Lab Culture

"When one of us shine, we all shine. Likewise, if one of us fall, and we don't help, it tarnish the whole lab."

(modified from a phrase I heard in 'Schitt’s Creek')

Guidelines and lab expectations

(these are fluid and can change over time)

1. Vacation time
   

   When asked about this, I was told: “There is not an official program or department policy, or graduate school policy for that matter. Many labs adhere to a 2 week vacation policy for graduate students.”

   Our policy: It is flexible, but in the absence of extraordinary situations, it is 15 business day, in addition to major university holidays (Good Friday; Memorial Day; Independence Day; Labor Day; Thanksgiving Break; and Winter Break). Regadless, anytime that you plan to take an extended time, please tell me in advance, specially in the Summer and the Winter when there are no classes, and add it to the Calendar of Freedom.
   Important: even if you let me know verbally, it is critical to add the time away to the Calendar of Freedom for various reasons, including that I will forget, but also to make sure there is always somebody present to keep the liquid nitrogen tank filled and receive deliveries.

2. Work hours
   

   Research DO NOT fit into a 9–to–5 slot, so there is no standard work time. However, there is a time commitment expected of 40 hours a week for most lab positions. As long as I can see you are engaged with your research and productive, I do not keep track of the work hours. Do keep in mind that if you arrive early, you leave earlier; and if you arrive late, you will leave later. Only exception to this is for rotation students and new members. In order to learn new techniques and methods, please be in the lab during peak hours (usually 11 AM to 5 PM) when most other people, including me, are also present.

3. Safety
   

   Our lab is BSL-2, hence please take safety seriously. There are training requirements that must be met before you can start working in the lab. After training is complete, I (or the lab manager) will go over lab-specific safety requirements with you. I aim to have a lab that not only is safe, but a welcoming environment to all - this starts with everybody following all safety requirements!

4. Lab notebooks, meetings, and journal clubs
   
   Everyone doing research in the lab NEEDS a lab notebook. This is very important! They are key for troubleshooting, to replicate experiments, to teach the next person working in your experiments, etc. There is no standard as whether it is a bound notebook, loose-sheet binders, or electronic files. You can use any, but please incorporate the following:
   1. Table of contents – based on numbers or dates – specially important if using a bound book!
   2. Group experiments on folders, and give each folder an identifier – useful if using a binder and/or electronic files.
   3. Please upload protocols, presentations, or other important data to the Lab drive where it would be available to other members.
   4. VERY IMPORTANT: prior to leaving for vacation or an extended period of time, write a summary for all the experiments you've done so far. Especially, highlight where you are and what you need to do next. This will be greatly useful for when you come back, believe me!
   We have 3 types of weekly lab meetings: business meetings, work in progress (WIP) meetings, and journal clubs.
   1. Business meetings - usually at the beggining of every semester, or when there are new members joining the lab.
   2. WIPs - at least once every month, where we go around the table and everybody presents their ongoing work. Sometimes, when a member(s) is close to publish, we will have a Big Update instead, where they will go over their proposed manuscript data (i.e. Figure 1, Figure 2, etc.).
   3. Journal clubs – one person presents a recent (or relevant) paper related to the lab research topics. Please email the paper at least 2-3 days in advance such that everybody has time to read it.
   Attendance is very important, and is required for all members except undergraduate students (but if your schedule allows it, please make an effort to attend). These lab group meetings will not last more than 1.5 hours. If by 1.5 hours we haven't finish, we will schedule another meeting.
   
   I may also have weekly Individual meetings. These will be scheduled at the beggining of each semester when needed, and will not be more than 30 minutes. Not everybody needs a weekly one-on-one meeting, given my open-door policy, but if you need the guidance and/or the certainty of a fixed time to discuss your research, let me know.
   
   
5. Talks, posters, and conferences
   Communicating science is essential, especially if your goals are to continue in academia. Hence, I encourage all the members to submit abstracts to all internal seminars and conferences. Take it serously! Once you know when you will present, let me know in advance to schedule time for a practice talk or to go over your poster. If doing a practice talk, review slides with me and practice on your own to make sure you are on time – this is the best use of time and feedback!
   
   For regional conferences (such as MMPC or MNID), presenting your work is not required but recommended for attendance. We usualy go to these conferences as the whole group.
   For national and/or international conferences (such as ASM Microbe or GRCs), we only go if your work is accepted. However, it is important to look for financial aid (internally from ND, the organizers, professional societies, etc.) to at least supplement the expenses. Obtaining these will also look great on your CV!
   For a list of relevant conferences that we usually attend, see the list in the Lab Resources page.
   
   
6. Lab celebrations!
   
   A successful lab is not only one that generates great data and publishes frequently, but also is one that serves as a family away from the family. Hence, we will celebrate birthdays and other acomplishments (write your birthday and your favorite cake flavor on the birthday's sheet). We will also have a Santiago–Flores labs Summer and Winter Parties. All significant others are welcomed too! Check some pictures of these celebrations at Pictures of lab gatherings!
   
   
7. What can you expect from Felipe
   My goal is to support you in any way I can. This mean, I will help you achieve your goals, whatever they are, through individual meetings to discuss ideas and results, experimental guidance and show-how, recommending meetings and conferences, connecting you with peers and other members of my professional network, showing you and explaining the processes of, for example, manuscript submission, grant applications, and other academia-related processes. I care about the lab, and you are part of it, so I care about you! Having said that, I cannot do the work for you. You will not be successful, regardless of how much others want that, if YOU do not support yourself! I'll be your cheerleader, but you have to cheer for yourself too. How can you increase your chances of success? Well, is different for everyone, but these are good starting points:
   1. Know the science around your research question. This means to read primary literature frequently - at least 1 paper weekly. 
   2. Realize that sometimes your experiments will require 12 hours of work, or even an all-nighter, while other times you will leave early to enjoy a walk in the park... or just to watch a movie... or just relax. Plan your experiments before you start doing them!
   3. Be proactive, think about the next steps before I suggest them. Feel free to come anytime and discuss your ideas with me. Also, discuss them with the other lab members, and even with friends and colleagues in the department or elsewhere. Be excited about your work!
   4. For conferences, seek out travel awards or other ways of financial aid. I will always be happy to write a nomination or recommendation letter for you.
   5. Support each other. Help each other. Some experiments are harder or longer than others. If you help, your time won't go unnoticed, and when publishing, your name will be there. Afterall, without that experiment that you helped with, the study wouldn't be ready for publication!
   6. And related to the point above, if you said you were going to help, show up! Others are depending on you. Likewise, if you have a meeting scheduled with me, show up! Come prepared! Show up for your commitments, and work the hours you need to work to get stuff done!
   7. Do not compare yourself to others. Each project is different, and each person is unique. We all have unseen issues and troubles, so don't do comparisons but also, don't judge others.

Lastly, remember that I am responsible for many people's projects, you are responsible for your own project. You have more time to devote to it than I have, so help me help you! Lets do some science and have fun!

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We strive to have a fun(gi), supportive, and collaborative culture, where everybody learns and enjoys their work!