Becoming a new lab member is an adjustment for everyone – there are always new protocols to learn, even if you’re an alumnus of a different lab. These are guidelines for common issues we face that will make you a considerate lab member and appreciated by your colleagues. Remember to know your own limitations and don’t be afraid to ask for help or clarification.
1. SAFETY FIRST: if something is unsafe or if you lack the necessary training or safety equipment, don’t do it. If you see someone else doing something unsafe, even if it is not in your lab, correct their behaviour, or let a supervisor (Principle Investigator, Post Doc, Research Associate, senior grad student, etc.) know. Be alert and always look for potential safety issues. Make sure you have completed all required University training modules (e.g. WHMIS expires every year). Wear appropriate safety clothing, footwear, and Personal Protective Equipment when needed. If you feel you are being placed in an unsafe situation when working in the field and with others (e.g., personal safety – physical, emotional), please seek assistance and guidance from a mentor or supervisor. While we cannot guarantee a 100% safe space, we can assure you that you can expect an accountable one.
2. RESPECT: all lab members will respect the diversity in our lab and recognize that they are ambassadors for our lab and our institution when interacting with all rightsholders, stakeholders, and the general public. Harassment, racism, sexism, and any other form of discrimination based on a person’s beliefs, sexual orientation, heritage, or abilities will not be tolerated and is strictly against university policy and our lab’s values. Respect the boundaries of your colleagues and office mates. The office can be a great place to bond and socialize, but please remain respectful of others’ preferences for quiet times.
3. WE’RE A TEAM!: many of our projects are complicated or have time constraints, which means your lab members could need a lot of hands on deck. We help out/collaborate with other labs as well, especially if we have experience (i.e., behaviour trials, bleeding fish, ponding, analyzing videos using Ethovision or Solomon Coder). Even if you study polar bears or eiders, be prepared to step up if someone needs help processing salmon! And vice versa! If you say you’ll help, don’t break your commitment, and arrive on time. Your lab members will also need input and feedback on presentations and writing. A collective group effort will make our communication events a success.
4. CONFLICTS WITHIN THE LAB: if you have problems, issues, or concerns, sharing them with your supervisor as soon as possible is best. Emails to peers should be respectful and professional. When responding to emails, it’s best to read, wait, and then respond.
5. COMMITMENT: being a graduate student is not a 9am-5pm “job”. It is akin to a training internship. What you get out of your degree will be dictated by how much you put into it. Given this caveat, the Adaptive Capacity Lab is known for its high standards and quality, and excellence is expected from your supervisor you, and your fellow lab members. Work-Life balance is a see-saw. It is rare for the plank to be evenly balanced and horizontal. There will be times when “Life” takes precedence. To strike the balance, however, means the plank does not then return to a horizontal position, but instead must lean towards the “Work” part to compensate. The opposite also holds true! Reward yourself for your small and large successes in your work life!
6. MENTAL HEALTH: the Adaptive Capacity Lab takes the issue of mental health seriously. Everyone can experience a bad day where you need some time to rejuvenate, but there is a difference between making bad days a habit (i.e., making excuses for underperforming) and experiencing true, chronic mental health issues. If you find yourself in trouble, please reach out, and Dr. Semeniuk will help you find the resources you need to get better.
7. BE ETHICAL: adhere to the highest level of standards related to ethical practices of data collection, analysis, reporting. When working with colleagues and community members, be sure to follow the guidelines in the most ethical, humanist way – for example, authorship contributions, adhering to OCAP, FPIC, and TCPS-2. Consider obtaining certification from the University’s Research Ethics Board even if you are not directly co-producing knowledge.
8. THINK OF THE ANIMALS: although Animal Care Guidelines and Procedures are tedious, it’s ultimately for the good of the animals. Due to the projects in our lab, almost all of our lab members are required to take the ACC online training and in-person session. Above and beyond, these animals are sharing their knowledge with us, sometimes at their own cost (i.e., they are sacrificed). It is our moral obligation to then always be grateful for what we learn and to treat animals with the respect they deserve.
9. ASK QUESTIONS: If you are uncertain about a step in a procedure, need to use equipment you are unfamiliar with, find that equipment is looking or behaving differently from usual, or just want to confirm that the way you have previously done a task is still the accepted way, stop and ask. Questions are always encouraged!
10. DOCUMENT YOUR MISTAKES: aside from the obvious of always reporting large problems and accidents, if you make a procedural mistake, damage a piece of equipment, get problematic assay results, or even just think you might have done one of those things, stop and ask for help sorting out the problem and planning a way forward. The sooner you stop instead of pushing forward, the easier it is to find a solution and the less time, supplies, and energy is wasted. Your PI is never more happy than when you come to them admitting a mistake or error – it goes towards building trust and responsibility!
11. WE DON’T HAVE A LAB MANAGER: PI’s want to make sure you always have the supplies and equipment you need, but they aren’t doing a continuous inventory. If you open the last box of gloves, alcohol swabs, falcon tubes, printer paper, batteries, etc., make sure you stock up on them yourself at the Biology Stockroom. For more bulk and expensive items, check with your supervisor first! Remember, orders don’t get placed, filled, and delivered imminently. Placing rush orders because of bad planning or inconsideration is expensive and stressful for everyone involved. Be sure to look for the most economical prices because the more money can be saved, the more can be spread and spent on other necessary materials and supplies!
12. EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE: if any piece of equipment isn’t functioning properly, let your PI know so it can be repaired or replaced. Always read the manual before you use the equipment. There are often good YouTube video tutorials. The Honda Pilot and other vehicles are common resources, so if you notice something is wrong/broken/shaking etc., please let your PI and/or lab supervisor know. Do a quick walk around the vehicle (circle check) before each time you use it – make sure the tires look good and note anything that may have been damaged by a previous user. Do NOT use any equipment if it has an issue affecting safety – it can be repaired quickly or an alternative will be found.
13. SECURITY: hallways and vehicles are not secure. Nothing of value should ever be left out or in a vehicle overnight – not on campus, at a motel, etc. Our gear is appealing to thieves and anything lost is lost for good. ALWAYS LOCK LAB AND OFFICE DOORS AND CLOSE WINDOWS BEFORE LEAVING. Don’t let people you don’t know into the Computational Facility or the Biology Building on weekends or when a key fob is required to access the building. It’s OK to ask the person(s) to wait outside and to contact the person they need to see.
14. CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELF: labs and offices are common spaces and can get cluttered very quickly.
- If you are done with an experiment or materials, put away all the equipment and supplies you have out, in a bin, or on a cart. Ask a team member or PI for help if you aren’t sure where things go – this means they can be found again in the future.
- Samples must to be boxed, labelled (with FIRST AND LAST NAME, DATE, SPECIES, and SAMPLE DESCRIPTION i.e. fin clips in RNALater), properly stored, and their location recorded on the appropriate sheet. Do not leave samples jumbled in a freezer in the bags that they shipped in. Ask if you need help finding a space to store something.
- Do not put chemicals into unlabelled vessels and do store chemicals in a safe location.
- If you empty a filled pipette box, fill it back up.
- When returning from the field you may arrive late or need to lay stuff out to dry. Please wash/sanitize any equipment and let it dry completely before putting it away. Large items are generally stored in the shed in the courtyard at GLIER, while smaller items that are expensive or temperature sensitive are stored in rm 26 or 30A.
15. FIELD DATA: should be recorded on Rite in the Rain paper – ask for a notebook in advance of your field season. Lab data may be recorded on printer paper. These sheets must be organized, protected, and stored properly. This data should be digitized and backed-up as soon as possible.
16. PURCHASING: getting reimbursed through a grant is a challenging process, so if you need to purchase anything (shop towels, batteries, Tupperware to hold fish, totes, SD cards, hard drives, etc.), your supervisor has Purchasing and Travel Cards for that! Make sure you shop around for the best price, and let your supervisor know BEFORE purchasing.You may also be provided a University purchasing card for your field work that will be automatically connected to your PI’s grant(s), to save you from having to upfront costs when in the field. Please keep all receipts for your expense reports if you are using your own credit or debit card (it will be very difficult to be reimbursed otherwise). If you use either your PI’s Purchasing or Travel University Credit Card, please keep your receipts and send them ASAP! Dr. Semeniuk once spent 2 hours with ScotiaBank trying to track down a purchase on their statement to make sure it wasn’t fraudulent. Using your supervisor’s PCard and Travel Card comes with responsibilities so that it benefits all of us. This means that on your end, you please let Dr. Semeniuk know in advance the purchases you are making, and send receipts ASAP. The University audits accounts, which means Dr. Semeniuk will need to reconcile purchases made with their research account against receipts. When you travel, keep your boarding passes (train, plane, ferry) and send them to Dr. Semeniuk as well, ASAP.
17. TRAVEL: fieldwork and conferences are one of the best parts of academic life, but it is a privilege. Being disrespectful or inconsiderate at a field site (i.e., sleeping in while others are working, not helping others when your samples are collected) will result in the end of your trips for field work. If you wish to attend a conference, make a budget including hotel, travel, and registration, and present it to your supervisor along with a synopsis of what you will gain from the conference. Master’s students within their first 2 years of research are entitled to $500 from Graduate Studies (apply for this after your travel) and $500 from the Faculty of Science (need to apply for this at least 60 days in advance of travel). PhD students are entitled to a bit more money. Your supervisor can pay for travel on a University Travel Card, but you need to assist with the entire process. If you miss early bird registration or abstract submission deadlines, you will not be allowed to attend the conference due to grant restrictions. Please let your supervisor know amounts BEFORE making any registration or conference purchases. *Please note that per diems are not covered by your supervisor for conferences*. Additionally, only under exceptional cases will your supervisor support your conference attendance if you do not have analyzed data yet (within the first year), or incomplete data (final year of degree).
18. AFTER A CONFERENCE: it’s a great idea to have a lab roundtable and discuss neat talks you heard, and people you met that could be potential collaborators, invited speakers, etc. Take lots of notes at the conference – a copy of these notes will be kept in a file for all future lab members. If you’re late in organizing your receipts and incur a late-fee charge on the VISA, you will be responsible for covering this charge (University policy).
19. UWINDSOR EMAIL & ETIQUETTE: your @uwindsor.ca account should be used for official correspondence with outside individuals and organizations. Emails to the outside world should always be polite and courteous. If in doubt, or just for a second opinion, get another lab member or your supervisor to proofread it before sending. Please be as clear and concise in your emails (with politeness!) about why you are corresponding with your Supervisor. Vague emails will not be responded to (e.g., request to meet about XX without a clear agenda). The supervisor may need to prepare for your meeting to best serve you, and the more information, the better. All our time is limited, and we need to know how much time to allocate. Sometimes an email response will suffice! Additionally, ensure you are regularly checking and responding to emails, as this is the primary means of communication with colleagues, supervisors, and partners. Please make every effort to reply within a reasonable timeframe. Even if a message may not seem important to you, someone has taken the time to reach out, and it deserves a respectful and timely response.
20. OUTREACH, SOCIAL MEDIA, PUBLIC MEDIA AND INTERVIEWS: the Adaptive Capacity lab is always up for doing outreach events, such as Doors Open, Science Rendezvous, etc. Pictures taken in Animal Care facilities/rooms may NEVER be posted to social media, regardless whether you have a private account. Make sure any lab-related or lab-tagged pictures (i.e. #fieldwork, #salmon, #behaviour, #gradschool, @UWindsor, etc) depict environmental responsibility, respect to animals, and adhering to permit restrictions, University regulations, and not breaking any laws. MAKE SURE ALL PARTNERS AND COLLABORATORS ARE RECOGNIZED IN THE ARTICLE OR TAGGED IN THE POST, AND ASK PERMISSION FIRST IF YOU’RE POSTING PHOTOS OF A COLLABORATIVE FIELD SITE OR LAB. Remember, you are ambassadors representing the Adaptive Capacity Lab, the Biology Department, and the University of Windsor.
21. BACK UP THAT DATA: there should always be more than one copy, and if there isn’t, treat it as a priceless artefact until it can be copied again (i.e., never left in a car alone, packed in checked luggage, left out in common areas of a field site/house). We have lots of hard drives – back up spreadsheets, data files, etc. every one or two weeks. A copy of ALL of your data (videos, spreadsheets, Solomon Coder files, R scripts, JMP files, GIS datasets, etc.), labelled and organized meaningfully, needs to be left with the lab upon graduation or leaving the lab – see the checklist below. Yellow field books and field notes stay with lab, although you are free to take a copy.
22. PUBLISH: lab members are expected to publish their research in peer-reviewed journals; Funding, collaborators, partners, and community members are dependent on getting work published and as a knowledge gift of reciprocity. Additionally, the animals we have learned from deserve to have the knowledge they shared with us respected and not go to waste. Before you have graduated, you are expected to make a backup copy of the data collected and the data analyzed with detailed annotations. Once you have graduated or left the lab, you will be required to write a plan and timeline for paper completion. Within 1 year of graduation, you are expected to have worked on your manuscript(s) and submitted it / them for publication. After one year, if you haven’t participated or can no longer participate in the publication process, Dr. Semeniuk will take over this responsibility and analyze and publish on your behalf, if necessary. If minor revisions and re-analyses are required, you will retain lead authorship regardless of the timeline. However, if extensive analyses are required (i.e. another lab member must re-analyze the dataset), these changes will necessitate alterations to authorship order.
23. PLEASE INVOLVE YOUR SUPERVISOR IN A TIMELY FASHION: if you are planning on submitting a scholarship application or a manuscript based on the research conducted in the Adaptive Capacity lab, please do not do so without consulting with your supervisor. These funding opportunities are obviously important achievements, and our close colleagues (and often your future bosses!) are reviewing them, so your PI wants to ensure your packages are of the highest quality so you all get the best possible chance at being successful now and into the future. As a corollary, please try to coordinate wherever possible to get drafts to your PI as soon as possible. We all have conflicting demands on our time, but should be prepared to work on multiple drafts together. The same consideration for time applies when asking for references. It takes your PI time and effort to write a truly strong and effective letter of support!
24. FOLLOW THE LAW: driving a field vehicle while under the influence (drugs or alcohol), or using a handheld device while driving, will result in user privileges being immediately revoked, and possible expulsion from the lab. You are responsible for any tickets you receive for traffic or safety violations.
25. EXPECTATIONS FROM YOUR SUPERVISOR: To make sure your time on the Adaptive Capacity Lab is as fulfilling and as rewarding as possible, you can expect the following (this is NOT an exhaustive list)!
- Mentorship not only from me, but from others who can help you succeed
- Opportunities to network and even (co-)lead sessions, topics (workshops, conferences)
- At least 2 provincial and/or national conferences for Master’s students; 3 for PhD students (with a possible international conference if appropriate and datasets are completely analyzed and interpreted); 1 national or international conference for PDF
- Minimum salary of $24,000 for MSc from a combination of GA-ing and my research grants ($27,000 for PhD). Should a student win a scholarship greater than $8,000 (MSc) or $9,000 (PhD), I will use the scholarship to cover the student’s summer stipend as long as the remaining scholarship funds provide a total stipend of at least $30,000 / year. My reasoning is this allows me to ensure my resources get equitably allocated to financially support, for example, undergrads to help with our data analyses, former students to help out, and spend more on equipment.
- Support of work-life balance (see above for my philosophy)
CHECKLIST FOR LAB DATA ARCHIVE:
You will always be properly credited in all future use of any of the following:
- Standard operating procedures, protocols, and methods from both the lab and field- particularly anything special that was developed, done to optimize for a species, or solutions to get around a problem.
- Data: Most important to this is not just the raw values but details like what ID codes mean so that someone could read and interpret the data. Like assay outputs without plate layout sheets, data without some guidance is just random numbers in a spreadsheet. Original versions of data files (like assay files before merging with the master dataset) are also useful to track down input and sorting errors.
- Multimedia data like videos, photos, etc need to be catalogued and stored.
- Analyses: Outputs but also jmp files, R files, scripts etc. Nobody wants a paper retracted later because we can’t explain how the results were obtained.
- Thesis folder – Both the whole final thesis file and each chapter separately (and all versions of those chapters since early drafts can often contain completely different graphs).
- Images and photos of lab and field work – Good shots of techniques and people doing their work are impossible to get any other way. Don’t make us google something embarrassing like “arctic eider blood sample” when trying to make a presentation – hahaha!
- Unfinished side manuscripts / projects – This refers to the work of supervised undergraduate theses, volunteers, or side-projects. It may become painful when the undergraduate student tries to become a grad student themselves but can’t find the stats you ran for their thesis. Particularly important are side-projects involving other labs or institutions that are likely to continue/resume the work or collaborate again.
- Final posters and presentations, and their associated abstracts.
