的。這封email寫的語重心長，從中可以看出蒲先生的良苦用心。
蒲慕明先生是伯克萊大學教授，中國科學院神經科學研究所所長。 2001年，蒲教授對美國實驗室的人大發雷霆，你們太懶了，每年不能超過20天休假。每週必須工作至少六天。一天不來實驗室必須得到我的同意。每週60小時動手做實驗、談天、上網、看文獻的時間不算。寫論文時再看文獻。你們誰不幹，開路。每週得向我彙報。到今年6月每人得有兩篇J Neuroscience以上的論文。誰做不到，我要你8月開路。
以下是蒲慕明教授寫給他實驗室學生的信】
Lab members:
Over the past several months, it has become clear to me that if there is no drastic change in the lab, Poo lab will soon cease to be a productive, first-rate lab that you chose to join in the first place. Lab progress reports over the past six months have clearly shown the lack of progress in most projects.one year ago, when we first moved to Berkeley, I expressed clearly to everyone my expectation from eachone in the lab.
The most important thing is what I consider to be sufficient amount of time and effort in the lab work. I mentioned that about 60 hr working time per week is what I consider the minimal time an average successful young scientist in these days has to put into the lab work. There may be a few rare lucky fellows like Florian, who had two Nature papers in his sleeve already, can enjoy life for a while and still get a job offer from Harvard. noone else in the lab has Florian's luxury to play around.Thus I am imposing strict rules in the lab from now on:
1. Everyone works at least 50 hr a week in the lab （e.g., 8+ hr a day, six days a week）. This is by far lower than what I am doing every day and throughout most of my career. You may be smarter or do not want to be ssuccessful, but I am not asking you to match my time in the lab.
2. By working, I mean real bench work. This does not include surfing on the computer and sending and receiving e-mails for non-scientific matters unrelated to your work （you can do this after work in the lab or at home, and excessive chatting on nonscientific matters. No long lunch break except special occasions. I suggest that everyone puts in at least 6 hr concentrated bench work and 2+ hr reading and other research-related activity each day. Reading papers and books should be done mostly after work. More time can be spent on reading, literature search and writing during working hours when you are ready for writing a paper.
3. I must be inxxxxed in person by e-mail （even in my absence from the lab）when you are absent from the lab for a whole day or more. Inxxxx me early your vacation plan. Taking more than 20 working days out ofone year is the maximum to me. In fact, none of you are reporting any vacation and sick leave on your time sheet （against the university rule, although I have been signing the sheets））, but you know roughly how many days you were not here. On the whole, I understand and accept the fact that you may not fulfill the above requirements all the time, due to health reasons, occasional personal business. But if you do not like to follow the rules because it is simply a matter of choice of life style, I respect your choice but suggest you start making plans immediately and leave the lab by the end of January 31. I will do my best to help you to locate a lab to transfer or to find a job. If you do accept the conditions I describe above, I am happy to continue to provide my best support to your work, hopefully more than I have done in the past. I will review the progress of everyone in the lab by the end of June of 2002. I expect everyone to have made sufficient progress in the research so that a good paper is in sight （at least to the level of J.Neuroscience. If you cannot meet this goal at that time, I will have to ask you to prepare to leave my lab by the end of August. Mu-ming As a scientist, you must dedicate everything to this business 作爲一個科學家，你必須把一切都獻身給科研事業.
－ Working time: 8-hour is unpractical. There is NO way for a scientist or a Ph.D student to workonly 8 hours a day! 每天僅僅工作8個小時是不行的。對於一個博士或者科學家，每天僅僅工作8個小時根本根本就是死路一條！（“NO way”）
－ Go to your mother’s house for afternoon naps and never come back! 如果有人敢午休，那就馬上捲鋪蓋走人，永遠不要再回實驗室！
－ Vacation: 5 weeks per year (Chinese New Year, the May Day and the National Day breaks are included) 包括春節、五一、國慶，每年全部假期一共5個星期。
－ Start your morning work not later than 8:30 am and afternoon work no later than 1 pm 上午必須早於8：30上班，下午早於1點上班。（注意，沒有規定幾點下班。）
－ Surf over the Internet for non-scientific purposes should be less than 30 min a day 每天用於看網頁以及其他與科研無關事情的時間不得多餘30分鐘。
－ Reading newspapers should be limited less than 30 min a day 每天看報紙的時間不得多餘30分鐘
－ Novels or other non-scientific journals/magazines are not permitted in the lab and office 小說和非科研性雜誌不準帶入實驗室
－ If you are absent from the lab more thanone hour, get permission first. 如果離開實驗室超過1個小時，必須事先請假並得到允許。
－ Everyone has personal business, but the lab business always has priority unless in emergency 除非緊急的事情，否則實驗室的事情永遠大於私事。
－ In this business, an “average” student who works seven days a week is definitely more productive than a “genius” who works five days a week 在這行裏，每週只工作5天，即使是天才，也比要低於比一個工作7天的資質平平的人還要差。
－ If you are able to make any major progresses by working 8 hours a day and 5 days a week, every fortunate in this world must be on your side! 如果你即使每天工作8個小時並且每週只工作5天，居然也能成功哪怕只有一次（any）。那除非你是上帝（主宰了世界上一切的人）！
Pu