Have you ever wondered what it takes to become an absolutely spectacular lab assistant?

In honour of previous Team Shrub blog posts about becoming an awesome field assistant (5 Steps to Becoming an Awesome Field Assistant – Team Shrub & 5 (More) Steps to Becoming an Awesome Field Assistant – Team Shrub), here is a similar post written for a different setting… the lab! 

Although you aren’t outside in the beautiful Tundra, or wherever the field is for you, you’re doing extremely meaningful work. Hopefully, these tips will be of use and help lead you to success.

1. Do it scared

Entering into the world of academia can be very daunting. Though you are not climbing up a physical mountain, there are quite a few mentally draining hikes that you will encounter on your journey. 

Imposter syndrome is a very normal feeling, but remember that you were hired for a reason! Though you may not know how to do something (…yet!), the only way to pass that hurdle and learn is by diving in. It can feel scary at first because you feel like you don’t know what you’re doing, but confidence grows with experience and knowledge. Trust yourself. 

2. Show up, get involved, take initiative. Be a sponge!

Working in a lab, you are swimming in an ocean of vast information and surrounded by incredibly intelligent people. This is a great place to soak up as much as you can, and be a sponge! You’ll have ample opportunities to learn various things in the academic field if you truly want to and take the initiative to dive right in!

Be open minded, show up as your best self everyday. You often get a lot of offers to be involved in cool experiences just by being around people! Try to figure out what your personal research interests are by taking the opportunities that come your way. Take initiative and don’t wait until you’re told to do something to do it. Go to lab meetings! I personally have learned quite a lot from simply sitting and listening in to Team Shrub lab meetings.

3. Ask questions

It’s nice to know what your work is truly attributing to. Ask questions and get involved in the research that you’re interacting with and contributing to. You have a great opportunity here to dive deep into research. Be curious! Sometimes lab work can feel a bit tedious. Asking questions can help to ease that feeling when you understand what the bigger picture is and what you’re contributing to. It’s better to ask questions and fully understand how to do what is being asked of you, rather than pretending to know and then making a preventable mistake. 

4. Take notes

Notes are a great way to keep track of things. Writing things down is good practice, and we can’t remember everything in our heads! Your supervisor may not always be right beside you, and you might be expected to work independently. Having notes to remind you of the proper protocol, or specific steps that you find tricky helps you to avoid asking unnecessary/repetitive questions and gives you something you can always refer back to for a refresher. I’ve had times when I thought I would definitely remember something, but forgot about it a few days later. So I try to write down anything that I want to remember or reference in the future! 

I find that it helps me to stay organized, and I like to sketch out things to help me visualize. I keep a ‘lab notebook’ which is kind of like my version of a field notebook. 

5. Time is of the essence!

As a student, you’ll have other commitments vying for your time. This is a good chance to learn to manage your time well, and practice prioritizing your various tasks, assignments, exams, extra curriculars, etc. Time is a resource that you can’t get back, so make sure to use it well! 

I like to have a loose plan of the tasks I need to complete throughout my day and week. This gives me an idea of how much time I have for each thing on my to-do list. In the lab, I find that having a system and doing things systematically is very important. It can help you to avoid mistakes and increase your efficiency. 

And remember, enjoy this season of learning and applying your knowledge in a different setting! Do your best to stay present and use this time to your advantage. Not everyone gets the chance to be doing what you’re doing! Take advantage of the ‘now’, and make the most of your time in an academic research setting! 

Words by Nicole

Special thanks to Samantha, Juliana, and Thomas for contributing and sharing their experiences as Undergraduate Research Assistants.