Lab Philosophy and Code of Conduct
13 July 2021
- Lab Philosophy
- Value statement: We value our colleagues and seek to support each other in our professional lives and beyond. Furthermore, we conduct ourselves with the highest standards of professionalism. We value integrity, accountability, reliability, attention to detail, and treating ourselves and others with the utmost respect. The key elements of our philosophy are below.
- Teamwork: We see our lab as a team of researchers, and foster a sense of teamwork and camaraderie. Specifically...
- We celebrate each other’s triumphs.
- We do not compete with one another, nor do we promote an environment where lab mates are pitted against one another. Rather, we cheer on our teammates and offer support, understanding, and encouragement when a lab member may need it most.
- Though we may have different projects and research interests, and also different backgrounds and beliefs, we are united in a common goal of furthering meaningful science that makes a positive difference in real places and real communities.
- Positive actions: We take specific steps to create and maintain a positive lab environment.
- Welcome new members with introductions and offer assistance
- Say “hi” and checking in with each other in the lab, office, on Zoom meetings
- Create space for each other in meetings, no one person should dominate the conversation
- Make group decisions based on consensus
- Make time for regular social activities
- Supporting labmates: We maintain an environment of supportive openness, i.e., caring for each other so we can share things important to us (e.g. academic triumphs and struggles, personal/life events, etc). Other ways that we can support each other include:
- Offer to review each other’s work,
- Support each other in journal or conference selection, finding scholarships and grants
- Help each other with networking
- Celebrate major life events & smaller ones (ex: starting a new hobby)
- Professionalism: We strive to display professionalism, both within our lab as well as in interactions with broader institutions, agencies, and communities. We take pride in representing ourselves as well as this lab with high standards of professionalism.
- Conflict
- With each other
- Deal with issues as they arise
- Having protocols for lab cleanliness, sample storage, etc. that everyone can agree on to help avoid issues
- Acknowledge lab meetings as safe space to bring up concerns
- When problems arise, assume the best intentions from everyone in the lab and work through issues equitably, supportively, and consistently.
- With your advisor
- Lab members are encouraged to first discuss any potential conflicts directly with Dr. Strecker. If they cannot be resolved in this way, other individuals may also help to resolve the conflict (see lab handbook).
- With each other
- Conduct and Reporting
- Unacceptable behaviors in the areas of bullying and unlawful harassment, sexual or otherwise, will not be tolerated. Please see the lab handbook, which details what constitutes misconduct, how to report instances of misconduct, and university-specific policies.
- Mental Health
- Value Statement: Our mental health is just as important as our physical health. Both are critical for us as human beings and for success in grad school and beyond. Many people receive help from mental health professionals at some point in their lives, and many graduate students are receiving or have received help at some point in their programs. Therapy is a great way to get advice and help from an objective professional. If you need help, don’t be ashamed to ask a trusted friend, your advisor, or another trusted person at the university. We prioritize our lab members’ mental health.
- Resources can be found in the lab handbook.
- Promote and Foster Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- Value Statement: We value and welcome a diversity of perspectives because it is important in tackling the ‘wicked’ problems of aquatic environments by cultivating new ideas and approaches. We recognise that individuals vary in their identities, which influences their experiences in the sciences and life in general. This includes, but is not limited to: race, color, ethnicity, age, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, migratory status, ability, political affiliation, veteran status and socioeconomic background.
- Actionable Goals
- Regularly check-in, discuss and revise our code of conduct to ensure we are moving towards more inclusive and equitable interactions
- Note when feedback is given and ‘call outs/call ins’ occur as these serve as opportunities for personal and professional growth
- Regularly read and discuss literature and media on discrimination in the sciences and ways to create more inclusive spaces
- Actively seek out perspectives that are different from our own and regularly examine the bias in our research and our mentee-mentor relationships.
- Support each other.
- Identify microaggressions and other forms of exclusion so we can work to eliminate them.
- Seek out and do training on cultural awareness and effective allyship as a group on an ongoing basis as the learning of an ally is never done.
- Seek professional training opportunities both on-campus and within our professional communities.
- Further information on institutional trainings and resources can be found in the lab handbook.
- Value Statement: We value and welcome a diversity of perspectives because it is important in tackling the ‘wicked’ problems of aquatic environments by cultivating new ideas and approaches. We recognise that individuals vary in their identities, which influences their experiences in the sciences and life in general. This includes, but is not limited to: race, color, ethnicity, age, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, migratory status, ability, political affiliation, veteran status and socioeconomic background.
- Academic and Professional Integrity
- Value Statement: Our lab promotes the highest standards of integrity in all facets of academic and professional activities. Please consult the lab handbook, which details expectations (in both classes and research), authorship, transparent and reproducible science (in data collection & management, coding, etc).
- License & Acknowledgments
- This work is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Some content in this code of conduct derives from the following sources:
- Whitaker Lab Code of Conduct (used under the MIT License)
- Bahlai Lab Code of Conduct (used under the CC BY 4.0 License)
- Brown Lab Code of Conduct (used under the CC BY 3.0 License)
- Marine Conservation and Ecology Group Code of Conduct
- CLEAR Lab Book