Thursday, April 25, 2013

Like a Boss

About two years ago I had sushi with a mentor, shortly after I finished my PhD and was preparing to set up operant chambers for mice in a fledgling lab. She told me to get undergraduate assistants IMMEDIATELY.

"But I don't even know what I'm doing, yet. I've never run or programmed systems like those" I balked.

She wove me off, dismissively. "Trust me."


Spoiler Alert: She was absolutely right. I now have 16 assistants.


Here are some things that I have learned in the five semesters during which I have accepted undergraduate assistants:

First and foremost:
Be pro-choice. Be the master of your own destiny and select your own assistant(s). Sure, entertain others' opinions, especially if your boss wants to contribute to this decision, but be clear that your thoughts matter. This is someone in whom you're probably going to invest a lot of time and effort. This person might someday be a representative of your lab, training, or institution. You want to do your best to ensure that that goes over well.

Applications and Interviews
1. Planned graduation date matters. I view a one-year commitment as the minimum any assistant should expect to invest in a worthwhile research endeavor. Better yet, anyone who spends even more time with one lab is more likely to develop independent skills, run an independent project, or just become familiar with scientific culture.
2. Motivation influences effort and even type of lab involvement. Whether a student plans on making application to medical/dental/pharmacy school or graduate school can be a major indicator of what approach they will take to their research assistantship. More of my graduate-school aspiring students are interested in running their own study than my m/d/p-school aspiring students. 
3. Informal interview. Would this person get along with the other personalities in the lab? Did this person do any 'homework' before coming in to talk about also working on our science? What kind of person or team member would they be like?

Training
1. Train once, check twice, and repeat until their efforts are satisfactory. Poor performance by a student can be attributable to poor training and guidance, too. Don't forget that.
2. Paperwork sucks but creating an easy guide/tracking/system to knocking it all out is key.

Involvement
1. Say please and thank you. A lot. 
2. Be reasonable. Things happen, people get sick, life falls apart, people mess up. I'd rather that none of that stuff affects any of my work, but when it inevitably and reliably does, I roll with the punches. Healthy, happy, relatively-relaxed and secure assistants make better learners and team members. Only get uptight about these things if a worrisome pattern emerges, and then deal with it head-on.
3.Establish regular, clear, and frequent communication with each of them individually.
4. Make time to sit down with each assistant individually, about once a semester, to examine goals, situation, plans, and whatnot. It goes a REALLY long way.
5. Keep your PI in the loop. Better yet, try and make them part of it, if time permits*.



I invest a substantial amount of time ensuring that this working relationship is meaningful and functional for both parties. I think that's made very competent, happy, dedicated assistants that I can count on for semesters to come. This semester, I graduate the first of my amazing assistants, and I have to admit that I do feel a little bit proud for them. The last year felt a bit like watching grow up, at least in science.

And like them, I try to be constantly learning about what I can do to become a better scientist, mentor, and supervisor. You know, like a boss.

*realistically, LOL