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.

Be respectful: And professional. Inappropriate comments or behavior will not be tolerated. Respect each other’s strengths, weaknesses, differences, and beliefs. Be patient with everyone (including the lab leader). Most of us are learning new skills and are busier than we would like.

Be thoughtful of others: We share a relatively small space, so keep the lab neat. It includes lab benches and desks.

Be supportive: We’re all in this together!

Share your knowledge: We are a team, and we should work together.

Engaged in the community: Attend and actively engage in group meetings (2x/month) and one-on-one meetings (2x/month). Come prepared to ask questions, make suggestions, etc. You are also expected to engage in our agile meetings. Punctuality is a sign of respect for group. As a lab member, you will be requested to interview prospective students.

Work hours: We are lucky enough to work in an area where flexible working hours are the norm. In order to be able to interact with the rest of the persons in the lab, we generally expect lab members to be present during normal business hours (9-5pm). There may be times when your project requires you to work extra-hours, but it should not be the norm. It is important that you take time off for personal life, vacations, etc. Please notify the lab leader prior to any extended leave.

Maintain your lab notebook: Keep good research records in your lab notebook. It is expected to contain information such as experimental design, calculations, methods, protocols, experiment parameters, and experimental results. Make clear notes for scientist in the future that will check your methods and results aiming to ensure reproducibility. Information in lab notebooks cannot be erased or adulterated.

Engage in general lab responsibilities: maintain common areas and equipment, ordering, cyanobacterial collection mantenance, help host visitors. Review manuscripts from other lab members. Participate in talk rehearsals of your colleagues.

Maintain a professional and accurate online presence. Keeping cameras on during virtual meetings is highly recommended. Make sure you keep your online profiles up to date. Remember, we all represent the lab and the lab represents us.

Communicate honestly, even when it’s difficult. Everyone will make mistakes in lab. Be honest and forthright when you have made a mistake. Apologize if warranted.

Feedback: You should expect to regularly receive feedback from your mentor and your peers. Feedback, especially negative feedback, can be discouraging and overwhelming. Please recognize that the purpose of feedback is to improve your work and help you meet your goals.

Individual Development Plan: once a year you are expected to fill the IDP form and discuss it with your advisor. Its purpose is to help you reflect on your achievements and difficulties, as well as make plans to reach your short and long-term career goals.

Be independent when possible, ask for help when necessary: You are expected to develop a significant level of independency in the lab. But if you are doing something for the first time, or are unsure about a certain procedure, always ask for help! As a collaborative team, we will be always there for assistance.

Exit Procedures: When it’s time to leave the lab, there are few things you need to do to get ready to leave. 1. Schedule an exit interview with your mentor to wrap up your time in the lab, 2. Return your lab keys, 3. Get organized! Clean up your samples that will not be used by others and organize your folders and files in the shared drive, make sure all computer files have descriptive names. You are welcome to take copies of any posters, manuscripts, or scripts that you created during your time in the lab. However, do not remove any data from the shared drive or stored devices.

Undergraduate students play a vital role in our lab. Students can be involved in the lab in a number of ways, including undergraduate research (iniciação científica), science journalism, technical training, and for developing their final term paper (TCC). Undergraduates may be assigned to a senior mentor, that will be a graduate student or postdoc.

Undergraduate students are expected to:

Commit to work at least 10 hours per week or according to your scholarship/program requirements. 

Engage in meetings: you are expected to attend at least 1 agile meeting per week, individual meetings every two weeks, and group meetings every two weeks. If you are unable to attend an agile meeting, share your finished/planned tasks with your mentor or colleague for them to share with the group.

Keep track of deadlines and requirements: Each program or fellowship has its own requirements and deadlines. You are expected to learn about them and plan your expriments, writings, and presentations accordingly. Some fellowships require undergraduate students to present in scientific events. If it is the case, you are expected to submit the confrerence abstract for review and schedule your practice talk(s) in advance.

Write reports: You are welcome to discuss aspects of your reports with your mentor or advisor at any time. Be aware of important deadlines! Submit your report to your mentor for the first round of corrections at least 30 days prior to the report deadline. Submit the revised report to your advisor for corrections at least 20 days prior to the report deadline.

Present in group meetings: be prepared to present once per semester in our group meetings.

Present in scientific events: Scientific initiation students are expected to present their research results in at least one event. Abstracts must be reviewed by myself and all coauthors at least three weeks prior to the submission deadline.  First practice talk should be given to the lab one month prior to the conference. Second practice talks and posters will be presented to the lab two weeks prior to the conference. Plan accordingly.

Develop research, writing, and presentation skills: actively seek for help from your mentor/advisor, practice, practice, practice!

Be aware of requirements and deadlines: you are expected to be aware of all requirements of your Graduate Program as well as important deadlines. The application to the qualifying exams must be submitted to the Graduate College at least eight weeks before their listed deadline (defense deadline). Reports, monographs, dissertations, and theses must be reviewed by the advisor at least six weeks before submission. You are expected to share preliminary versions of your writing with friends and colleagues. Schedule in advance your practice talks in the group meetings prior to your defense.

Attend conferences: you are expected to attend at least one conference a year and one international conference during your Graduate Program. Lab members must make a good faith effort to obtain partial to full costs of meeting and travel expenses.  This includes applying for departmental, university, and society travel grants; volunteering at the conference; and sharing rooms. Abstracts must be reviewed by the advisor and all coauthors at least three weeks prior to the submission deadline.  First practice talk should be given to the lab one month prior to the conference. Second practice talks and posters will be presented to the lab two weeks prior to the conference. Plan accordingly.

Attend others qualifying exams and defenses: you are expected to attend at least two qualifying exams and two defenses before your own. I suggest you attend one from students in the same Graduate Program the other in a different Graduate Program. Actively seek for those.

Writing: this skill should be practiced and improved during your graduate studies. Actively seek for writing classes and workshops. Masters students are expected to produce one first author paper and PhD students are expected to produce at least two first author papers from their graduate research.

Internship abroad: there are various opportunities to study abroad and you are expected to apply to them. Discuss it with your advisor before contacting researcher abroad.

Collaborations: We encourage collaborations both within and outside the lab! You are expected to discuss any potential collaborations with your advisor and discuss roles, responsibilities, and ownership – this is important for building and maintaining a successful collaboration. Within the lab everyone has their own goal and/or project. While you are expected to help each other and engage in free intellectual exchange on a regular basis, contributing to any one individual’s project should be discussed as a collaboration.

Practice mentorship: graduate students are expected to help mentor undergraduate students.

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