Finding your place in the research process is tough, especially for a six-week intern.
But figuring out how you can support the team and various ways is an essential skill that can be translated to students to support class projects and inquiry learning.
Share your stories of teamwork both inside and outside the lab, but focused on the RET internship.
July 7, 2021 at 1:18 am
Teamwork outside the lab:
Each day in the lab I focus on being prepared, present and engaged. Part of being included in a team, especially for a short period of time, is to put in the work outside of the lab. Reviewing previous experiments and coming ready with questions is best. Lab time is precious!
Teamwork inside the lab:
From the very beginning of my lab experience I focused on building a productive relationship with my mentor. We take advantage of every minute of our lab time. Certain instruments like the Rotavapor, Spectrofluorometer, and Mass Spectrometer take a bit of time to operate and complete. While we wait for their completion, I assist with cleaning of glassware and help prepare for our upcoming experiments.
During one of our experiments last week, we received inconsistent results in wavelength peak using the Spectrofluorometer. Turns out it was due to aggregation and precipitate forming in the vials with higher concentrations of water. Together, we came to the conclusion that time was a crucial factor for the inconsistent results and the vials that include higher concentrations of water we will need to be tested immediately after mixed. This process takes a bit more time but our data is super consistent and we are now able to make clear conclusions.
July 9, 2021 at 7:29 pm
I’m glad you guys were able to figure out what went wrong with your first set of data! I have also found that the best way to figure out what went wrong with an experiment is to talk it out with either my mentor or someone else from the team. It’s really hard to figure out what went wrong on my own.
July 7, 2021 at 3:22 am
Teamwork in the Lab: My lab is both on campus and in my garage. Some of the research has to do with building/constructing the apparatus. I feel that this is my place. I can be pretty handy and have an assortment of tools. This was brought up in the interview process, and I’m following up on my promises now. My PI and mentors are very appreciative of what I’ve been able to create so far. Today, however, was a perfect example of “productive struggles”. Last week I got two versions of the apparatus to work (Blue LED and UV-C). We used both in an experiment. Today I was given a PV solar panel to bring home and add to the Blue LED. I had some success, but the Series Circuit(s) I thought would easily be transferable, was not so easy today. I plan to reevaluate it and figure it out tomorrow morning.
Teamwork outside the Lab: Outside the lab I’m attempting to do two things: (1) Keep a calendar so we know our (and mine) schedule for the project and the program. (2) I’m working on being the expert on DC electronics. I have a background in AC electrical work (mostly residential), but DC is a little more challenging, especially at lower voltages. Luckily I have an assortment of LED lights that I can use as sacrificial experiments, before I use the more expensive ones from ASU.
July 11, 2021 at 4:15 am
Constructing apparatus sounds like an interesting project! Hope you will be able to figure out and troubleshoot the series circuit.
July 14, 2021 at 3:21 am
Thank you Usha, I did figure it out. I believe I had the red & black wire reversed at one point. It was plugged into a switch (originally) and that’s how it may have been switched (no pun intended).
It works now, and it was an amazing feeling when it all came together and the Blue LEDs worked! I don’t know if we’ll/I’ll get to the UV-C lights being plugged into solar. They’re around $20 each, and I don’t want to “accidently” overload a series of those, it’d be $100.
July 7, 2021 at 2:31 pm
Teamwork seems to be a key element in my lab group. Since the first group meeting that we had, I noticed that my PI likes for people to have someone to rely on. This is great because most of the grad students in my lab are working on several projects. With my mentor in particular, I feel like I’m really helping her out in her research. She has several projects that she is carrying out. The NEWT project that she is currently working on is on its beginning stages and there is a lot of work to be done. Usually while my mentor is working on one of her ongoing projects, I’m helping her create more CNTs for the NEWT project. During individual meetings with my PI, my mentor makes sure to mention all the stuff that I have been doing to help her out and he has advised that he keeps utilizing my help as much as she can so she can get ahead on her projects.
Aside from that, outside the lab, I have also been helping my mentor stay organized with the tasks she wants me to do. I created a calendar and asked her to give me goals/tasks for each week that she wishes me to complete. This way, I can be more proactive when I get to the lab and I can start my work earlier. She loved the idea and said that she needs to create a calendar for herself with all the stuff she needs to do.
July 9, 2021 at 7:33 pm
Wow that is a great idea to use a calendar with goals/tasks for the week! I may suggest that me and my mentor adopt something similar as well. Sometimes I get tot he lab before my mentor and am unsure what to do for the day so I am unable to get started with lab work but something like the calendar would definitely help with that.
July 13, 2021 at 3:19 pm
Aerielle, I had the same issue about arriving to the lab earlier. It really helps knowing what the goal of the week is.. that way I can figure out how to divide the work accordingly throughout the week.
July 9, 2021 at 6:00 pm
Inside the lab: This week Pratiksha had to quarantine due to Covid exposure (thankfully she tested negative). Working with 3 Rice college students, we tested the membrane on 3 different salt concentrations. We had to run each experiment in the dark to have our control variables and then under LED lights to get our experimental data on nanoparticle contributions. Our data on 3% NaCl solution looked good. In the dark, the system stabilized and in the light produced increasing weight on the scale. However, we are questioning our data on the 6% and 9% salt solutions. I was able to share our findings with Pratiksha in real time through Whatsapp video call and send out the data to our group.
Outside the lab: I am graphing the data we got this week and analyzing the results. I would expect the membrane to produce greater amounts of distillate at lower salt concentrations and so far that is what the data shows for 3%. However, at 6 and 9% we didn’t produce any flux (amount of water purified) at all. I am about to look at the conductivity to compare that to our flux data to figure out why we are not getting our expected outcome. I am also researching the effectiveness and cost of conventional membrane distillation at the same salt concentrations to compare to our data.
July 9, 2021 at 6:18 pm
Teamwork inside the lab: There are multiple mentor-mentee relationships within my lab. There is one other undergraduate summer intern as well as an undergraduate student, who are also here during the entirely of my stint. All three of us have different graduate students who are serving as our mentors. There is also a research scientist on the team who serves as a mentor for the graduate students. All these relationships are in place to ensure that we are never without guidance and direction. Everyone on the team is very kind and I am able to ask any of them for help whether that be about procedures in the lab or theoretical questions about the science behind what my data is showing. For example, I didn’t understand what band distance had to do with the optical and physical properties of a substance and I had to ask 3 different team members before I understood. Each ones answer furthered my understanding of the topic before I was finally able to piece together my own explanation.
Teamwork outside the lab: My PI makes it very clear that we are all part of the team no matter how long we are here for. She not only explicitly said it but also shows it in how she runs the team. During team meetings when something is presented all questions and opinions are encouraged, even from those of us who have much less experience in the topic. We all present something during these meetings even if we don’t have much to update them on. She also included myself and the other intern in their lab group photo for the year which surprised me and included us in the coffee chat they had after the photo was taken. It made me feel welcome and included.
July 9, 2021 at 9:06 pm
Aerielle! Sounds like you have a wonderful PI and lab team. It was great that she is encouraging and allows everyone to share their updates, ask questions, and share their input.
July 11, 2021 at 4:05 am
Aerielle, that is so wonderful. We had the same collaboration during team meeting and all graduate students are very cooperative and helpful. Also, this week my mentor took me to a poster presentation by graduate students by another department and witnessed the inter department collaboration. It is a blessing to have such a wonderful team.
July 11, 2021 at 3:46 am
My third week was again productive and started independent work. My mentor explained what I will be doing the next day while she will be attending a conference and no one will be in the lab to ask if I have a question. I wrote all the steps in detail as homework and shared with her to make sure that I am ready with correct steps to follow. This helped me to complete the sample preparation and analysis by myself. Outside the lab time I usually read and summarize both experiments and literature and share with my mentor. Apart from that I organize and review analyzer’s operation procedure and graphical analysis. Shared the canvas calendar with my mentor and discussed the poster presentation template.
July 12, 2021 at 12:00 am
My mentor is always consistent about lab safety especially about safety gloves, very detailed about her overall research and my part in the investigation. In order for me to master the skills, she provides me with a detailed protocols she made for me to understand the step by step including the position of my hand using the pipettor and making sure to change tip to avoid contamination. She is awesome!
July 12, 2021 at 4:38 am
Hello Usha,
It sounds like you had a wonderful week! Thank you for sharing your experiences.
July 11, 2021 at 11:52 pm
Teamwork makes the dream works so they say. It requires a collaborative effort of cooperation (having a say and shared responsibility), honest and open communications, a well defined roles, a common goals and directions. Members of the team should encourage differences in opinion.
Because of our team, my mentor Lynna and her undergraduate Oscar allowed me to shadow their work, work with them side by side, repeat after them, and the trust and confidence my mentor showed me that I can manage to do it by myself.
This week, because of our shared responsibilty and cooperation, my mentor check the plate Saturday morning and sent me a picture that I was able to grow a good number of colonies of bacteria that will be transferred to a broth plus an antibiotic media so that I can do the miniprep and submit the plasmid for sequencing.
I am excited! Teamwork makes the dreamwork I should now say!
July 13, 2021 at 12:25 pm
Ariel,
I’m also doing a lot of observing and shadowing of my mentor/colleagues. I think at times that is easier said than done. Taking effective notes, asking the right questions, actively participating and engaging in the experiments is a skill.
July 16, 2021 at 3:26 pm
Yes it is easier said than done. We all just need practice using different modalities to master the skills. Purposeful note taking is another skill our student needs to develop, with the advent of computer use in the classroom most of learning time, eNotebook, Goggle notebook, etc getting rid of paper and pencils as your utensils. However, I prefer old school of note taking 🙂
July 12, 2021 at 4:34 am
During week three, We conducted several experiments. I learned how to calculate a calibration curve by using PV=nRT. It was great calculating the number of moles of the atmospheric air. Then plugging back in the number of moles to calculate the volume of gas which must be converted from milliliters into liters. Calculating the various numerical information including millibar and converting it into atmosphere and degrees Celsius into Kelvin was fun. I enjoyed the rigor of conducting the experiments and then having to present the data graphically. It was challenging. I experienced several learning curves throughout this process but once completed I felt a sense of accomplishment.
In addition, I was taught a few new skills by my mentor/ PI and two graduate students. I can manage a high pressure vacuum line, and use the Ideal Gas Law to help calibrate the instruments that will be used in the remainder of the experiments. I still need to practice. I also was taught how to analyze some chemical isotopologues. I had three additional research papers to read. It was wonderful. We had a lab meeting with all the Graduate students, Post Doctoral students, Lab Manager, and PI. We have some undergraduates working this summer as well. It was great diving into a research paper together and analyzing it, asking questions concerning the cutting edge methodologies utilized in the author’s paper. My mentor allowed each of us to share our thoughts, ask questions, and he helped to clarify some misconceptions that arose. It felt great to have the opportunity to participate with such experts in the field of analytical chemistry and geochemistry.
July 14, 2021 at 2:48 pm
Tahirah,
It’s great that you have support in your lab and that your are learning the mathematics behind your research. I know how cool it is to learn how to use equipment in the lab safely and be apart of a research that’s bigger than what we are doing. Keep up the great work!
July 12, 2021 at 1:26 pm
In this 3rd week I had the opportunity to watch other PhD students to perform a surgical operation on mice to check the progress of an implanted regenerative tissue for sciatic nerve. The work was done in a professional and clean way!!. I was amazed at these students’ skills.
Also during this week I completed my design and preparation of solutions to create the alginate membranes. I had collaboration from other students for procedures and materials. Outside the lab, I attended the progress meetings of the students’ research, and the PI would like me to share my progress for this upcoming 4th week.
I have also talked with other RET interns for encouragement and planning for the upcoming weeks.
July 13, 2021 at 12:27 pm
Francisco,
What a cool experience! I’m hoping to observe a different surgery with mice that involves fluorescent probes sometime next week.
July 13, 2021 at 3:14 pm
I’m so jealous of that experience. It has been ages since I have dissected mice. It sounds like really cool research!
July 12, 2021 at 2:33 pm
Teamwork inside the lab –
I have been really struggling with the concentrations and dilutions. I understand the concept, but I seems to have things backwards in my conduction. My mentor has been amazing. He has been patient and supportive. Even though my data gave unexpected results, when he worked with me to rerun trials, the data was a positive unexpected option.
July 12, 2021 at 6:52 pm
Team Work within the Lab-
I have found this lab to very welcoming. There are many people here who are always willing to help. I have made sure that I am very supportive when need be. I have made sure that our lab area stays clean and I am pitching in with the washing and putting away of the lab equipment even if its not mine! I like to make sure I am helpful to show that I am very appreciative of what my lab is doing for me. My mentors have been very supportive and they have made every effort to include me and that means a lot. So I try to do the little stuff that I can to help and be apart of the team!
July 12, 2021 at 7:00 pm
Share your stories of teamwork both inside and outside the lab, but focused on the RET internship.
Inside the lab: Although I am really working on my own, I have been shown how to use some of the equipment and calibrating as well as maintenance of the tools. My mentor has provided a lot of feedback and adjustments have been made throughout my research.
Outside the lab: I always work well with my PLC at Hanks. I have discussed the research with my colleagues and how to integrate a few skills/lessons that I have gathered through this time as a RET.
July 13, 2021 at 2:20 pm
I learned that my advisor is working on a project that is not my experiment, but I was able to help with. Many times it is just a matter of asking them what they need help with and what they think you help can help with. If they do not have an idea, either come up with something or let them know your willing to help when needed. Even if they do not come up with something, at least they know you want to help.
Also, if there are events that the team has, try to participate. You just might make a friend.
July 13, 2021 at 3:17 pm
I agree with you Robert, I think making sure that they know you are here to help when needed is very important. Making connections with not just your mentor is very important.. you never know what you can learn from the other grad students/ or PIs in the department.
July 14, 2021 at 12:44 am
I have realized that my mentor is one of the most experienced and knowledgeable people on this research project. He is often consulted by others concerning projects in the lab. I feel like I am part of a team even though I work primarily with him. The other members in the lab greet me and are helpful and will ask me about my experience in the lab. I am not as nervous as I was in the beginning and I am able to accomplish tasks faster. I understand more of the terminology and how what we are doing is related to experiments that we conduct in middle school.
Outside the lab, I am reading and studying videos to better understand what I am doing in the lab. Today Miguel said that we needed to passage the cells—that meant that the stem cells were becoming too plentiful and needed to be broken down to start multiplying again. This is the 2nd time that we have passages cells but the method he showed me was he said a less expensive way to do this. This is what prompted me to research on how cells are passages.
July 14, 2021 at 2:49 pm
Teamwork is extremely important in a laboratory setting. It is similar to how biology research shows that there are many components an systems of the human body that work together to maintain homeostasis. A laboratory will oftentimes have a common overall goal and in order to meet that goal each component of that lab will need to do their part to help achieve this goal.
An example that I recently experienced that demonstrates teamwork is related to a set of samples that my mentor was running as part of an experiment. He had to leave the lab in order to test a group of samples on a machine that he made reservations for at a specific time. When he realized that he would be unable to make it back to the lab in time to check on another experiment that he was conducting he asked if I could take care of the samples in this experiment for him. Since I was willing to help him it made it easier for him to keep his appointment and it gave me more experience with his area of research.
July 14, 2021 at 10:56 pm
In my lab there are two PhD students giving their thesis defense this week, but before they present their thesis to the public they practice in front of their peers for advice. I was invited to go a practice session, and it was cool to see how the members of the lab care for each other and want them to do well. They have all been around each other and their research projects for so long they don’t ask too many questions about the research, but more so how to present it. Following along and trying to understand a lot of the concepts was really hard for me, and I did feel a bit bashful about asking clarifying questions at first, but my mentor said that it is a public forum and it is good for the presenter to explain their research at all levels.
The first thesis was presented on Tuesday, and the presenter did take some good advice from the practice session to change their presentation. There was even a section during her defense on pedagogy and a lesson she did for virtual learning here at Rice. It felt validating to offer some advice and cudos as an educator to another educator.
July 17, 2021 at 2:12 pm
Team work, is being ready everyday. When I attend lab sessions I make sure I have done my research prior to attending. This allows my mentors to build confidence in me and makes them know I am prepared. My mentors are always very busy but never hesitant to help me in person or via text. That this teamwork, always willing to help.
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