This article is concerned with the novice scientific researcher's learning process. Drawing on Science and Technology Studies (STS), and on the so-called 'laboratory studies' in particular, it approaches science as a cultural practice and presents a case study: the Scientific Vocational Program of the Fundação Oswaldo Cruz in Rio de Janeiro. The investigation relies primarily on documentary evidence, used alongside observational data gathered during fieldwork in the Department of Pathology of the Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. The analysis highlights the practical nature of the learning process of novice scientists, a first-hand experience which requires a particular pedagogy of science.
scientific pedagogy; scientific initiation; science education