Important Info for Undergrads

Important Lab Information for Duffy Lab Undergraduates

General Lab Information:

1. We want everyone in the lab to be excited about their research project and to understand what we do and why we do it. If you’re ever unsure about why something is being done (or why it’s being done in a particular way), PLEASE ASK! Ideally, you should ask right away. But, if you realize later that you are confused, asking later is better than not asking at all. We have a great lab group, and people are always willing to help each other out and to answer questions.
2. Meghan will give you her cell number. If there is a true emergency (e.g., fire, serious injury, etc.), call 911, then call Meghan if possible. If there is a lab emergency (e.g., the lab is unusually hot, there’s a mysterious puddle on the floor, an environmental chamber is misbehaving), call Meghan. If it’s an emergency, a call at any time is fine. But if it’s not an emergency, please do not call or text between 9PM and 7AM!
3. Safety: There are signs on the lab doors that tell you about safety equipment and regulations. The lab also contains the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs) for all the chemicals in the lab. These are in a blue binder on the shelf in the lab. If you are ever unsure about whether something is safe or have concerns about safety, please ask!
4. Training: All students need to complete online lab safety training. To do that, go here: https://maislinc.umich.edu/maislinc/learner/home/index?FromLogin=1
   -Then search for “General Laboratory Training”You must complete the lab safety training by the end of your first week working in the lab. Email the certificates of completion (a screen cap or pdf) to Meghan when you have finished the training.

General Lab Policies:

1. Lab notebooks: All lab members must use lab notebooks; these will be provided by the lab, belong to the lab, and must stay in the lab at all times (including after you finish working in the lab). Lab notebooks should never leave the lab! If you need a copy of information (e.g., to enter data at home), this is a great opportunity to scan it or take a photo of the relevant pages.
   • When you start your lab notebook, leave a few (3-4) pages blank at the beginning. You can update these over time to provide a table of contents for your lab notebook, which will make it easier for you (and everyone else!) to find info in your lab notebook later.
   • Write details for everything you do, and keep things organized. Write lots of details — you can never have too many details and you will remember much less 6 months from now than you think you will! This will help you a lot when you work on your end-of-semester writeup. It will also help everyone later if we need to go back and figure out a specific detail regarding what was done. You should write enough information that we can reproduce what you did without needing to send you any emails. Always write more information than you think you need to write! We’ve never looked back at an old lab notebook and thought, “Wow, I wish they’d written less.” We have definitely looked back at an old lab notebook and thought, “Wow, I wish they’d written more.”
   • Never go back and change anything in your lab notebook at a later date
   • Don’t leave blank spaces – if you accidentally skip a page, draw a cross through it.
   • Staple attachments in to the lab notebook
   • If you make a mistake (and we all do at some point!), please write details in the lab notebook and notify your mentor. We have all made mistakes. The most important thing is that we acknowledge them, so that we can take that into account when continuing with the study and when looking at the data.
   • Related to the above: we all build on each other’s data. That means that it is very important for you to collect data carefully and to record notes carefully, and to note when mistakes are made. If you have any concerns about data collection, procedures, or anything else, please tell Meg.
   • Some of the most exciting results we’ve collected are the ones we never would have expected. Keep an open mind when collecting data. If you see something you didn’t expect, record the data and then tell someone else about it. We’ve had some really neat research avenues opened up by undergrad observations!
2. Data: (Thou shalt not be careless with thine data!)
   • All data must be backed up daily. At the end of each day in the lab, use the lab iPad to take pictures of any datasheets and entries into your lab notebook. This blog post has more information on our lab notebook backup system. You should create a file for your lab notebook, and then keep that updated. If you have a lot of data sheets that cannot be taped or stapled into your lab notebook, store them in a binder (ask if you can’t find one!) and create a file for that binder.
   • Data should be entered into Excel (and proofed) routinely (aim for daily)
   • All computer files (e.g., Excel files, Word documents) should be backed up regularly (at least weekly). Backups should be stored in a location different than where the computer is (the cloud is an easy solution to this!) An easy way to do this is to have a file on the lab desktop computer, since this automatically gets backed up to the cloud every day. When you start in the lab, ask someone to show you which directories are backed up to the cloud — we want to make sure your data is actually being backed up, and that we can easily find it later!
   • Include metadata along with your datafiles. What is metadata? It is the data about the data. For example, it might be a text file explaining what data is contained in each of the csv files, and which R scripts go along with those data.
3. Field work:
   • Always have a buddy when you go into the field! This buddy will almost always be Becca, a grad student, or a postdoc. Only people who can swim are allowed to go out in the boat. You should always wear your life jacket in the boat!
   • Get off the lake at the first sign of thunder or lightning! Do not try to just finish up that one last thing — get off the lake right away.
   • Be careful lifting boats and equipment. Lift with your legs, not your back!

End-of-semester information:

1. All students should write up a summary of their semester’s work at the end of the semester. This should include a brief introduction to the project, a methods section describing what you did (please be detailed!), a results section, and a brief discussion/conclusions section. You must get a draft of this to your mentor at least two weeks before the end of the semester. If you would like examples, please ask Meghan.
2. For UROP students: please make sure you communicate with your mentor well ahead of any deadlines. At a minimum, you must get a first draft of your research abstract to your mentor two weeks before it is due. You must also get a draft of your poster to your mentor two weeks before it is due. You must write your own first draft — this must be entirely your work! Your mentor will then help you with editing your abstract and poster. Expect to go back and forth several times — this is completely normal and an important part of developing scientific writing and presentation skills.
3. For students completing an Honors Thesis: make sure you communicate with your mentor well ahead of any deadlines. All first drafts are due to your mentor at least two weeks before they are due. For the thesis itself, talk with your mentor at the beginning of the semester in which you will turn in the thesis to come up with a set of target dates for drafts of different sections of the manuscript. Ideally, you will spend one semester writing up an introduction and methods relating to what you are doing, and then a second semester writing up the results and discussion. You must write your own first draft of everything — this must be entirely your work! Your mentor will then help you with editing. Expect to go back and forth multiple times — this is completely normal and an important part of developing scientific writing and presentation skills.

Other information:

1. Please check your UMich email regularly (at least a few times a week) and read emails carefully.
2. Undergraduates are strongly encouraged to attend lab meetings. Attendance is not required, but we do hope you’ll join us!
3. Related to the above: we routinely have lab meetings related to the process of science (how do we go from the data I’m collecting to a publication?), skills (e.g., working on an “elevator pitch” — that is, a succinct summary of your research), and ethics (e.g., what counts as plagiarism? Who is harmed when data are falsified?) If any of these topics are of interest to you, or if you have other ideas for a lab meeting, please suggest them!
4. Undergrads new to the lab can be confused about what to call Professor Duffy/Dr. Duffy/Meghan/Meg/Daphnia Wrangler-In-Chief. Any of those are fine (though the last one has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?) Most people in the lab go with Meg, but undergrads sometimes feel more comfortable sticking with Professor Duffy or Dr. Duffy. Go with whichever you feel most comfortable with, and, if that changes over time, that’s fine, too. But please don’t use “Mrs. Duffy.” Almost all of your professors at Michigan (including Meghan) have doctorates and, at least in professional settings, go by Dr. or Professor LastName. Read this post by Terry McGlynn if you want to learn more about how to address your professors.
5. Meghan is happy to talk about your career goals, summer plans, letters of recommendation, etc. Just send an email to set up a time. (You can also stop by my office, but there’s a chance that I will have something else scheduled if you use this approach.) In cases where I don’t know the answer to questions you have, I will try very hard to put you in touch with people or resources that can help you.
6. Please show up on time for meetings.

Other resources:

1. These two blog posts are aimed at undergrads who are starting to do research in labs. They’re worth reading!
   • http://scicurious.scientopia.org/2012/09/11/undergrad-herding/
   • https://profsnarky.wordpress.com/2012/09/05/so-you-got-a-job-with-your-prof-advice-for-undergrads/ (written by Prof Snarky so it’s, well, snarky.)

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