Code of conduct

Welcome to the SMNP Lab! I am excited that you are joining us and can’t wait for you to get started. I want to make your stay in the lab as positive and productive as possible, so that you can learn new things, advance science, and feel both supported and encouraged along the way. To achieve this, I have developed a set of lab guidelines. These guidelines apply to everyone working in the lab – including me.

We honor our commitments.
1. Make sure you are always in the lab for the times that you’ve committed to. The amount of time you are expected to be in the lab will vary depending on your status as a student, the classes you are taking, and the projects you are involved in.
2. As a general rule, undergraduate students should be in the lab at least 10 hours per week, and graduate students should be in the lab at least 20 hours per week.
3. If you cannot come in due to an illness or other emergency, please let myself and the co-workers you are working with for the day know via email. If possible, let us know 24 hours in advance so we can schedule a back-up person for any in-lab tasks going on that day (i.e., testing a participant).
4. If you need to request time off, please contact me via email.
We are honest.
1. Science requires that we are always 100% honest about our experiments, data, and results. Mistakes happen (remember – you are here to learn. Making mistakes is one of the most effective ways to learn). The best way to resolve mistakes is to be upfront about it and ask for help. Without honesty, we can’t make progress. We therefore expect that you will be honest about all of your work at all times.
2. Transparency and reproducibility are a big part of honesty. This means that you need to keep your data and study-related forms well-organized. Always keep at least two copies of raw data (data is priceless!) and store your work on the lab’s Box folder whenever possible. I also recommend using an electronic laboratory notebook to document your daily work – this is especially helpful when you aren’t sure if you ran an analysis or not – you can always check your notes. Finally, when writing code, comment it heavily. Code is a window into someone’s brain – and it is usually messy in there. By carefully documenting your code you can be sure that whoever is looking at that code in the future will have an easier time understanding your thought process.
We meet.
1. Lab meetings and one-on-one meetings are mandatory.
2. During weekly lab meetings, be prepared to update the group on the focus of your work for the week and your goals. If you need help from your peers or me, this is a great time to ask. During lab meetings, we will discuss upcoming projects, current projects, data and results from experiments run in the lab, and published papers. Each week, one person will present for about 20-30 minutes. Use this time as an opportunity to practice your presentation and public speaking skills. Even if you hate public speaking, you will improve with practice and it WILL get easier with time.
3. Come to your one-on-one meetings prepared to discuss your current questions or issues with your project or work: planning ahead is the best way to get the most out of this time. If you need to meet sooner or more often than once per week, let me know and we will find time.
4. The goal of our joint meetings with the FALCON lab is to learn more about the cognitive side of neuroplasticity and learning, which will have the added benefit of helping you better understand the work in the SMNP lab. These meetings will also help us get to know the members of the FALCON lab so that we can all help each other out.
We communicate.
1. One of the most important aspects of science involves communicating our findings to other scientists and the general public, but good communication doesn’t stop there. To do our best work, we need to communicate with each other. This means offering constructive criticism and helpful suggestions during meetings and day-to-day lab life. When offering criticism, be sure to point out some things that you really liked about the work, and then offer critiques. Constructive criticism is part of science, and its best to learn the weaknesses in your work from your own co-workers instead of a stranger. That said, this process will prepare you to receive criticism at conferences and during the process of writing manuscripts and eventually grants.
2. We also communicate by asking for help. No one person knows everything there is to know about everything going on in the lab (not even me!). Therefore, if you have a question about your project or someone else’s, ask!
3. We communicate up-front about authorship on abstracts, posters, and papers. Authorship on a project is not to be assumed and is an evolving conversation. At the outset of a project, we will discuss what we anticipate the order of authors will be. However, sometimes projects are trickier than expected, researchers leave the lab, or they switch projects entirely. This means that authorship is not set in stone until the manuscript or abstract is accepted. Please expect that authorship is a constant discussion, and don’t be afraid to bring it up if you are concerned. That being said, authorship is usually granted to those researchers who contribute significantly to the project. We typically follow NIH authorship guidelines and I encourage you to review these carefully.
We focus.
1. A good lab environment means being able to work hard while also relaxing with your labmates from time to time. However, it is important that you use your time in the lab wisely. One of the best ways to ensure you achieve your research goals is to spend several hours each day focused on your main project. When it comes to research, you get out what you put in. That being said, sometimes your brain needs a break! I’ve found that short walks help me re-focus when I am stuck on a problem. Coffee works too
2. Science requires intense focus. Sometimes, we don’t realize how much we are (or aren’t) working, even though it may feel like we are always in the lab. Keeping track of your “on-task” hours rather than the amount of time you are physically in the lab often helps identify when you need (and deserve) a break and when you should ramp up your efforts. I recently started using Toggl, which allows me to track the time I spend on different projects to make sure I am making the best use of my time. I encourage you to try it out!
3. It is important to respect your co-workers time and effort; when they are focused, try not to interrupt unless it is an urgent research-related issue or health and safety concern that needs to be addressed immediately.
We troubleshoot.
1. Problems happen and are part of the process. Sometimes you keep getting an error when trying to run an analysis, or the equipment is not behaving the way you expect it to. If and when this happens, try to resolve the issue on your own or with your labmates first.
2. First, check the equipment manuals and/or google the problem. Chances are someone else had the same issue before you and you just need to figure out how they solved it.
3. If that doesn’t work, ask a labmate to take a look with you. Sometimes a different set of eyes sees things that you overlooked.
4. If you still can’t resolve the problem, come ask me and I will do my best to help. Be prepared to explain the different ways that you tried to resolve the problem on your own and with your labmates so that I don’t repeat the same approaches you used.
We support each other.
1. Unfortunately, science can be frustrating. Sometimes, an experiment doesn’t work, a paper you worked really hard on gets rejected, or you are frustrated with an analysis that keeps having problems no matter what you do. During these moments, remember that everyone in science goes through this! The best way to deal with the bumps in the road is to remind one another that we are all doing our best, that setbacks are inevitable, and not to give up.
2. In addition, studies have shown that the graduate students experience mental health issues at a higher rate than the rest of the population, so you never know what your labmates are struggling with. For this reason, it is extremely important that we all support each other and maintain a positive environment in the lab. I personally have dealt with anxiety and depression since my early 20s. Having colleagues who I know want me to succeed and have my back has made a world of a difference. If you are struggling with your mental health, please do not be afraid to notify me, but it’s ok if you want to keep it private too.
We listen to each other.
1. In science, people often disagree. This is totally normal and part of the process, but sometimes this leads to co-workers getting frustrated with each other. To avoid this, we need to maintain a culture of respect in the lab. This means that we don’t speak over each other, interrupt, or talk down to each other. We are all on this journey together, and we are each in different parts of our journey. Something that may seem obvious to you may be less obvious to your co-worker, and something your co-worker understands really well may be less intuitive for you. If and when this happens, take the time to explain different concepts to each other without judgement. This is how we all get better and keep learning.
We accept each other as we are.
1. Every single one of has a different life story. We all come from different places and likely grew up in different cultures. We may live different lifestyles and make different choices in our personal lives. It is often very difficult to keep your work and personal life completely separate. For this reason, in the SMNP lab it is extremely important that we accept each other as we are. Racism, sexism, or any other form of prejudice has absolutely no place in our lab and will not be tolerated. If you have experienced any form of harassment in the lab, please let me know and I will work with you to resolve the situation.
We are proactive.
1. We seek out new opportunities to grow, learn and produce great work. You are here because we think you have what it takes to make an impact on science, so show us what you can do! We love it when lab members take initiative, learn new skills, or come up with new ideas. If there is something you want to learn and you need resources to help you do it, let me know and I’ll do my best to help you.
2. We set goals and achieve them. One of the best ways to stay focused on your work is to set daily and weekly goals. Although not required, I recommend that you write down your daily and weekly goals somewhere you can see them while you work, to remind you about what you want to accomplish. When you achieve a big goal, let the lab know so we can celebrate with you (even if only in the form of a short happy dance, high five, or uplifting song).
3. People who are reliable, consistent, resilient, hard-working, and good team players will stand out here. People who are inconsistent, tend not to follow through, or often distracted during their lab time will struggle. Along these lines, opportunities to learn new things and take on greater responsibilities are based on how well you are performing your currently assigned work. Finally, recommendation letters are earned through consistency, dedication, and hard work, and are never guaranteed.
We are professional.
1. We uphold the highest standards of professional and ethical conduct in the lab, especially when we have participants scheduled or visitors. This means that we always dress cleanly, modestly and professionally, regardless of our gender identity, and we don’t use offensive language or profanity. For a lot of our participants, the idea of brain stimulation can be scary – we need to show our participants with our behavior and our dress that we are professionals that take their health and safety very seriously.
We help each other.
1. A lot of the experiments we do in the lab involve two people. This means that you’ll often be working on your primary project as well as a secondary project or two. For this reason, it is important that we help each other with data collection. When scheduling a participant on the lab calendar, please indicate the study name and the primary and secondary experimenter who will be running the session, as well as any additional helpers that will be present. This helps ensure that I know who is responsible for data collection for different projects and may be a useful tool for helping resolve authorship disputes.
2. Outside of data collection, data analysis can often be tricky and you may have more experience with an analysis technique than the rest of the lab members. Share your knowledge! This fosters collaboration and learning across all lab members, and in the future, you may be the one to benefit from your co-worker’s knowledge.
We respect our lab space and equipment.
1. We have a pretty awesome lab space, and its important that we take care of it. This means that we clean up after ourselves and keep a tidy workspace, especially in data collection areas.
2. We respect our scientific equipment. We only use equipment after we have been trained by another lab member on how to use it properly. We also take care of our equipment and make sure it will last a long time by using it carefully and keeping it clean and in good working order. If there is an equipment problem, please bring it up at lab meeting and we will work to resolve it.

I hope that these guidelines are straightforward, useful, and logical. The purpose is not to be overly strict or harsh but instead to create an environment where everyone can learn and thrive. My mission is to do good science and to train good scientists, and I believe that having a clear vision of our values as a group is essential for achieving this. If you have questions or concerns about anything described here or have any ideas of what could be added, please let me know and I would be happy to discuss them.

Let’s go do some science!

Sara J Hussain, PhD

Director, Sensorimotor Neuroplasticity Lab