Tabima Lab @ Clark University

Lab Expectations

Javier F. Tabima November 11, 2021
Lab business expectations

The goal of this research group is to study our topics of interest in a passionate yet humane way. We strive for scientific excellence meaning we are clear, thorough and methodical with our science, of course. However, the most important thing in the lab is you and your mental and emotional health. This means that, while I expect you to be an integral and complete scientist, I also immensely value you as a human being. Failures and all.

In addition, as a community I expect a largely collaborative research group. While each project may have and independent leader, we strive in our differences and our knowledge. Ask for help, share your results and your concerns, don’t be afraid of failing but be ready to learn from your mistakes, and celebrate and use your community of the lab (and the department) as your academic (and personal, if you so wish) support structure.

Finally, as a general note, I expect all members in the lab to do the following:

  • Foster and nurture your scientific motivation! I understand that working with animal poop is probably not the way you thought you life is going to be. However, think about the beautiful things we can find there! All the diversity and ecological interactions that reflect so many facets of life…

  • Read and try to stay up to date with the scientific literature. There are a list of papers that are mandatory to read as part of being in the lab (Google docs folder I shared with you when you join the lab). In addition, start creating a mendeley/EndNote/Zotero list of papers of interest that you read (or at least skim in depth) and can use for your publications and presentations

  • Learn the basic protocols for your research project. We have a folder with protocols in the Google Drive folder that includes the basic elements all members of the lab should know, so please study them before attempting to replicate them. ASK FOR HELP!! Either me or the more senior students already have experience with these methods, so ask us to guide you through them

  • Maintain a complete, well annotated and super detailed laboratory notebook. Make sure to be very very detailed: What protocol did you use? Did you modify it in any way possible? What were the results? Take pictures of all the gels, tables, ect, and add them to the notebook. Be very strict with this: Your notebook is the support of all of your results, the guide to troubleshooting and the holy grail of what is working and not. This is your most sacred document and treat it as such!

  • Attend Lab meetings. We will get together every Thursday at noon. Bring lunch or I can get pizza for everyone. This is the space where we will be a community and discuss our results, troubleshoot our protocols, and read relevant literature. Some terms we will do result presentations, some terms we will learn how to program and bioinformatics, some terms we will talk about papers. Lab meetings are mandatory!!

  • Send me the papers/posters/important documents that will be shared widely. Since we are working in a collaborative manner, I need to provide my input (even if minimally) to any of the papers, posters, presentations that will be presented in public. This way we maintain uniformity and I can also be held responsible for the elements presented. We are a team!

What to expect from me:

  1. Treat you with respect, equity and understanding that, above all, you are in the process of being trained. Humanity above it all.
  2. Support, guidance and resources to perform your research project, your academic and professional career and (if desired) other facets of the scientific life
  3. Provide you with prompt revisions and feedback on papers, presentations, and other documents that need my revisions
  4. To respect your contributions and work done in the research group.
  5. To maintain a amicable and safe environment for your development as a scientist.

Channels of communication:

  • Use the lab Slack channel. I try to respond as fast as I can, but I don’t expect you to respond after 5PM or on weekends or vacations
  • Email is perfectly fine if there are delicate topics to be discussed

Time in the lab/research group

I am a true believer that work and life balance SHOULD be maintained. As a student, my interactions with my peers and friends were essential for my success. As a postdoc, I had clear times to work and to rest. As a professor, I value my family and leisure time as much as I value my time with you all or teaching. I expect you to do the same.

That means that you are not expected to be working more than 40 hours a week. What matters is that you get things done (albeit in a timely manner). However, understand that 9-5 M-F are the days where we all are going to be around, so try and set your working hours around that time. I also like to go to the lab and chat with all of y’all, so don;t be surprised to see me there every once in a while.

Vacation time varies between undergrads, masters and PhD students. However, taking vacation time is necessary and almost mandatory. Take at least two weeks of each year, and let me know when you are taking these days off with at least two weeks of advance. Please make sure your cultures, experiments, and living organisms are being taken care off before you leave for vacation. I also expect you to celebrate your holidays, sabbaths, sacred days or whatever you consider a holy day for you.

Finally, it is perfectly fine to take some days off due to mental health. Just keep me posted, please.

Masters/ADP students:

  • If you want to do the Masters/ADP lets discuss it at least with year and a half advance before you start the ADP.

  • Make sure to take a BIOL 299 and 399 class with me so we can focus on your research at your senior day. That way we can start discussing and executing your project in a timely manner.

  • I understand that the course load in you sophomore year/senior year is going to limit you lab time, but make sure to register a 299/399 course so progress can be made!

  • Start writing your thesis early on. While you read papers start writing down the introduction of your dissertation. Start with hypotheses and objectives to be accomplished. That way we can all be in the same page.

  • When the ADP starts, I expect you to be in the lab most of the time working on your dissertation. Remember that this time is short but super valuable!!

  • We will meet for at least half an hour every week and check how you are doing. We don;t need to have results ready every week, or something about the project to talk about, but its important to be checking in each other.

  • As the senior students, you may have to help me train new students in the lab (even PhD students)! I know this can be exhausting, but I both really appreciate it and also count it as part of your responsibilities, so rest assured that I count these elements as part of your work.

Previous post
First lab blog post!