SAFETY FIRST Your health and safety are more important than your research. This includes adhering to lab safety codes, as well as maintaining your physical and mental health. Never work in the lab or on campus if you are feeling sick, under medication that might affect your ability to work normally, and definitely not under the effects of any kind of drugs. Be sure to sign up for star alerts and download the safe@stcloud app. More information: https://www.stcloudstate.edu/safety/default.aspx SCSU public safety can be contacted at 320-308-3333 (for non-emergencies, for emergencies call 911). The public safety website is here: https://www.stcloudstate.edu/publicsafety/
RESPECT & INCLUSION I expect lab members to contribute to a productive and friendly environment conducive to learning and research. This includes treating your colleagues with respect, listening to others’ viewpoints and ideas, and ensuring the lab is a place where everybody feels welcome and appreciated. Racist, sexist, or other inappropriate comments or behavior will not be tolerated under any circumstance. I support SCSU policies which provide equal education and employment opportunities to all persons following the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (CRA), as amended, which prohibits certain forms of discrimination in providing educational programs under Title IX and employment under Title VII. Specifically discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, or religion is expressly prohibited. Federal law also prohibits discrimination based on age, disability, pregnancy and Veteran status. The State of Minnesota further prohibits discrimination based on marital status, sexual orientation, receipt of public assistance or membership on a human rights commission. In compliance with the law and as an integral part of the mission of this university, I am committed to providing equal education and employment opportunities to all students regardless of race, sex, color, creed, religion, age, national origin, disability, marital status, status with regards to public assistance, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or veteran status. If you ever have concerns or uncertainty about possible harassment or discrimination, please contact the office for Institutional Equity and Access (oea@stcloudstate.edu) or visit their website: https://www.stcloudstate.edu/oea/default.aspx
EXPECTATIONS FOR ALL We are fortunate to work in a setting where flexible working hours are the norm. In order to be able to interact with the rest of the lab, I generally expect lab members to be around/available during normal business hours (9-5pm) during the work week, since this is when most academic activities occur. Of course there are classes and there may be times when your project or some other related academic work requires work late at night or on the weekends. You are not expected to work more than you can and it is vital that you take time off for personal life, vacations, etc. Lab meeting & seminar participation Attendance at regular weekly lab meetings is important; lab meetings are a time for us to discuss weekly events and upcoming dates as well as for us to discuss papers, learn new skills, or prepare for presentations. You are strongly encouraged to attend weekly Biology department seminars: https://www.stcloudstate.edu/biology/Seminar-Series.aspx Conference attendance Everyone is encouraged to attend at least one conference of some kind during their time as a student. For regional/national/international conferences, definitely apply for internal and external sources of funding to help cover any travel expenses. The department, the college, and professional societies all have avenues for this. Authorship of presentations/published work We generally follow the IJME rules for authorship rules: 1. Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; AND 2. Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content; AND 3. Final approval of the version to be published; AND 4. Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. Open Science I feel strongly that open science is important. We strive to publish manuscripts as preprints as soon as a manuscript is ready for submission to a journal. We publish our data as soon as we can and upload it to appropriate repositories. We document our work with lab notebooks that remain in the lab, on github, using R markdown, writing readme files, etc. so it is interpretable by others and reusable in the future.
BIOLOGY INFO & LINKS Student resources from the College of Science and Engineering (COSE): https://www.stcloudstate.edu/cose/resources/default.aspx COSE scholarship information: https://www.stcloudstate.edu/cose/resources/scholarships/default.aspx COSE tutoring center: https://www.stcloudstate.edu/cose/resources/tutoring/default.aspx Biology tutoring center: https://www.stcloudstate.edu/cose/resources/tutoring/biology.aspx Biology programs & courses information: https://catalog.stcloudstate.edu/departments/A01116/programs
SPECIFIC INFO FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS My responsibilities to you: Assist with identifying and writing grants/fellowships for funding projects Develop project ideas Interpret results Proof-read & contribute to writing manuscripts, theses, abstracts, etc. Discuss future career goals and facilitate these goals Meet weekly to discuss progress & pitfalls Expectations of graduate students: Prepare for our regular meetings Begin writing your thesis early Maintain a set of lab notes, including directories of data, annotated codes & versions, detailed methods. These need to sufficient to reproduce results without additional instructions. Participate in general lab responsibilities Participate in talk rehearsals of your colleagues. Optional, but encouraged: Mentor at least one undergraduate student. Submit your thesis as a manuscript for publication within 6 months of graduation Present multiple research talks/posters at conferences over the course of your time in the lab. Fill out forms as needed, in a timely manner: https://www.stcloudstate.edu/graduatestudies/forms/default.aspx