Mentorship in the Lab

Teamwork 

We are excited to engage in mentorship activities with all members of the lab, including graduate, undergraduate and staff personnel.  We place a high value on working together and supporting each other. 

Lab Values 

Our lab values (striving together, being disciplined, taking initiative, being resourceful, providing unconditional respect, being resilient) are central to our organization.  As a lab, we set time aside during weekly lab meetings to talk about a specific value and share experiences around it.  We regularly re-evaluate and update our lab values. 

Lab Meetings and Goals 

We hold regular lab meetings and share group and individual goals with each other.  We utilize Microsoft Teams to share goals and track progress.  Through open and consistent communication, our lab is aware of each other’s work priorities and needs.  Broad support throughout the lab results in our team’s ability to embrace each challenge and always give our best efforts. 

Book Club 

The purpose of book club is to develop our skills as leaders and scientists. At the start of each academic year, we host a book club for all graduate students and staff members.  We meet throughout the fall semester to review and discuss what we each are learning from the book.  Previous books have included “Ignorance” by Stuart Firestein, “The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield, and “Dare to Lead” by Brené Brown. 

Curiosity Corner 

We strive to foster an environment that welcomes curiosity and questions.  Engaging in open dialogue on topics of interest is the catalyst for learning and inspiring creativity leading to new research ideas.  We have institutionalized this by setting aside time each week during lab meeting for lab members to share observations that they are curious about. 

Individual Meetings 

By being readily available to meet on an individual basis, we support our students and staff to achieve their goals.

Social Outings 

It’s not all work in the BioMotion Lab.  By getting together outside of school/work, we strive to build even stronger bonds through friendship and fun.  Whether it’s getting together for cookouts at the park, backyard bonfires, attending sporting events, going ice skating, or participating in a cross-fit class, we find a variety of ways to engage!