DRAFT: Lab policy document
PI: Kim Cuddington
Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON
Version 0, June 2022
(Update by Kim Cuddington)
This document is being created using Silan, M., Bellemin, R., Dujols, O., Sparacio, A., Adetula, A., & IJzerman, H. (2021). CO-RE Lab Lab Philosophy v5. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/6jmhe as a reference
In order for research to be fun and productive, we need rules of conduct and practice to ensure inclusivity, fair dealing and collegiality. At the same time, research is hard work, and therefore those that do not work, disrupt work, falsisfy work, or even attempt to take credit for the work of others, have no place in this space. This document is a set of guidelines to make research happen in the best way possible.
- If you are brand new to the lab, one of the first things to do is to read this document and make a list of questions. We will attempt to answer these during our introductory lab meeting at the beginning of each semester. There, you will meet everyone, and learn about their research as well.
- There are forms and training related to safety and funding that need to be completed before you can work in the lab. Please see the list here: https://github.com/Cuddington-Lab/documents/wiki/Onboarding-for-New-Lab-Techs:-Training-and-Safety-Forms
- If you are receiving a salary, human resources will need information. Follow the procedures here: https://isc.uw.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Edit-Accu-Time-Entry-Quick-Guide.pdf
- If you are just starting as a graduate student, you will need to to various things such as get a UWaterloo ID card, attend TA training etc. Please see the information here: https://uwaterloo.ca/chemistry/graduate-students/checklist-new-graduate-students. Biology specific academic information is here https://uwaterloo.ca/biology/graduate-studies/biology-graduate-handbook
- The lab archives conversations on our slack channel cuddingtonlab.slack.com. If you have not already been added, please email the PI.
- You will need a github account http://www.quantitative-biology.ca/git-and-github.html#install-the-git-application-on-your-machine and an email address. Currently the lab calendar is housed on google, so a gmail account may be useful. Set up instructions here:https://support.google.com/mail/answer/56256?hl=en
The lab should be a safe place for all good researchers, regardless of age, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual identity and orientation, body size, political affiliation, religion, or level of experience. However, at the same time, we must acknowledge that research is the process of questioning every detail of modelling, experiment, graphing and writing. Every member of the lab should be able to critique the research of every other member of the lab (including – or especially – that of the PI). In all cases this critique must be productive, delivered in a pleasant and collegial manner, and under no circumstances fall into _ad hominem _attacks.
Similarly, every member of the lab, regardless of identity, is entitled to a safe space in which to conduct research. Therefore all aspects of lab practice, procedures and policies can be questioned, and should be revised when they are found to negatively impact the inclusive and safe environment we are endeavouring to create.
Question everything, and respect everyone.
- In case of injury. Location of first aid kit
- hazardous material spill
- broken glass
- Safety training requirements: Please see the list here: https://github.com/Cuddington-Lab/documents/wiki/Onboarding-for-New-Lab-Techs:-Training-and-Safety-Forms
- working with biological hazards (e.g. invasive species, giant hogweed)
- Contact numbers:
- Police
- First aiders in department
- Fire deputy
- Mental health issues
- Workplace violence
- Maintenance and repairs
No sleeping in the lab or making kraft dinner on the bunsen burner
The estimates for graduate student funding can be found here: https://uwaterloo.ca/biology/graduate-studies/biology-graduate-handbook/financial-support
Purchases
Travel
Before travelling:
Here you find information on how to apply to the GSCA (Graduate Studies Conference Assistantship): https://uwaterloo.ca/graduate-studies-postdoctoral-affairs/current-students/funding-conferences-and-international-experiences/graduate-studies-conference-assistantship
After travelling:
Refer to this guideline for research-related travel expenses: https://uwaterloo.ca/research/sites/ca.research/files/uploads/files/research_travel_claims_-_student_cheat_sheet_v5.pdf
If you have been approved to receive GSCA funding, you can follow the instructions outlined here: https://uwaterloo.ca/graduate-studies-postdoctoral-affairs/current-students/funding-conferences-and-international-experiences/graduate-studies-conference-assistantship#reimbursement. April Wettig (awettig@uwaterloo.ca) is the person to contact to provide you with a breakdown of obtained funding or in case you have questions. Receipts and forms should then be submitted to Jenn Nowack (jrnowack@uwaterloo.ca).
If no GSCA funding was received, reimbursements are done via Concur system. Cash advance requests are also done through Concur. Please refer to Jenn Nowack (jrnowack@uwaterloo.ca) to get set up and for other questions.
Vacation and unexpected events
Please let your supervisor know if you will be absent from work. For example, if you are teaching and fall ill, you must contact your immediate teaching assistant supervisor so they can arrange a replacement to cover your teaching duties. Similarly, if you are ill or have a family emergency please let your research supervisor know immediately so that they can arrange to have your lab duties covered.
Full-time workers are entitled to two weeks vacation every year in addition to statutory holidays. Please make arrangements with your research supervisor PRIOR to leaving for vacation so cover can be arranged for your lab duties, and also, your supervisor does not begin to wonder if she should be notifying the police (this has actually happened....).
Please note that when the university is officially closed (statutory holidays and Christmas week) you are still responsible for ensuring that any laboratory organisms under your authority are well-cared for. We often share these duties so that no one has to work many days during Christmas week, for example. Please also note that the university is NOT closed during reading weeks, and it is expected that lab work will proceed as usual during this time.
Graduate students
There is a difference between undergraduate work and graduate work. As a graduate student, unless you are self-supporting, you are a full-time employee of the university. Therefore, you need to work regular hours, interact with your colleagues, notify your supervisor if you are ill or have a family emergency and cannot work, and ask your supervisor before scheduling a vacation.
As a graduate student you have several roles, and several people to who you are accountable. Your research supervisor needs to know how you are spending your time, and especially, if there are conflicts arising between teaching and research duties. Your teaching duties should not exceed an average of 10 hrs per week. In addition, you may be taking courses. An average course would take about 10 hrs per week. The remainder of your time should be devoted to your research and lab duties. That is, a minimum of 20 hrs per week if you are both teaching and taking one course.
Weekly lab meeting
The entire lab will get together once a week. The meeting is mandatory for most, other than those who have identified an ongoing scheduling conflict that we cannot resolve. Mandatory means that if you will be absent, you must let me know as far in advance as possible. Cancelling at the last minute because you have an exam to study for, as an example, is not best practice.
At the meeting each lab member will provide a lightening quick update of what they are doing and what they may need help with. Following this, we will move on to the main task for the meeting. Frequently, this task will be providing comments and other feedback on research, draft documents and talks. Your participation may require advance preparation. For example, if a lab member is seeking feedback on a draft chapter for their thesis, you need to read that document before the meeting. Of course, the member seeking feedback must supply the document in a timely manner! As a rule, 5 business days in advance of the lab meeting is an appropriate time space for lab members to have access to needed materials.
Quantitative skills
Inclusivity training
Our research has two major themes:
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when are non-equilibrium dynamics important for understanding and managing ecological systems, and
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how does the tendency of organisms to modify their physical environment alter our understanding of these dynamics.
These are BIG topics which guide our research on more constrained or applied questions such as a) what is the impact of temperature variation, autocorrelation or other patterning on population dynamics? b) how do far from equilibrium age structures modify the expected impact of invasive species? or c) when do engineering predators benefit their prey? As a sideline, we also consider questions in philosophy of science such as: what is simplicity and how does it relate to model selection in biology?
Our lab uses quantitative methods study study ecological phenomena. We employ and develop mathematical, computational and statistical techniques, and so the primary objective for lab members is to develop expertise in at least one of these areas. While we certainly do complete experiments, this is not our primary focus, and frequently projects will be entirely theoretical, will use pre-existing data, or will involve capturing big data from various sources.
There are many published training materials available to help with the acquisition of quantitative skills, and the undergrad courses BIOL 457 Community Ecology, BIOL 458 Quantitative Ecology, and BIOL 367 Mathematical Methods in Biology offer a fair amount of this training. In house, we have a culture of directly instructing both our lab members, the department, and others through open educational resources (see https://www.quantitative-biology.ca/)
To learn more about the big picture of our lab research the following readings may be useful
Ten simple rules for tackling your first mathematical models: A guide for graduate students by graduate students (see https://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008539)
An Empiricist’s Guide to Using Ecological Theory (see https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/717206)