Welcome to the Hadjimichael Group!

Welcome to the Hadjimichael Group!#

We’re glad you’ve joined us! This document will provide some background for how we operate as a group.

Mission and Values#

The Hadjimichael Lab is a team of interdisciplinary scientists investigating complex human-Earth systems. In particular, many of us focus on water resources and deeply uncertain systems.

We will work together to mold the lab mission and values to something that represents all of us.

First Steps After Joining the Lab#

Complete these onboarding steps when you start work in the lab If you have any questions during your onboarding process, reach out to Enock.

  • Read the Hadjimichael Lab Manual.

  • Reach out to the website manager to add your picture and bio to the site

  • Get keys and office space from Geoscience Administrators (typically during grad student onboarding days)

  • Meet with Antonia to discuss initial research steps and equipment

  • Create a list of personal and/or professional goals to be reviewed with Antonia.

  • Request access to lab tools:

    • Slack

    • OneDrive

    • Outlook Calendar

    • Meeting Calendar

    • Github

    • Powerpoint Slides

Slack#

We have a group Slack channel that we use to stay in touch, both on work and social activities. It is important to be active on Slack as this will be our primary mode of communication. We use Slack for quick day-to-day communication. If you need feedback from Antonia on something or have a document for review, sending it via Slack is often the fastest way to receive feedback.

OneDrive Here#

The OneDrive is a shared drive where all important lab documents are kept. You can share documents with Antonia here, keep your weekly meeting slides here, and access past trainings. If you are an overachiever, feel free to start any of the trainings in the OneDrive. In particular, we recommend the Python and Pycharm training, and the Intro to Github trainings if you are not already familliar.

Group Outlook Calendar#

The calendar is where we track when lab members will be out of town or working remotely. We also track when Antonia is gone. This calendar will be shared to your outlook- please reach out if you have not received it.

Group Meeting Calendar Here#

The lab meeting calendar helps us keep track of what will be discussed in the weekly lab meetings. We also list discussion ideas and brief notes about who is leading the meetings.

Github Here#

Github is where we maintain the lab manual. If you aren’t yet familiar with GitHub, we have trainings to help you learn. Everyone will help keep the lab manual updated.

Lab Slides Here#

In the Hadjimichael lab, we believe strongly that visual communication tools are an important part of being an effective scientist. We strive to have our work look and feel clean, organized, and professional. As such, we have a slides template that helps share out cohesive identity. Additionally, this makes sharing and reusing slides easier.

Lab Administration and Roles#

All members of the lab are expected to pitch in to support the function of our lab activities and infrastructure. Formal lab roles may include the following and assignments will be made and updated here on an annual basis. However, this Lab Manual is a living document and everyone must pitch in to keep it up to date.

  • Github manager: Alex

    • The Github manager is responsible for keeping the github page updated, implementing feedback, and maintaining the site.

  • OneDrive manager: Gabriela

    • The OneDrive manager is responsible for keeping the group OneDrive organized, extending permissions.

  • Website manager: Ava

    • The website manager is responsible for keeping the lab website up to date with new members, recent and upcoming talks, papers, presentations, and awards. The website manager also ensures that posted materials (posters, papers, and recorded talks) have open access Zenodo pages and accessible DOI’s.

  • Social event coordinator: Enock

    • The social event coordinator organizes fun lab activities and special events.

  • Equipment manager: Enock

    • The equipment manager tracks what equipment each lab member has and what equipment is available for use.

  • Zoomer: Maddie

    • The Zoom setup coordinator is responsible for coming to the lab meeting room early to set up any necessary Zoom equipment. They also send out When to Meet polls to determine group meeting times.

Equipment and Office Space#

  • Office Space: Every graduate student will be assigned a desk in an office in Deike. You will recieve a key to that office, and a key to the Deike mail room. It is important to always lock the office door when the office is empty, as your office mates may have left their laptop or other precious items in the office. If you would like to change offices, talk with other members of the lab. Desks usually open up at the end of the Spring semester.

  • Equipment: Everyone in the research group must have a functional computer capable of performing intensive computational modeling work. If you do not have a computer which meets that criteria, please reach out to Antonia and she will arrange to provide you with a working computer - please don’t be shy about this! If you do already have a computer you can continue to use, that will help the lab’s resources go farther.

Weekly Individual Meetings#

At the beginning of each semester, we will set a time for weekly individual meetings. Meetings are typically 45 minutes, once a week. Early-stage PhD students should keep these meetings every week. More senior lab members can feel free to cancel meetings, but we should touch base at least every other week. Individual Meetings are a tool to help you to make productive use of your weekly meetings with Antonia. You should plan to create a slide deck that you will use in the meeting to facilitate conversation about items you want feedback on. These slides serve as a project management tool that allows you and Antonia to align and keep track of what you are working on, and agreed next steps.

The slides may include:

  • A meeting agenda

  • Updates on what you worked on last week, including the status of any items you agree to work on in your previous meeting

  • Slides on research content (or professional development content) that you want feedback on. For example, if you want feedback on choosing a research method, you should use your report to give Antonia background on: your research question, the status of current research design decisions, the specific methodological decision you want feedback on, proposed options you are considering, the pros and cons of each option etc.

  • Proposed next steps for the following week

While your report does not need to be a polished presentation, it should be easy to follow as you talk through your research progress with Antonia. It is your responsibility to set the agenda, come prepared for each meeting, and lead the meeting. After the meeting, you may find it helpful to write out a short summary of the next steps you’ve agreed on so we don’t forget what was discussed.

Weekly Lab Meetings#

Weekly lab meetings (1 hour each) are meant to be a forum for us to learn collaboratively. In these weekly lab meetings, we rotate between 4 formats.

  • Paper Discussions: One person will select a broadly applicable paper for everyone to read. This person will facilitate the discussion and guide the group in learning about the topic.

  • Project updates: Each person will contribute one or two slides about the status of their project to a combined deck. We will go around the room and remind everyone of our project purpose, and share where things currently stand. The slides template is here.

  • Trainings: In these meetings, one or more lab members will develop a training session on a topic of technical importance to our lab. The training session will help bring all members up to speed on typical computational, software, or data management tools which we commonly use.

  • Research Talks: In these meetings, one person will give a detailed presentation of their research and current progress. They will then receive feedback from the rest of the group. Each lab member is expected to present at least once a year, with more senior PhD students and postdocs presenting 2-3 times per year.

In our weekly meetings, students from other labs and colleges are invited to join, and many come regularly! They broaden our group of research peers, strengthen our science communication skills, and help us learn about topics outside of our scope.

Work Time#

You should treat your position in the Hadjimichael Lab as a full-time job. You are allowed to work remotely occasionally as needed, but you must still attend lab meetings by Zoom. You may take 3 weeks of paid time off each year, in addition to official university holidays. Please request time off in advance and put it on the lab calendar. Make sure that you meet any agreed-upon commitments before you leave, and discuss with Antonia in advance.

Presentations and Posters#

Learning to present is an important skill and helps increase the visibility of your work. You are encouraged to seek out opportunities to present your research. Be prepared to give a practice talk to the lab, ideally at least two weeks before your presentation. Practice talks will help you feel comfortable with your presentation, practice answering questions, and get feedback from the lab and implement changes well in advance of your real presentation. All students should plan to present in the Penn State Graduate Student Colloquium, typically held in April.

Conferences#

PhD students and postdocs are encouraged to attend 1-2 conferences per year, subject to funding availability. Keep an eye out for conference deadlines, which can occur six months or more in advance. Lab members should get Antonia’s approval on a conference abstract before submitting it and get Antonia’s feedback on a poster or talk before giving it.

References#

This lab manual borrows heavily from excellent manuals created by Sarah Fletcher, Morgan Edwards, Meagan Mauter, Casey terHorst, Alex Konings, and Mariam Aly .

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