NOTE: I give this lab expectations document to all new staff and students that come to my lab. They may seem strict and/or overly detailed, but I’ve found over the past 10 years that this information is important to address any potential “hidden curricula” for new folks transitioning from undergrad to a job and/or graduate school. My intent is to be very upfront with my expectations to make it easier on all of us. Most of these items have come up in the past, which is why I include them here. Thanks for understanding!
Hartman Lab Expectations
This document lays out what I expect of you as a member of this lab and what you can expect of me as your mentor and supervisor.
What you can expect from me:
1. You can expect me to do everything in my power to find and create opportunities for you that will help you achieve your career goals, whatever those goals may be.
2. You can expect me to be available on a regular basis for individual meetings to discuss projects, data, and any other concerns you have.
3. You can expect me to push you out of your comfort zone towards greater independence.
4. You can expect me to meet with you regularly to discuss experiments and future plans.
5. You can expect me to help you interpret experimental results, help you decide on next steps and help you prioritize those next steps (but will strive to guide your thinking rather than do it for you).
6. You can expect me to help you prepare grants/papers and edit mature drafts of written work.
7. You can expect me to conduct a yearly performance appraisal and/or career development plan to make sure you are meeting expectations, keep you on track for your goals, and help you overcome any challenges.
8. You can expect to have confidential conversations with me regarding safety, security, and any other issues related to our work.
9. Safety of my lab personnel is paramount.
General expectations for all students and staff:
1. For staff, standard university work hours are to be followed (8 AM – 4:30 PM; 37.5 hrs/week) unless the project dictates otherwise, and time cards need to be completed accurately and on-time. Obtain email approval ahead of time from Dr. Hartman for use of comp or vacation time.
2. Please let me know via email if you will not be in lab on a given weekday, with as much advance notice as possible. This includes remote work. If you need to take a sick day, please notify me by email or text, and also notify EH&S as per RBL SOP.
3. Our group lab meetings are held weekly, with informal research-in-progress presentations by lab members on a rotating basis. I expect all lab personnel to attend and participate. Attendance at CVR and other relevant seminars is also expected.
4. For 1:1 meetings with Dr. Hartman, be prepared with a written or electronic (PPT file) update of what you did since the last meeting and what you plan for the upcoming week. Also bring copies of data generated since the last meeting. The preferred format for these updates are in a powerpoint file, but written copies are also permitted.
5. I expect that each lab member will assist with training incoming lab members (regardless of whether the new person is a tech, grad student, or post-doc) on our basic lab procedures and SOPs, including training in the BSL-3 lab. The opposite is also true – expect to be trained by and learn from all others in the lab.
6. Professional behavior at the workplace is very important. Even if things are not going as planned, be courteous and respectful to your colleagues. Keep your emotions in check. Toxic workplace behavior will not be tolerated. Toxic behavior includes yelling, arguing, swearing, whining, complaining, gossiping, and bullying. I do not expect that you will be friends with or even like all of your coworkers. I do expect professional behavior and treatment of colleagues as such.
7. I expect you to manage your time wisely. There may be some unplanned downtime due to unforeseen circumstances. During such periods, use this time to get caught up on your lab notebook, prepare for an upcoming experiment, research information online, clean up the lab, etc.
9. Plan, plan, plan ahead…but then be flexible. We try to prepare for all scenarios, but sometimes science doesn’t go as planned. Learn to be flexible and be ok with it.
10. Remember that the entire team is dependent upon each other, so communication is vital. If you are running late (or early), be sure to communicate with everyone because of the downstream effects that lack of communication can have on everyone. At the very least, you need to be communicating changes in your schedule with Dr. Hartman directly.
11. We use Slack as our main mechanism for communication in the lab. Make sure you have access and check it regularly.
12. Clean up and take responsibility for your work area. Be respectful of your coworkers. Keep your supplies and reagents organized and neatly labeled.
13. Be a good lab citizen. Do not use other people’s reagents without permission. Failure to restock and communicate will stop the progress of others and yourself.
14. Leave shared areas better than how you found it. Do not assume someone will clean up after you.
15. An essential part of everyone’s job is to maintain an accurate, thorough, and up-to-date lab notebook. This can be paper or electronic. Talk to me about paper and electronic notebook options. All original data files as well as statistics and graphing files must be saved electronically on the L drive folder.
16. Own your mistakes. Everyone (graduate students, postdocs, and myself!) will make mistakes in lab. Be honest and forthright when you have made a mistake. Apologize if warranted.
17. Data integrity – do not show data that you KNOW is inaccurate just because you feel pressure. If the data is not accurate, make sure everyone knows, otherwise we will assume it is.
18. Everyone’s time is valuable, so be on time to commitments, meetings, and classes.
19. Given the biosafety and biosecurity considerations of our work, scientific and academic integrity is of utmost importance. I expect everyone to be honest, trustworthy, and to follow all rules and regulations at all times. We operate under the “If you see something, say something” protocol due to the safety and security needs of our work.
20. Keep in mind that trust between me, you, and the rest of the lab members is important due to the safety and security environment of our lab.
Student Expectations (in addition to the above points):
1. For all students (MS, rotating PhD students, full-time PhD students) I expect that you will be present in the lab during normal working hours (9 AM – 5 PM) outside of class time. That means when you do not have class, you should be in lab. I and others should be able to find you easily.
2. My expectation is that you will spend 40 hours per week working in the lab on your research project. Class work and dissertation writing come secondary to laboratory work on your project.
3. Class work is to be conducted in addition to the hours working in the lab.
4. After hours and weekend work may be required depending upon experimental requirements.
5. Doing a rotation in our lab is an opportunity for you to determine if our work is a good fit for you and your research interests. It is also the only mechanism by which we have to determine if you are a good fit for our lab. Rotating in our lab is not a guarantee that you will be offered a spot at the end. As PI, many intangible factors go into making the commitment to accept a PhD student into our lab.
6. Graduate students are expected to follow the Pitt faculty/staff calendar regarding days off for holidays. Holidays for graduate students are when the University is closed. Your class schedule is different, so keep that in mind. Example: Thanksgiving break – the Wednesday before Thanksgiving is a workday. Work in the lab is expected that day. Thursday and Friday are off. For spring break – the only day off is the Friday of that week when the University is closed. If you have questions regarding this, please ask.
7. I will schedule a regular 1:1 meeting with you during which time we can communicate about all issues related to your project, classes, and any concerns you may have.
8. Your goal as a student is to be a sponge and absorb as much information, skills, and techniques as possible during your time here. This includes making progress on your own project, but also taking the opportunity to learn from others in the lab that may be working on something different.
9. Don’t be afraid to try and fail! Science is all about persistence. None of us get it right all the time, or even most of the time.
10. Remember that the amount of effort you put into your graduate career correlates with what you get out of it.
Note about BSL-3/Select Agent access:
Access to the BSL-3 facility is a privilege and not a right. It is contingent upon continued trust between you and myself, as well as continued adherence to RBL and Hartman lab safety protocols and procedures. As PI of this lab, I reserve the right to revoke access at any time.
Academic Integrity
All students are expected to adhere to the school’s standards of academic honesty (https://www.provost.pitt.edu/faculty/academic-integrity-freedom/academic-integrity-guidelines). All work conducted by students, faculty, and staff must represent his/her own intellectual contribution and efforts. Students and staff committing acts of academic dishonesty, including plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration on assignments, cheating on exams, misrepresentation of data, and facilitating dishonesty by others, will receive sanctions appropriate to the violation(s) committed.
Sexual Misconduct, Required Reporting, and Title IX
The University is committed to combating sexual misconduct. As a result, know that University faculty and staff members are required to report any instances of sexual misconduct, including harassment and sexual violence, to the University’s Title IX office so that the victim may be provided appropriate resources and support options. As your professor, I am required to report any incidents of sexual misconduct that are directly reported to me, or of which I am somehow made aware.